Anode Acoustics SS Amp(HP Amp #2) - Simplicity at its best

Anode Acoustics is rather a new name in the Audiophile Industry, but they have won many hearts with their quality products like El34 based tube power amplifiers, 300b power amplifiers, ECC82 based tube preamplifiers, tube headphone amplifiers and solid state power amplifiers. Anode Acoustics have their headquarters at New Delhi, India and as their tag line on website says all their products are meticulously Hand Crafted and proudly Made in India. 

The Solid-State HP Amplifier (HP Amp #2) is a compact neutral sounding amplifier with a slight hint of warmth. The front is machined from solid aluminium, brushed and anodized for an attractive finish. The enclosure is made of 1.2mm thick powder coated steel. It offers a full Class A amplification and a sustained 1500mW output before clipping. For more details on product you can visit the website. On front there is one Volume Know and one quarter inch headphone jack along with brand logo, and on the rear, there is RCA input along with 3Pin Power in. On/Off Switch have been provided at the left panel with some air vents on both sides and bottom of the amp. The amp can be tuned to a specific gain levels from 15 to 20db as per requirement during production only thus no gain switch is there on the body.

Disclaimer:

I have received Anode Acoustic HP Amp #2 as part of review circle by brand itself in exchange of honest reviews and was so impressed by it that finally got myself a unit. All impressions of sound are subjective to my own listening and my sources and is based on my experience with rig of similar hardware configurations and price range.

Sources:

For this review the unit has been paired to A&K SE100 (ES9038 Pro), Fiio Q5 (AK4490) and Dragonfly Red (MQA Rendering)

Test Rig:

Headphones: Focal Clear, Beyerdynamic T1 gen2, Beyerdynamic DT880 pro 250ohm
IEMs: Tin Audio P2
Earbuds: Moonbuds Nightshade 

Impressions: 

The overall signature irrespective of the source is bit warmish and musical in nature. The noise floor I would say is very impressive. It’s a Class A amplifier with a dual mono design i.e. both channels have their own dedicated PCB. Let’s see in detail how it performed during my testing.

Highs:

Anode SS Amp#2 has sparkly highs which are sweetly tamed giving a relaxed and melodious impact. At this price point I would say it is one of the best amps that has so much refined treble. There is no sibilance or harsh tones at any point of time and an overall airiness all around the headroom. I have used it more than 8 hours straight while working from home these days, and not any point of time there is any treble fatigue, or I could complain loss of details. The cymbals, trumpets, saxophones, electric guitars and all other bells, whistles and chimes felt so lively, detailed and yet relaxing. I would say I have enjoyed the highs on this amp better than on any other sources I own at this point of time. Best example would be the highs of “Rehna Tu from Delhi-6” or “Quartet 1 by John Cage” these tracks sounded so much fun using this amp, irrespective of the transducers used.

Mids:

There is uniformity throughput the mids section and a feel of airiness. Overall, the mid-section is bit forward. All the instruments sound natural and relaxing; the vocals have this sweet melodious touch that it takes you far away in the dreamland. Acoustic guitars, mandolins, drums, flutes and all other instruments in this region shine very well. The lower mids does also have a nice presentation giving the overall presence factor a nice boost. A perfect example if it I would say would be listening to “Mark Knopfler & Emmylou Harris - Romeo And Juliet” track, the vocals were so crisp and lively with all the instruments easily distinguishable. Same was the impact with “Eric Clapton - Wonderful Tonight” specially the female vocals in 2005 remastered live version of the song.

Lows:

Bass response is punchy and is quite detailed and textured. The whole bass presentation feel bit elevated giving a very musical presentation. At no point I feel its bleeding to mids or congested, it’s just perfect as it should be for my taste I would say. The overall warm nature compliments the elevation in bass region. It is fun listening to country, classic rock and EDM on it. The sub bass rumbles come out quite textured and immediately gives a mood elevation. There is a new life in all my cans in bass region I must say and immediately sets me to groove mode when paired to this. Tracks like “Bass Rani by Nucleya” or my favorite “Tokyo Drift remix by KVSH” had such an amazing feel when listened using this amp irrespective of any source giving detailed highs forward mids and thumping bass drops in a warm presentation. “Infinity (Dubdogz & Bhaskar Edit)” is another track that I have had on frequent replays on it and enjoyed every bass drop.

Detailing/Imaging/Soundstage:

The dynamics, micro detailing are exceptional as per price point of view and I think are kind of hard to find in this price bracket as well. It brings out all the technicality nicely. The soundstage is also very wide but somehow lacks the depth I would say, but still one of the best presentations I have heard at this price range. There is no holographic feel to it but the transitions were very smooth and intimate, and best example can be seen in “Mind Tricks by Bassnectar”, the overall presentation was very very good but it was not the best in terms of staging I would say. Talking about detailing I would say that I have not noticed any compromise at all during all my listening experience.

Final Verdict:

This is the toughest review for me to write up till date, I have spent hours writing it because the moment I put on my cans/IEM/earbuds, I just started enjoying it thus losing the track of time. It is a very musical amp indeed, and very well implemented single ended output. Even watching movies and playing games is another level of fun apart from listening to music on it. The sound is very intimating I would say and with the genre I listen to, it was a mesmerizing experience. This amp is pure gold in price to performance ratio and the versatility with difference sources and transducers makes it quite an interesting piece of equipment to own. The minimal noise floor is also one of the best aspects of it along with amazing power output, it has efficiently played all power hungry transducers that were paired to it from planar Tin audio P2 to Beyerdynamic T1 gen2. So, if you are looking for a warmish laid-back kind of signature without compromise in details to have a musical experience then this is the one for you.