Sound Impressions
The following sound impressions of the Auris Audio Headonia 300B were completed using the Holo Audio Spring May 2 Wildism Edition DAC in balanced output mode with a mix of the HIFIMAN Susvara Unveiled and the Focal Utopia 2022 headphones.
Summary
The Headonia 300B delivers a huge, detailed, and dynamic presentation, with excellent levels of power to drive just about headphone on the market today.
It’s a modern tube sound, leaning more to resolution, clarity, and a pleasing level of speed, with a neutral-to-natural timbre from the headphones I paired it with. Its bass response is ‘sag-free’, taut, and with excellent depth, courtesy of a high-performance solid-state rectifier.
There is very little distracting bloom here, giving it a more accurate tone while still retaining a smooth quality. There is less romanticism and lush overtones symbolic of traditional vacuum tube rectifier amps, so the clarity and space for each note to be heard is immense.
That is not to say you have bought a solid-state amp in disguise. It still has an unmistakably sweet tube overtone with a liquid note attack when paired with headphones like the HIFIMAN Susvara Unveiled.
Compared to the summit-fi solid-state dCS Bartok APEX, you can clearly detect a slightly harder-edged tone in the mids of the Susvara Unveiled when compared to the smoother, more agreeable delivery from the Headonia 300B.
The realism, dynamic range, and amount of detail from the Headonia 300B are the main differentiators from what I considered to be my top tube amps before this review.
It makes the excellent Feliks Audio Envy sound comparatively ‘small’, with depth and power leagues ahead of the Cayin HA-300MK2, and superior imaging to the ZMF Headphones Aegis.
The only thing I can think of that would sway someone’s preference is vocal imaging. It’s not as forward-sounding as the HA-300MK2 or the Aegis, nor does it have the same rich tube ‘bloom’ in the note body.
Coloration
The Headonia 300B leans neutral-to-natural sounding with its tube heritage nuanced in overtone rather than exaggerated sounding and sluggish in delivery.
Note weight is beautifully balanced with noticeable sub-bass reach courtesy of a mid-to-upper bass response free of bloom and elongated note decay. Percussion is precise but never edgy or forced-sounding.
This is the kind of tuning that plays beautifully with articulate and revealing headphones such as the HIFIMAN Susvara Unveiled and introduces some excellent control and clarity into slightly warmer, more intimate alternatives such as the Focal Utopia 2022.
I would describe the Headonia 300B timbre as closer to realistic rather than romanticized. You are less likely to hear a typical lush tube amp sound in performances that comes as close to life-like as I can remember from a tube amplifier.
This is an amplifier with a stronger focus on delivering accuracy in recordings with just a hint of tube even harmonics to take the edge off any potential harshness in percussion and vocal sibilance.
That clever harmonic balance, slightly shorter note decay, and perceived speed enhances the Headonia 300B’s clarity to incredible levels. However, you need a headphone that can take advantage of that level of articulation, such as the Utopia 2022 and especially the Susvara Unveiled.
Lower-tier, slower, and less resolving headphones, such as the ZMF Headphones Atrium, bottleneck the delivery and pick up a bit too much microphonics for my tastes.
Headphones such as these are more emotive than reference and seem to gel much better with classic tube rectification, where vocal bloom is more prominent.
Staging & Dynamics
The Headonia 300B is the new king of staging, at least when compared to the likes of the HA-300MK2, Envy, and the Aegis. The Headonia 300B is the widest and most spacious-sounding headphone tube amplifier I have heard to date.
It is up there with solid-state competitors such as the dCS Lina and Bartok APEX in terms of immersion and dynamic range.
The depth and bass-to-mids separation are excellent, and with a lack of mid-bass bloom, you can pick up the finer details right down to the lowest subtle kick-drum background thuds.
The mids are incredibly open-sounding, which can give you the perception of a more neutral vocal imaging experience compared to more intimate-sounding tube amplifiers.
The HA-300MK2 comes very close to what I would consider to be an excellent holographic tube amplifier performer, with a more vocal-oriented imaging experience, but it has a ‘softer underbelly’.
The Headonia 300B’s tighter and deeper bass response adds another dimension, creating a far more complete staging experience over the Cayin unit.
The other key differentiator between the Headonia 300B and my aforementioned amps is the level of dynamic range, especially on tracks with sudden, explosive instrumental passages.
The Headonia 300B’s jump from quiet to ‘boom’ is jaw-dropping with the Unveiled and Utopia 2022. Other amps will gently lead you into these types of musical passages, whereas the Headonia 300B is more dramatic and attention-seeking in its delivery.
Synergy
The Auris Audio Headonia 300B is capable of up to 7W from either PO output, so it will drive just about any headphone with ease.
In combination with its impedance management system, you can also adjust the voltage output levels to suit your headphones’ requirements or preferred listening style.
Headphone Pairings
I tested three headphones, including the HIFIMAN Susvara Unveiled, the Focal Utopia 2022, and the ZMF Headphones Atrium.
The Unveiled sounded head and shoulders above everything I tested. I generally preferred the Headonia 300B in high-gain mode with the impedance switch at 32Ω. Any higher and the vocals start to sound unsupported, and the bass loses its tautness and definition.
I also compared the Headonia 300B with the Envy, HA-300MK2, and the Aegis using the Unveiled, and in all instances, the Headonia 300B sounded the most detailed, dynamic, and immersive pairing.
What I loved about this combo was just how delicate the Headonia 300B was with the Susvara Unveiled’s more pronounced ear gain region, which is more forward than the original Susvara.
On big rigs such as the dCS Bartok APEX amp, the highs are firm and vocals more pronounced, but with a harder edge. The Headonia 300B reduces the aggression and softens the Unveiled’s upper-mids, creating a sweeter, more relaxing performance.
The Utopia 2022/Headonia 300B pairing (80Ω impedance level, low gain) delivered some excellent separation and resisted pushing vocals too far forward.
It’s not as exuberant in the mids as the dCS Bartok APEX, sounding comparatively darker in the highs, but the air and extension were excellent for a headphone that doesn’t have a huge soundstage.
Only the Atrium pairing on the 300Ω setting didn’t get full marks because it’s not as fast and resolving as the other headphones. The Headonia 300B sounds brilliant with a headphone that has the technical chops to match.
Takes speed and high-end clarity out, and it becomes more about emotion and expression. The slightly modern tube tuning of Headonia 300B has a very realistic and taut sound that I felt ran counterintuitive to the slower, creamy tones of the Atrium.
IEM Pairings
I got some mixed results with the Headonia 300B using 3 IEMs, ranging from poor to excellent. The noise floor is generally very good, and volume control in a low-gain setting is much better than I expected on the 32Ω impedance setting.
However, once you go with super-sensitive IEMs, then tube microphonics will become more noticeable on low volume levels.
My overall feeling is that there is a bit of impedance skew for some pairings, such as the very sensitive 8.4Ω Vision Ears VE10, which sounded quite bloated in the lows and lacking in midrange clarity.
My usual go-to, the PMG Audio Apx, sounded good but not as immersive and all-conquering as I am used to hearing. Clear, controlled, and very smooth in its delivery, but lacking a little in its usual low-end dynamics.
The best pairing by far was the FIR Audio Radon 6 with the black XS filter. It typically delivers a clean set of mids and highs and a powerful low-end response with excellent bass-to-mids separation.
That seems to suit the tight and relatively bloom-free bass tuning from the Headonia 300B, so the dynamics were excellent. The additional ‘modern’ tube smoothness and staging height also provided a perfect match to the naturally airy soundstage from the Radon 6.
