HEADAMP CFA3 HEADPHONE AMP - REVIEW
HEADAMP CFA3 HEADPHONE AMP - REVIEW
Imagine for a moment a weightlifter who is able to easily “clean and jerk” 500 pounds (murder on the knees). Imagine further that this very same weightlifter only ever enters contests where the maximum amount to “clean and jerk” is 250 pounds. This would, of course, provide a decided advantage and much “headroom” for this weightlifter against those for whom 250 pounds would be the maximum. Even those in a 350-pound “clean and jerk” competition would be at a disadvantage compared to the 500-pound “clean and jerk” weightlifter.
Well, while this is a rather sideways approach to introducing the component for this review—HeadAmp CFA3 Headphone Amplifier—it is an apt metaphor in many respects. It illustrates not only the strength—power, headroom—and abilities of the CFA3, but its headphone amplifier competition. I have spent nearly four and a half years reviewing headphone amplifiers, sending some back, unreviewed and thereafter unmentioned, because they did not meet minimum standards of functionality (despite very high price tags).
I can say straight away that the HeadAmp headphone amplifiers—GS-X Mini, GS-X MarkII, Blue Hawaii Special Edition (BHSE)—that I have reviewed have always beautifully fit the bill, and always at a price that seemed to belie the totality of their strengths. And especially the BHSE, which has won a place in my heart as one of the best, most technically adept, musical, and dependable electrostatic headphone amplifiers that I have ever reviewed or owned. And given a pair of exceptional electrostatic headphones—STAX SR-X9000, Dan Clark Corina—the combination will introduce you to new dimensions of music, via your own media, that you may never have experienced.
The above said, what I have realized in my review of the HeadAmp CFA3 compared to the competition is perhaps the closest example of the 500-pound “clean and jerk” weightlifter going up against 250- and 350-pound ‘“clean and jerk” weightlifters and, well, handily beating them every time. How good is the HeadAmp CFA3?
REFRAIN: Unlike most reviews, this review will be non-sequential, as it will start with how the component actually sounds and not the process of physically “undressing” it and/or laying out its various parts, specifications, etc. Think of this review, then, as a non-linear movie—Memento, Kill Bill, Arrival, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, etc.—that likewise starts at the end and winds its way to the beginning.
The System - Headphone Reference
Grimm Audio MU1 Streamer
Grimm Audio MU2 Streamer
Silent Angel Rhein Z1 Streamer
Silent Angel Forester F2 Power Supply
Silent Angel Bonn NX Network Switch
Silent Angel Genesis GX Clock
Bricasti Design M1 Special Edition DAC
Border Patrol SE-1 DAC
Aurorasound HEADA Headphone Amplifier
HeadAmp CFA3 Headphone Amplifier
Pass Labs HPA-1 Headphone Amplifier
ABYSS AB1266 Phi TC Headphones
Dan Clark Expanse Headphones
HIFIMAN Susvara Headphones
Meze Empyrean Headphones
Audience FrontRow Interconnects (XLR, RCA), USB, Ethernet
Kubala-Sosna Interconnects (XLR, RCA), Power cords
Grimm Audio SQM Interconnects (XLR, RCA)
RSX BEYOND, MAX Power Cords
AntiCable Level 3 Power Cords
TORUS AUDIO RM20 Power Conditioner
The Sound
Nearly half or more of the time I’ve spent reviewing the headphone space, electrostatic headphones, and electrostatic headphone amplifiers, I’ve been fascinated, and I would spend long hours listening to literally every piece of media that I knew well.
With electrostatics, there was an astounding transparency, resolution, detail retrieval, and the ability to recreate a given venue like no other headphone technology could mirror. The players were always presented with such in-room palpability, ambiance, and exacting spatial recreation that I used Dr. Who’s Tardis—a time and space travel machine from the television series Dr. Who—to relate the experience. Listening via electrostatic media was like visiting any musical or concert venue at any point in time, so close, so reach-out-and-touch was the experience.
There have nonetheless been non-electrostatic components and headphones to date—the HIFIMAN Susvara, ZMF Atrium, Abyss AB1266 Phi TC—that have delivered a goodly amount of the electrostatic experience, but no doubt they have been held back by their partnering, non-electrostatic headphone amplifiers, despite how very good these headphones are. In this respect, there was a truncation of the overall experience.
