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Our Benchmark Media Systems HPA4 is even more compact than the Naim Uniti HE. The HPA4 is purely a headphone amplifier/preamplifier and nothing more. No digital hatch or streamer, just analog inputs and outputs. The HPA4 does have a touchscreen, handy with desktop-use, but it’s not a true color screen. There are only two jacks for headphones but the HPA4 delivers a hefty 6 watts into 16Ohm, making it effortless to drive any pair of headphones.Â
The HPA4 makes Lana Del Rey sound punchier and more pointed as we usually hear them. No extra flavor here. The HPA4, and by extension the rest of our system, draws out the music much more sharply and is not so friendly to lesser recordings. Our test system is a bit more insightful but the Uniti HE achieves almost the same slam in the bass and is also extremely detail-rich without overemphasizing anything. A slight glow falls over the music every time and we think that is its strongest quality.
For Whom
We think this unit will appeal to the versatile listener. The listener who listens to his collection of music both through speakers and headphones. And this depending on the situation or the moment of the day. With the Uniti HE you can actually do anything. You don’t have to be extremely into ‘headfi’ to get the most out of this device. We even used it mainly as a streaming preamp in a speaker set-up. Of course, you can also put the Uniti HE on your desk and listen through headphones or on a pair of active speakers. The choice is yours.
