The Audma Maestro HPA-1 is a reference-level DAC/headphone amplifier with all of the makings of a truly iconic product. It features a no-compromise amplifier section, an excellent built-in DAC, and the ELISA circuit that must be heard to be believed. For those who want endgame!
“I remember that years ago, when listening to music on my headphones, I was amazed at the very high sound quality that finely crafted headphones could deliver. Nonetheless, it was still too far from the visceral, tactile vibration of three-dimensional listening that anyone could experience when playing their own stereo systems in a room. The flatness of the sound in the headphones seemed to me a serious limitation that had to be overcome".
“This is how Cesare Mattoli, electronic engineer and great music lover, describes the spark behind the creation of AUDMA MAESTRO HPA1”
Highlights:
- Dual Mono Power supply - allows better channel separation and lower distortion.
- Nichicon and Wima Capacitors - Nichicon electrolytic and Wima Red Series audio capacitors are used throughout the design. This improves clarity, detail, and focus and allows all of the music's subtle nuances to shine through.
- Alps and Alpha On Board - Alps Alpine potentiometers and Alpha switches ensure the signal remains as clean and distortion-free as before it entered the Maestro.
- The ELISA circuit - a circuit that took years to perfect. This circuit enables your headphones to have the detail they are known for but adds the dimensionality and spaciousness of a great speaker system, And you can fully control the effect.
- Compatibility - The Maestro HPA-1 provides balanced and unbalanced headphone outputs, selectable and customizable RCA, and unbalanced inputs and outputs. Thus, it is compatible with every headphone and every system. Plus, with its power output, any headphones you pair it with will sound great!
Automatic Voltage Adjustment—You can enjoy your music regardless of whether you are in a place with 120 or 220 volts. The intelligent circuitry inside the HPA-1 takes care of this for you!
SPECIFICATIONS
- Headphone amplifier equipped with ELISA (Electronic Loudspeaker Imaging Simulating Amplifier) circuitry
- Range of use: can be used with all dynamic headphones with impedance ≥ 6 Ohm
- ELISA Circuit Controls: Off/On, Stage, Angle
- Other controls: phase (left, 180°, right), mode (mono, stereo), balance, volume
- Analog inputs: 1 stereo unbalanced RCA line, 1 stereo balanced XLR line
- Digital inputs: coaxial, optical, USB
- Input sensitivity: settable 0/+10 dB
- Input resistance: 20 kOhm
- Digital section performance: up to 32-bit resolution, maximum PCM 768 kHz / DSD256 sampling rate, PCM/DSD automatic selection
- Outputs: Line, Headphones, Direct
- Headphone outputs: 1 Pentaconn, 1 x 6.3 mm jack with mini jack adapter, 1 x XLR 4-pin
- Output gain: settable 0/+6/+12/+18/+24/+30 dB
- Signal-to-noise ratio: 115 dB
- Frequency response: 20 Hz - 20 kHz +/- 0.01 dB
- Power consumption: max 100 W, idle 3 W
- Remote Control Functions: On/Off Fixture, Off/On ELISA Function, ELISA Stage, ELISA Angle, Volume, Mute
- Dimensions: 43 x 11 x 40 cm (WxHxD)
- Weight: 8.7 Kg
In this article, we will discuss what makes this new and exciting headphone amplifier so great and why someone who wants top-level performance, enough power for about any headphone on the market, and a unique circuit to improve headphone listening would want the Maestro HPA-1. We will review the design and build, the parts used, and the Special ELISA circuit that promises to fix many headphone listening limitations.
We have seen a lot of headphone gear over the years, especially when the boom in headphone listening happened in the mid-2000s. There have been attempts to fix headphones' limited soundstage and imaging abilities using DSP technology, among other technologies. But they always felt like a failed attempt to us. They either changed the tonal aspects of the music or caused other issues with degrading the signal. The Audma Maestro HPA-1 does not feel that way to us. When we first heard the HPA-1, we knew it was special. They spent years perfecting their design and did not come out with it until they were sure it was the best current technology allowed. This is why we proudly present the Audma Maestro HPA-1 to our customers.
