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Thread: Headphone amp by Avondale Audio- the HLZ

  1. #1
    Join Date: Mar 2010

    Location: Sheffield

    Posts: 2,898
    I'm Simon.

    Default Headphone amp by Avondale Audio- the HLZ

    I've been meaning to put pen to paper regarding my experiences with Les's new HLZ headphone amplifier for more than a few weeks now, hardly seems good form for me to have borrowed it for so long and not at least give my thoughts back. I know that the AOS isn't the usual home for such 'Naim ready' stuff but I'm genuinely bowled over by the performance on offer so thought I'd share.


    Kids, there I've said it, ended my night time listening. My daughter's bedroom is directly above my music room and consequently I can't really listen to anything at a decent volume late at night. It shouldn't be such an issue really, I have an Ibasso D10 portable headphone amp/dac and the headphone output on my modified Mdac is also superb. The problem is that digital audio is really my secondary source and what I really want is a way of listening to my records through headphone, something which my amp doesn't offer. So enter the Avondale Audio HLZ.





    Vinyl is my primary source and Ideally when I sit down to listen to music it's generally speaking vinyl that I opt for. I love the convenience of my digital library and I have a number of competent dacs at my disposal as well as a brace of CD players but I still love the interaction with the physical artefact when playing vinyl and cd slip covers and performance notes viewed on a tablet just don't cut the mustard for me. So my requirement was pretty simple I wanted a headphone amp that could sit after my Paradise phonostage and ideally one that was capable of passing the signal unsullied to my headphones. It should present a friendly load to the source component and I want a shelf and wallet friendly package that I can sneak onto the rack- she'll never notice another black box.





    Les had mentioned a couple of months back that he had been working on a new headphone amp design, that comprised a deceptively simple circuit of great precision and accuracy that had been developed with benefit of an extended component selection process to eek the last iota of performance and musicality from the design. As one might expect from Avondale it is also ready to be powered from any of Les's superior Hi-cap style power supplies- I only tried it with a rudimentary, unmodified Naim Hi-cap. I made space for the Avondale HLZ headphone amp on my rack and left it plugged in for a day or so before giving it a good listen. Plugged directly into my Paradise phonostage and Sony MDR1 headphones the HLZ was effectively replacing my Muse Model 200 amplifier and my Yamaha Ns1000m, upgraded with RAAL tweeters and part modified crossovers. Two little unassuming boxes up against the might of Yamaha's crowning glory and one of the unsung heroes of the US audio scene.


    Playing the first XX album the HLZ was able to comfortably match and even exceed the levels of bass I'm just to hearing in room. The delicacy and note shaping was all there to hear with subtle fading glow of decaying notes that I have grown familiar with via my speakers. Unlike the Yamahas though the HLZ and Sony headphone combo was able to dig deeper and was more even handed under 70hz. What I lost in stereo stage width and image depth due to the headphones I seemed to be gaining in a fundamentally improved bass performance. Across the midrange I was hearing different chest notes and resonances from Romy Madley Croft, there seemed to be more texture and greater age to her voice than I'm used to hearing through my dac and amplifier. I'm confident that there are genuine differences in the balance and mastering between the cd and vinyl versions of the album as these differences were not exclusive to the sound of the HLZ and my normal dac/amp set-up they were just further heightened when using the HLZ headphone amp with my vinyl front end.


    With the volume wicked up the HLZ showed itself as being capable of rocking out when required. I've been having a Deep purple renaissance of late and the HLZ successfully ploughed its way through everything on Machine Head, Live in Japan and In Rock with certainty and aplomb. On the first night I must have sat down and listened from start to finish through at least a dozen albums that I haven't been able to enjoy at sensible listening levels for the longest time.





    From a functional point of view there's nothing to it; plug the source into the back, plug in the power in from a Hi-cap or similar aftermarket supply and then plug your headphones into the front and turn up the volume. I tried it with a set of Grado 325i's, my own Sony MDR1s, a borrowed Sennheiser pairing of 650HD and HD700 (I found the 70's a little bass light) and I also tried them with a set of Sony MDR EX700 IEMs and a pair of Frogbeats C4. I've always liked the IEm sound of my Sony EX700 thinking it well balanced and ostensibly neutral, it wasn't until I heard the Frogbeat C4 that I experienced what neutral actually was. The combination of Les's HLZ and the £600 made everything i listened to come alive. The top end and mids were as sheer and as smooth as I'm used to hearing from my Ns1000's, while the bass resolution and texture was simply something else altogether. When playing the C4's through my Mdac I found the treble just the slightest bit seering and glazed. They sounded the same through my Ibasso D10 originally but a quick swap of opamp and buffer chips went a large way to removing that sheen. The combination of Avondale HLZ and Frogbeat C4 was simply put the beat headphone audio experience I've head, beating all the trade show combo's that I've heard in recent years including the Abyss dynamics which left me a little cold and thinking they had too much bass.





