LAIV Harmony HP2A Preamp/Headphone Amp

LAiV Harmony HP2A is a balanced preamplifier and headphone amplifier designed to be a serious control centre for both desktop and full hi‑fi systems. It pairs a precision discrete resistor‑ladder volume control with a Class A buffered preamp stage and a true balanced, high‑power headphone amplifier, so the same box can drive speakers and demanding headphones with equal confidence.

Volume is handled by a matched discrete R2R attenuator, which gives you very fine, repeatable steps without adding noise or smearing low‑level detail. The preamp section runs in Class A with very low output impedance and a wide 15 Hz–80 kHz bandwidth, while the headphone stage uses LAiV’s proprietary Class A/B design with four wide‑bandwidth EXICON MOSFETs per channel. In practice, that means clean, controlled drive for a wide range of headphones, from sensitive models to current‑hungry planars, with balanced outputs delivering up to around 12 W into 32 ohms and single‑ended outputs up to roughly 2.8 W, all with low noise and distortion.

Connectivity and layout are designed for real‑world flexibility. On the back you get a balanced XLR line input plus balanced XLR and single‑ended RCA preamp outputs, with the option to add more inputs (including phono) via Harmony LExt expansion modules. The front panel offers three headphone outputs — 4‑pin XLR and 4.4 mm balanced, plus 6.35 mm single‑ended — so you can plug in almost any cable termination without adapters. Gain is set sensibly (unity for the pre‑out, around 12–14 dB for the headphone stage) to give you a wide, usable range on the volume control with both low‑ and high‑sensitivity headphones.

For customers looking to build a system around a high‑quality DAC and power amp, or to give an existing Harmony DAC or other source a suitably capable analogue partner, Harmony HP2A offers a clear path: one well‑finished chassis that handles preamp duties and serious headphone listening without compromise.