Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $2,200
AT A GLANCE
Plus
Solid as a brick build quality
Handles ultra-high resolution 768-kHz/32-bit PCM, and DSD native (up to 22.4 MHz) files
Variety of single-ended and balanced headphone outputs
Minus
Not the most transparent sounding headphone amp
THE VERDICT
The Sony TA-ZH1ES is beautifully designed and built, though it doesn’t quite bring the MDR-Z1R headphone to its full potential.
Not content with just launching a new flagship headphone in the MDR-Z1R, Sony simultaneously launched the TA-ZH1ES headphone amplifier/DAC; like the MDR-Z1R, it’s intended to be a statement of Sony’s best technology. To begin, the TA-ZH1ES uses a hybrid switching/analog amp. It features Sony’s S-Master HX technology on the switching side, which boosts the signal; it then applies feed-forward correction with an analog stage to reduce distortion. Unpacking this desktop amp, I was surprised by how heavy it is. It weighs in at 9.7 pounds, and the chassis feels like a solid brick! The silky-smooth action of the volume control reminded me of those found on the best flagship stereo receivers of the 1970s and ’80s.
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