Well, things change and more quickly, it appears, than we would like to believe. Step forward the HeadAmp CFA3, coupled with any one of the aforementioned headphones, and that full electrostatic experience is infinitesimally close. The CFA3 has reduced that vast chasm between electrostatic and non-electrostatic components to a razor-thin crack along a sidewalk. That is to say, there is now exceedingly little difference between the HeadAmp CFA3 amplifier as paired with the HIFIMAN Susvara headphone relative to the electrostatic STAX SRM-T8000 amplifier and the STAX SR-X9000 headphones. And in a number of instances, the CFA3 and the Susvara have won out.
The CFA3 is something very different, indeed above and beyond its quite impressive 15-watts of power into 50-ohms, which translates to the CFA3 being able to drive/tame perhaps the most difficult, lowest-sensitivity, and yet the most sublime planar/dynamic headphone in the world—the HIFIMAN Susvara. And it is this very combination, in particular, which broaches the daunting electrostatic headphone/head amplifier barrier. And there is word of a new Susvara, the “Susvara Unveiled.” One can only imagine its technical and musical acumen.
The HeadAmp CFA3 provides the depth of stage, meticulous separation and layering of performers, across any given stage, and the daunting transparency, resolution, and detail retrieval for which electrostatics are known. That said, the CFA3’s superb ability may make some electrostatic systems a wee bit envious, certainly those not at the Top-of-the-Line. It is impossible to dispute that you-are-there, Tardis-traveling, electrostatic realism that immerses one in the music with the CFA3. And choral and live music, best heard through electrostatic systems, are treated equally well with the CFA3.
While the CFA3 will always provide its measure of electrostatic abilities/talents with any quality headphones—Abyss AB1266 Phi TC, ZMF Atrium, ZMF Vérité, Dan Clarke Stealth—the Susvara, given its own daunting electrostatic-like abilities/talents, dramatically lifts the pairing beyond all others.
The CFA3’s outstanding parsing of texture, tone, and timbre, even within the context of a full orchestra, gives rise to instrumental differentiation that I had either taken for granted or did not know was on the recording. It was certainly there, and the HeadAmp CFA3 went a long way to pointing it out, and beautifully so, which became yet another reason for its ability to immerse the listener in the music.
Regarding the HeadAmp CFA3’s volumetric cube or its soundstage, there is perhaps no better description of it than the one I gave its HeadAmp electrostatic kith and kin—the Blue Hawaii Special Edition electrostatic headphone amplifier:
“its soundstage—is truly vast in that it renders great depth and width and height when called for, while its separation and layering and placement of players upon any given stage has few peers. Yes, the musician at the rearmost part of the stage will be easily identified and that [particular] player’s contribution made relevant.”
This is saying a great deal for a non-electrostatic headphone amplifier and one that, given the current projected pricing, costs several thousand dollars less than the Blue Hawaii Special Edition and $2,000 less than the STAX SRM-T8000.
In the breakdown of the frequency spectrum below, I’ve tried to utilize the same recordings, if there was a recording common to all three, to see how close, given my previous reviews, the CFA3 came to matching three of the top electrostatic headphone amplifiers—the Blue Hawaii Special Edition ($6,995), the STAX SRM-T8000 ($6,200), and the top non-electrostatic headphone amplifier—the ALLNIC HPA 10000 OTL/OCL ($15,000).
Bass
The track used for comparison across the various headphone amplifiers was Eiji Oui’s “Infernal Dance of King Kashchey” (Stravinsky, Reference Recordings, CD) and David Holland’s “B-40/M23-6K/RS-W” (Emerald Tears, ECM) .
Oui’s “Infernal Dance of King Kashchey” enters with a taut, deep, resounding bass that conveyed the gathering of the seven timpani that were assembled for this movement, via the CFA3 and the Susvara. Yet the low bass rendering was all of the above and even more propulsive, potent via the Abyss AB1266 Phi TC headphones. Both headphones as allied to the CFA3 uncovered detail deep within the mix and to the depth of the orchestral stage, while removing many veils. The resulting playback conveyed greater transparency and resolution to the movement, with a level of refinement, delicacy, and power, when called for, that was the most natural, engaging, and energetic to date. In truth, I cannot think of the electrostatic combo—amplifier, headphones—that could match this rendering and the power and propulsiveness of the sub-bass on display.
In this respect, the HeadAmp CFA3 beautifully weaves together the various good bits of other headphone amplifiers’ technologies while displaying none of their relative “limitations”—meticulous depth, layering, and propulsive bass response.