Company History
Cesare Mattoli is an engineer and general manager of Hi-Tech Solutions, an Italian company with over 25 years of experience in the automation and equipment sector. One of the issues that Cesare and his team faced was that headphone listening was a different experience. While headphones offered the best detail, they came with a downside. They missed the visceral, tactile, and three-dimensional listening that a great speaker system could present.
While Cesare and his team had the vision, technology limitations at the time prevented them from fully developing their dream circuit.
From 1978 until 2022, they struggled with designing a circuit that offered low noise and distortion and the sonic benefits a circuit like this could offer. In 2022, the HPA1P was born, but here is the thing: Audma did not go prime time with this unit. Instead, they made this amplifier exclusively for testing purposes and sent it to world-famous musicians and studio engineers who knew what music should sound like. They understood what their music was supposed to sound like in terms of tone, soundstage, and imaging. These musicians spent hours listening to their work through some of the best studios in the world, so having their input was essential. After 2 years of thorough testing, Audma has released its HPA1 to the public and feels its vision is finally ready for the masses.
Features and Technology
Most of you are wondering, first and foremost, what the ELISA circuit is. While all of the circuit details and construction are kept under close wraps, we can tell you what it does and how it can change how you listen to music on your favorite headphones.
The ELISA circuit stands for Electronic Loudspeaker Imaging Simulation Amplifier. In simple terms, it takes the limited soundstage and imaging ability of headphones and, through their circuit, creates the soundstaging effect and imaging like a great pair of speakers in a room. The ELISA circuit analyzes the physical values recognized when listening to music inside a room and imparts those values so that headphones can have the same effect.
One of the great things about the ELISA circuit is that it is fully controllable. You can control both stage and angle settings through the front panel controls or the remote. The stage setting adjusts your virtual distance from the stage, and the angle adjusts the placement of the virtual speakers relative to where you are listening. You can dial in your desired effect to match your main system or the system of your dreams! Also, the ELISA circuit has an on/off control, so you can listen to your favorite headphones without being enhanced at any time! The HPA-1, being a reference-level headphone amp, excels at this too.
Everyone loves a good VU meter, but the ones on the Maestro HPA-1 differ. The VU part of the meter does what any VU meter does, showing you the amplifier output in real-time. However, the addition of the EL meter also indicates the ELISA effect in real-time. This means that as you listen and control the ELISA effect, you will have a visual representation of what is happening. This is an excellent idea and gives a new purpose to a feature most people believe is just for visual excitement.
Good Looks, Simple and Easy Layout
The Audma Maestro HPA-1 is designed to be sleek, with its brushed aluminum finish and high-quality metal casework. Fit and finish are excellent and match the HPA-1's price category. The front panel is simply laid out and has all the necessary controls. There is an on/off button on the lower left, while the volume controls off center to the right. They are simple to find and has a high-quality knob feel we love with high-end audio. Across the bottom is an input selector and a phase inverter for times you have a source with a reversed-phase (which happens more than you think). Then there is a mono/stereo switch, a balance control, and an output selector allowing you to select headphones, line out, or mute, which cuts the signal completely. Above those controls are the ELISA controls for on/off, stage, and angle. While the Maestro HPA-1 has more controls than many high-end headphone amplifiers on the market, every control has a purpose for being there. There is even what Audma calls Courtesy Lighting, which will illuminate the front panel for night listening sessions! Now, that's good thinking.
There are many different types of headphones on the market with various connectors. With ¼”, XLR, and Pentaconn 4.4 balanced connections on the front panel, the Maestro HPA-1 is ready for all of them. Want to use the XLR output for the new Meze Elites you just love but have a pair of Focal Azury’s with a ¼” plug that you use when close-backs are needed? No problem. And say you just got a 4.4 balanced cable for your Hifiman Svanar IEMs and love their sound; that's not an issue either! The Maestro HPA-1 has the connections you need for your headphones.
Great Amplifiers Start With Great Parts
Great amplifiers all share the same trait of having designers who care about sound quality. Audma, being among them, has chosen to take the amplifier section of the HPA-1 and make it special. All great amplifiers start with a good power supply, and Audma has chosen a dual mono power supply with custom-built audio transformers. Nichicon electrolytic capacitors and Wima Red series audio capacitors are used throughout the design, while Alps Alpine motorized potentiometers and Alpha switches,
Bring top-quality volume adjustments and switching. These types of parts make reference-level amplifiers, and the Maestro HPA-1 is reference-level!
