Bakoon Products HDA-5230MK2 Compact Headphone Amplifier

The HDA-5230MK2 only supports the current drive scheme. As a result of the development of a SATRI-IC circuit that can directly derive the current drive system without passing through a voltage drive circuit at the development stage, the size of the product can be reduced and at the same time more precise operation without going through the conversion process. Since the voltage drive and the current drive have completely different sound characteristics, the current drive system allows you to hear a unique and attractive sound that is difficult to hear with other amplifiers.

By driving the headphones with current, distortion is reduced compared to voltage drive, and more precise playback is possible. Many headphones have a low swell in the frequency response of the impedance, and if you use these headphones with a current output, you can listen to a lot of information that cannot be obtained with voltage drive.

On the back, there is a pair of RCA terminals for input from the source device.DC power supplyThe adapter connection terminal is located on the front, and one 6.5mm single headphone output terminal is placed. In the current-driven system, the volume stage is also louder in proportion to the impedance size of the receiver, so that 300 Ω headphones can be approximately 10 times louder than 32 Ω headphones at the same volume. For this reason, the HDA-5230MK2's current gain adjustment switch is used to match it to "HIGH" when connecting to a low-impedance receiver.

The current output drives the headphones with a very high impedance, so there is little distortion of the sound, and the frequency response changes depending on the impedance curve of the headphones, so it is suitable for almost all headphones.

The advantages of the HDA-5230MK2 will be more pronounced for those who listen at low volumes. This is because the signal-to-noise ratio is maintained even at low volumes, and a clean signal is transmitted. This is especially advantageous when listening to large classical songs where there is a large difference in volume within a single song. Like the company's other amplifiersHDA-5230MK2is a gain adjustment method that adjusts the amplification value by adjusting the amplification factor of the signal. In this case, not only the decrease in signal-to-noise ratio that can occur due to attenuation after amplification, but also the problem of left-right deviation at low volume can be solved in one fell swoop.

Very fast starts, dynamic and powerful bass, immersive, deep, expansive and silent background and sound field. It is a sound that sets it apart from many headphone amplifiers. The overwhelming sense of realism and resolution, surprisingly natural reproduction sound, and deep live sound will not tire you even if you listen to it for a long time. It's more comfortable than you can imagine, and once you listen to it, you won't be able to let it go.

The HDA-5230MK2 is a model in which the internal battery has been removed from the previous model HDA-5230, which was equipped with a battery, and the specifications have been changed to an external DC power supply. This allows you to use the battery at home without being bound by battery time, and on the go, you can use it with a portable battery pack.

*Bakun Products will gradually change its logo and name to SCL (SATRI Circuit Laboratory). Thank you for your understanding.

When I played the music, I was confused by the sound that was completely different from what I had heard on the receiver so far. This is because, despite the fact that I have selected songs that I usually listen to, there is a rich bass that I have never heard on the HD800S. Adele's < 25> album "Send my love" has a bass beat and Adele's voice that pulls the song along. When I listened to a song with the HDA-5230, which usually had a heavy sense of rhythm, I could feel that the beat was further emphasized and the amount of sound was clearly increased. The good news is that the bass is presented as naturally as it was originally, rather than the awkwardness that often feels when boosting the bass with EQ. If you listen to the HDA-5230 with the reference receiver that has been in it for a long time, you are likely to experience a sound that is very different from what you remember. This is also one of the unique features of Bakun amps. The HD800 series that I use is a receiver that has been used by many people as a reference in the headphone world for a long time, and the reason for this is that it gives you a stable sound without bias in any part. However, the HD800S met the HDA-5230 and turned into a receiver that emits intense bass that I had never heard before. Usually, the impedance described in the detailed specifications of the product is a numerical value based on the 1 kHz band. In other frequency bands, the impedance may also be different. For example, the HD800S has an impedance of 300 Ω in the 1 kHz band, but an impedance value of more than 600 Ω at 100 Hz. In the case of the voltage drive method, assuming that the performance of the amplifier is sufficient, the impedance difference of the receiver due to the frequency band does not affect the volume, so the same volume can be obtained in the entire band. However, as mentioned above, the impedance of the current drive system affects the volume, so the frequency band with the higher impedance is emphasized. It doesn't seem to make much sense to examine the personality of each range, since the personality of the HDA-5230 changes completely depending on what kind of receiver it bites. However, when we look at the expression of the overall sound texture, if we divide the overall sound expression into sharpness and softness, the expressive power of the HDA-5230 is close to softness. In terms of tone based on the HD800S, even though it is close to a V-shaped tone, it is not stimulating and does not get tired even if you listen to it for a long time. This is something that I feel in common when I listen to other receivers. If you feel that your system sounds too hard, the HDA-5230 can solve the problem.