    I'm not sure what price Les intends on putting on the HLZ, I think he was still working on the final coupling cap selection for the production units when i handed the demo unit back so he hadn't arrived at a price then. The Frogbeat C4's are on my shopping list and they will be closely followed by Les's HLZ headphone amp. For anyone out there looking for improved headphone listening and especially those who already have access to Hi-cap/replacement PSU I would think the HLZ will be an easy shoe in. It provided first class headphone listening pleasure, it was a simplicity to install and use and provided top flight performance across the widest range of musical genres. I whole heartedly recommend it. I can only think what it might be capable of paired with one of Les's latest TPR4 regulated power supplies.
    Kuzma Stabi/S 12", (LP12-bastard) DC motor and optical tacho psu, Benz LP, Paradise (phonostage). MB-Pro, Brooklyn dac and psu, Bruno Putzeys balanced pre, mod86p dual mono amps, Yamaha NS1000m

  2. #2
    Join Date: Jan 2009

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    Default Headphone amp by Avondale Audio- the HLZ

    Very interesting . Shame you haven't still got it as I have a TPR4 modified Hi-Cap we could have tried with it (and a dual rail SNAPS). I've also got a Naim Headline headphone amp (it's under the bed in the spare bedroom) - we could have compared it to that .
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  3. #3
    Join Date: Mar 2010

    Location: Sheffield

    Posts: 2,898
    I'm Simon.

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    Maybe a v2 review beckons.
    Kuzma Stabi/S 12", (LP12-bastard) DC motor and optical tacho psu, Benz LP, Paradise (phonostage). MB-Pro, Brooklyn dac and psu, Bruno Putzeys balanced pre, mod86p dual mono amps, Yamaha NS1000m

  4. #4
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    Good idea
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  5. #5
    Join Date: Jan 2008

    Location: Wrexham, North Wales, UK

    Posts: 110,012
    I'm AudioAl'sArbiterForPISHANTO.

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    Nice one, Simon. Glad you’ve found a piece of kit that has provided you with such musical satisfaction. Great pics too, as usual!

    I’ve always rated the stuff Les makes (he’s ‘old school’, and I like that). I also had the pleasure of meeting him at the recent NEBO 4 bake-off, although we go way back to the old days of Mana, as was a friend of JW’s.

    Quote Originally Posted by sq225917 View Post
    I know that the AOS isn't the usual home for such 'Naim ready' stuff but I'm genuinely bowled over by the performance on offer so thought I'd share.
    Glad you did. Don’t let the fact that we’re into our ‘toobs’ and some old tat (lol) here put you off telling us about Naim gear, ‘Naim ready' gear, or anything else for that matter. We’re always interested in hearing about genuinely GREAT kit - *that* is the defining factor, not what badge is on the front.

    Enjoy yer choons!

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    Main System

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    Paul Hynes MC head amp/SR5 PSU. Also modded Lentek head amp/Denon AU-310 SUT.

    Other Cartridges: Nippon Columbia (NOS 1987) Denon DL-103. USA-made Shure SC35C with NOS stylus. Goldring G820 with NOS stylus. Shure M55E with NOS stylus.

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    Cables & Sundries: Mark Grant HDX1 interconnects and digital coaxial cable, plus Mark Grant 6mm UP-LCOFC Van Damme speaker cable. MCRU 'Ultimate' mains leads. Lehmann clone headphone amp with vintage Koss PRO-4AAA headphones.

    Tube Distinctions digital noise filter. VPI HW16.5 record cleaning machine.

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  6. #6
    Join Date: Jan 2009

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    Actually Si, I had rather forgotten about the under bed Headline and now realise that I could use it with the hot-rod SNAPS I have - I'm gonna root it out. Re-borrow Les' amp and we can do a reprieve review .

    I looked up those Frog headphones you mention in the review - they sound very interesting; are you gonna buy some?
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  7. #7
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    Default Headphone amp by Avondale Audio- the HLZ

    I've discovered, in rather an atypical Naim way, that I can't use the Headline with the SNAPS as it only has a 2 pin power input . So that's a feather in the cap for Les' design.
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  8. #8
    Join Date: Jun 2014

    Location: Worcestershire

    Posts: 69
    I'm Shaun.

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    Hi Si

    Interesting review.

    I’m using Avondale Voyager clones ATM and very nice they are to.

    I also have the matching 810a pre with the new TPR4.

    One question.

    I have a number of sets of headphones ATM but my favourites are AKG K701 (yup marmite phones) and wondered if you’d had chance to try Les’s HA with any low impedance phones.

    I’m using a Twisted Pear Discrete Ventus ATM and it’s a real beast drive wise so wondered how the HLZ managed when a little more grunt is required.

    I like Les’s work and could be tempted if it drives the K701.

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