Power output is specified at around 1.75 watts per channel into 350 ohms, with dual mono power supplies and suitable capacitance backing this up. On paper, 1.75 watts doesn’t sound all that impressive until you realize this rating is 350 ohms. Most amplifiers are specified at maximum power into 32 ohms, so this power rating is excellent. A rugged and robust power supply and capacitance will deliver the added power needed for dynamic peaks with less sensitive headphones. With support for high-impedance headphones, every headphone in your collection can come out and play with the HPA-1. With its neutral sound character, only the headphones and how they are tuned will change the sound. Do you want as much detail as possible? Try the HPA-1 with a pair of Hifiman Susvara or HE1000 V2. If you want a more musical, all-day comfort type of sound, the Meze Elite or Focal Utopia might be closer to ideal. The Maestro HPA-1 stands out of the way and allows the headphones to do what they do, and with the ELISA circuit in play, it will enable the soundstage and imaging to take on new life, all while not changing the original sound character as many DSP units do!
The back panel of the Maestro HPA-1 has RCA and balanced analog inputs, allowing you to connect any component to the system. There are also RCA and balanced XLR outputs because you can use the HPA-1 as a preamp to make it the control hub for your main system, or if you have some powered speakers on your workstation that need a good clean preamp signal. This is an excellent and well-thought-out idea, as many headphone lovers also have computer desks with high-end powered speakers or studio monitors. The dip switches in the photo allow users to tailor the gain on the inputs and outputs, allowing better compatibility with all the different components worldwide.
For Digital Music Lovers
The Audma Maestro HPA-1 has a built-in DAC, so users with digital collections or who mostly stream their music will be covered. The HPA-1 uses an AKM AK4490REQ DAC chip in its digital section. AKM DACs are known for their musicality, while also offering up all of the details in a way that keeps you engaged. Format support is up to 32-bit/768kHz or DSD256 with automatic PCM/DSD selection. This means that the DAC will automatically switch to the format in which your music is transmitted. No switching to allow DSD or changing your bit rate; it just works! Now, we will be the first to tell you that what DAC chip is used doesn’t always tell how a DAC will sound. The input section controlling USB and other inputs also contributes, as well as the analog output section, which many experts agree has just as much to do with the sound quality as the DAC technology itself.
Performance
Through our testing, we found one thing very apparent with the Maestro HPA-1! This amplifier is very transparent and allows your headphones to get what they need to perform their best. We did most of our listening with the excellent HiFiman Susvara Unveiled, as this headphone is one of the most transparent headphones ever created. This will show us exactly how capable the Audma amplifier is, and the Susvara Unveiled is priced at a level that would be a natural match with the Audma.
We listened to this combination and were frankly blown away! Every metric of music listening is fully represented here. The soundstage and imaging were excellent, as were the tone and detail. The HPA-1 can combine the technical performance of a well-designed class A/B solid-state amplifier with the musicality and soul of excellent class A amplifiers. This is reference quality from input to output.
Kicking in the ELISA circuit took everything we just said about soundstage and imaging to another level. Using the stage and angle controls to set the stage exactly how we wanted, we were blown away by what this circuit could do. The soundstage expanded, and the stage moved outside our heads and in front of us! We have heard crossfeed several times, but the ELISA circuit takes this idea to a new level. We recommend listening to this amplifier for folks who want their headphone listening to have the same depth and staging abilities as their high-end speaker system!
Conclusion
RockOnAV is proud to be a dealer and the US distributor of Audma products. They are built well and offer reference-quality sound that many products on the market only hope to achieve. The Maestro HPA-1 is an amplifier that any high-end headphone enthusiast should hear, and many will want to make this amplifier their new reference!! If you are in the market for a reference class headphone amplifier, one that has the chops to power any headphone on the market, with the design and quality to bring the best out of any headphone, give us a call, email, or chat with us on our website to see if the Audma Maestro HPA-1 is for you.
