Chicago- based Earmen introduced a fully balanced headphone amplifier with a built-in ST-Amp USB DAC . The presence of an adjustable analog output allows you to use the novelty as a pre-amplifier.
The volume control in the Earmen ST-Amp is based on a dual high-quality ALPS potentiometer. The amplifier is made in balanced circuitry and is dressed in a fully aluminum case. The output power of the Earmen ST-Amp reaches 1.85W when driven into a 32 ohm load when balanced.
The USB DAC in the Earmen ST-Amp is based on the ES9280 chip from ESS Technology and is capable of processing PCM digital streams up to 32bit/384kHz and DSD up to DSD128. To connect headphones on the front panel, there are connectors jack 6.35 mm and balanced 4.4 mm. The device also has a 4.4 mm balanced input on the rear panel.
Headphone amplifier Earmen ST-Amp is already on sale. In the US, the recommended retail price of new items is 599 dollars.