Lehmann Audio Linear
High-end headphone amplifier from Lehmann Audio, with a discrete Class A stage and military-grade components, for demanding headphone listening at home.
Description
The Lehmann Audio Linear is a dedicated headphone amplifier, designed to accurately reproduce the signal from a hi-fi source and adapt it to the impedance of one or more headphones. It is intended to complement an existing system rather than replace a conventional power amplifier, inserting itself between a source and the headphones via its RCA inputs and outputs.
The unit features selected components: MKT capacitors, military-grade resistors, a 27 mm ALPS potentiometer and gold-plated Jack and RCA connectors. Its power supply relies on a 30 VA transformer, two high-capacity capacitors and a regulation circuit, ensuring a comfortable power reserve to drive the headphones without signal compression. The power stage, using discrete components biased in pure Class A, feeds both available headphone outputs in parallel.
The Linear offers two pairs of RCA connections, an input and an output, as well as two headphone outputs on the front panel. Inserting headphones into the left output disables the RCA output, while the right output leaves it active, allowing, for example, headphone listening while a power amplifier remains connected in parallel. Gain is set across three levels, 0 dB, 10 dB and 20 dB, via four micro-switches accessible underneath the unit, to suit the sensitivity of the headphones in use.
This type of amplifier is aimed at a user already equipped with a quality source, who wants headphone listening that matches the standard of their setup, without going through the sometimes limited headphone preamp of an integrated amplifier. The ability to connect two headphones simultaneously also makes it a relevant choice for shared listening, provided the headphones are of similar impedance.
Technical specifications
| Frequency response | 10 Hz (-0.3 dB) to 35 kHz (-1 dB) |
| Input impedance | 47 kΩ |
| Output impedance | pre-out 50 ohms; phones out 5 ohms |
| Power | 400 mW/60 ohms; 200 mW/300 ohms |
| Gain | 0 dB, 10 dB, 18 dB, 20 dB selectable via DIP switches |
| Signal to noise ratio | > 95 dB at 0 dB gain |
| Channel separation | > 70 dB at 10 kHz |
| Connections | Neutrik headphone jacks with gold-plated contacts; 1 x pre-out; 2 x phones out; gold-plated RCA sockets with Teflon insulation |
| Power consumption | 10 W |
| Dimensions (H × W × D) | 50 × 110 × 280 mm |
| Weight | 1.5 kg net |
What to check before buying used
The ALPS potentiometer should be tested at low volume to detect any crackling or channel imbalance, a sign of track wear. Also check the cleanliness of the RCA and Jack connectors, as well as the absence of background noise or hum at idle, which would indicate a tired power supply capacitor. A slight warming of the casing is normal in Class A and should not be mistaken for a fault.
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