AMPERSAND
Headphone Power Amplifier
Portable Amplifier with balanced XLR and Pentaconn outputs delivers up to 6W of audio power. Hear your planar headphones come alive with Ampersand’s clean, confident, and quiet power.
CEntrance / HEDD combo had punch, ample low-end, clarity, and plenty of drive.
– Ken Micallef, Stereophile
Your Music, Your Way
Most planar magnetic headphones under-perform when used with a typical Digital Audio Player, DAC or a component stereo. They only “open up” when paired up with a real power amplifier. This is due to the nature of their drivers, which require watts of electrical power to move the diaphragm. Until now, such power was only available in select desktop devices.
Ampersand is a pure analogue amp that changes everything. Not only does it provide the needed audio power, but also, it does so on the go! It’s built-in rechargeable battery will make sure your beloved headphones will keep singing as you move around the house, or travel around the world.
Don’t have travel plans? Ampersand is happy sitting on your desk or bedside table, powered through its USB-C power jack. Our innovative battery charging circuitry measures the battery voltage once every second and turns on charging only when necessary. This allows you to keep Ampersand plugged-in indefinitely, without harming its high-quality, long-life Lithium-Polymer battery.
Ampersand features balanced and single-ended connections on input and output. Enjoy total flexibility to use any equipment in your arsenal — DACs, DAPs and any other sources. With modern connection options, such as 3.5 mm, 4.4 mm PENTACONN and 4-pin XLR you’d be hard pressed to find audio equipment that’s not compatible with Ampersand. Use a balanced source with unbalanced headphones, or the other way around — your choice.
Whether you like to listen to music around the house or on-the-go, you no longer need to compromise when using your favorite headphones. No matter where life takes you, now you can enjoy consistent sound quality in any location. In addition to its portability, this compact, yet versatile power amplifier is destined to become your to-go audio piece.
Your Ampersand is calibrated to standard 2V input level. Its LED VU meters let you see levels coming in from your DAP. Meter brightness is gradually adjustable from pitch-black to daylight visible. Set it to match the ambient light and enjoy the light show.
- Experience wide soundstage, breathtaking vocals, soaring highs and solid, confident bass. Let Ampersand drive your planar headphones to their fullest potential.
- Play music from your favorite source, whether it’s your DAP, DSD player of turntable. Pair it up with the Ampersand and there is no stopping to your musical enjoyment.
- Listen at home, on the plane or at the beach-side cottage. Rechargeable battery will deliver hours of off-the-grid, peaceful serenity.
Features
Modern Connections
Connect your source music player and headphones with any cables — single-ended or balanced. Use Ampersand’s 3.5 mm, 4.4 mm PENTACONN or 4-pin XLR output. Ampersand will make signal conversions for you automatically, whether your inputs and outputs are balanced or unbalanced.
Calibrated VU meters
Your Ampersand is calibrated to standard 2V input. Its LED VU meters let you see levels coming in from your DAP, so you can adjust accordingly and avoid overloads. Meter brightness is gradually variable from pitch-black to daylight visible. Set it to match the environment and enjoy the enchanting light show.
Calibrated VU meters
Your Ampersand is calibrated to standard 2V input. Its LED VU meters let you see levels coming in from your DAP, so you can adjust accordingly and avoid overloads. Meter brightness is gradually variable from pitch-black to daylight visible. Set it to match the environment and enjoy the enchanting light show.
Smooth Volume Knob
Ampersand volume control is handled by a professional-quality, analog potentiometer with a hydraulic pressure absorbing system, for a smooth, satisfying feel during adjustment. In addition, Ampersand has a 3-position gain switch, so you can dial the levels precisely to match your taste, no matter the source material — from classical to thrash metal.
Ultimately Stackable
Ampersand stacks perfectly with our HiFi-M8 V2. Connect them with a 2.5 mm or 3.5mm cable and enjoy music over USB or Bluetooth while driving up to 4W into your favorite headphones! Ampersand also features a 1/4″-20 camera thread, offering significant mounting flexibility. Clamp it to anything and easily position the volume knob within reach.
Ultimately Stackable
Ampersand stacks perfectly with our HiFi-M8 V2. Connect them with a 2.5 mm or 3.5mm cable and enjoy music over USB or Bluetooth while driving up to 6W into your favorite headphones! Ampersand also features a 1/4″-20 camera thread, offering significant mounting flexibility. Clamp it to anything and easily position the volume knob within reach.
Battery-Backed Power
Ampersand is great not just for travel, but also for desktop listening. Leave it plugged in. Charging and powering is easy, using any 12W USB charger. The custom Li-Po rechargeable battery buffers the mains supply, making the device insensitive to brownouts and line interference. Your music is perfectly preserved.
Product Details
UPGRADING AUDIO QUALITY, Always
CEntrance raised the bar when it launched a portable amplifier that could drive “Most Headphones Under the Sun.” As audiophiles started investing in high-end, planar magnetic headphones, they needed a compact, battery-powered amplifier that would allow them to take their headphones to work, on a trip, etc. In 2013, CEntrance produced the original HiFi-M8, a portable amp that could drive 1 W of clean power into most demanding headphones. Pronounced “HiFi- Mate”, it got awards from Absolute Sound, CNET, Inner Fidelity, and other prestigious audiophile publications. It’s is still in use in countless homes around the world and we continue to get “thank you” emails from customers, whose listening experience has been improved since they got the “Mate”. And now, the time has come to upgrade the legend.
20-TH ANNIVERSARY FLAGSHIP #2
For our 20th anniversary special, we updated HiFi-M8 for Version 2 and it became an immediate success. We made sure the noise floor was “pitch black”. We raised output power, improved D/A conversion, noise and THD specs. HiFi-M8 V2 offers the highest power in any portable amplifier, but our customers wanted even more. Planar magnetic headphones require up to 3W per channel to ‘open up” and deliver truly amazing sound. So we introduced Ampersand, World’s first, highest power portable headphone amplifier. This is our second 20-th anniversary flagship. Ampersand features USB-C and allows charging from a power bank, or a 5V USB charger. Ampersand works with your favorite DAC or DAP, or combines perfectly with HiFi-M8, forming a perfect portable listening station, no matter where you are, or what headphones you like to use.
Built ToUGH, BUILT to Last
Ampersand is built like a tank and is not afraid to take a beating. It takes design cues from our recording products, which are used daily around the world by famous touring musicians and broadcasters at CNN, NBC, ESPN, etc. The chassis is made from lightweight, extruded, anodized, aircraft aluminum. Operation is easy and intuitive, and controls are recessed to avoid accidental bumping. You can turn your Ampersand on and throw it your in the backpack, without worry that this will accidentally change a setting. But the best part is on the inside. Our custom, Hybrid Power System uses a rechargeable battery as a buffer, to fully isolate the sensitive circuitry from the noise and interference coming from wall power. The battery circuit reconditions the supply voltages to deliver clean power to your headphones, now and for many years to come.