Midrange
The tracks used for comparison of the midrange across the various headphone amplifiers were Voices8’s “Prayer to a Guardian Angel” (Lux, Decca) and Emily D’Angelo’s enargeia (Deutsche Grammophon) .
Voices8’s “Prayer to a Guardian Angel” displays a key element of the CFA3’s ability, one that clearly differentiates it as a headphone amplifier able to compete with electrostatic amplifiers, since it beautifully layers the voices of the small choir and provides outstanding depth, positioning, separation, and both the air and ambiance of the performance. Further, the articulation and clarity of soprano Emily Dickens’s voice is superb, as every phrase is easily gathered and understood. Another Emily, Emily D’Angelo’s “Hildegard von Bingen: O frondens virga” (enargeia)is mesmerizing, ethereal, and haunting. Emily D’Angelo sings as if alone on a stage, the surrounding ambiance reminiscent of a large cathedral as her voice reverberates high into the alcoves and then diminishes. Beautiful. The rendering is compelling and forces repeated listenings of this performance. The rendering via the CFA3/ Susvara combo would appear to be a spot-on match for the STAX SRM-T8000, SR-X9000 combo, given my quite copious notes.
Treble+
The track utilized for comparison for the treble across the various headphone amplifiers was Dave Brubeck’s “Take Five” (Time Out, Columbia-Legacy)
Brubeck’s “Take Five” begins the comparison and review relative to the treble section. As always, Joe Morello’s drums become an immediate point of focus, so familiar that they serve as a trusty gauge for resolution, transparency, and treble extension. The HeadAmp CFA3, HIFIMAN Susvara, and Grimm MU1/Bricasti M1SE front-end again perform the honours. Superb resolution and transparency are on display via the detail-rich, air-infused, crystal clarity of Joe Morello’s drums, stage left, and there is a level of refinement and delicacy and a naturalness that settles you in and drops your shoulders for a listening that will be far too short. Repeat. In truth, there has not been any headphone amplifier, regardless of price or tube complement or technology, that has rendered this piece with the requisite dynamics (see electrostatic), the ambiance (see tubed amp), or detail as the CFA3 renders Brubeck’s “Take Five.” Brilliant!
Design—Look and Feel
The HeadAmp CFA3 headphone amplifier is for all intents and purposes a black rectangular box, with heat fins on its top surface, a bevy of switches, outputs, a large volume knob on its front face, and a host of inputs—balanced (2), single-ended (1)—on its rear facade. It is a simple, straightforward design, completely bereft of bling, in a “let’s get down to business” fashion.
Functionality
The HeadAmp CFA3 headphone amplifier is a solid state device with switches along its front face to determine how one’s music will be rendered—feedback, no feedback,—and the power required to drive a particular headphone—low gain, high gain.
The CFA3’s front facade features, from left to right: several headphone outputs—6.3mm (1), XLR (2), 4.4mm (1)—a large 47-step volume knob, and several switches—feedback, gain, input, power.
The CFA3’s rear facade features, from left to right: one single-ended input, two sets of balanced inputs, and on the far right, an IEC socket, which holds within a fuse.
Though there are a couple of options for tailoring one’s sound and the resultant power, the HeadAmp CFA3 embodies a straightforward design, which facilitates ease of placement in a system and ease of use.
Conclusions
The HeadAmp CFA3 is a truly exceptional headphone amplifier and, dare I say, there are no other such headphone amplifiers that can compete at easily twice its price, if not far more. Its impressive 15-watts of power into 50-ohms allow it to easily drive even the most inefficient headphone on the planet, with headroom to spare.
And of its many superb traits, the CFA3 can even “out-electrostat,” perhaps, all but the very best electrostatic headphone amplifiers, as it has narrowed the chasm between electrostatic and non-electrostatic to a wee, fine crack in the pavement when coupled with the topmost headphones—HIFIMAN Susvara, ZMF Atrium, Abyss AB1266 Phi TC. As mentioned above, it joins the club of electrostatics in its Tardis-like ability to transport listeners to the original venue with its you-are-there in-room palpability.
In terms of its technical abilities, which are vast, it provides the depth of stage, the meticulous separation and layering of performers, across any given stage, the daunting transparency, resolution, and detail retrieval for which electrostatics are known. Couple this with superb tone/timbre, musicality, and naturalness, and it easily becomes the anchor of a TOTL reference headphone system.
Additionally, the HeadAmp CFA3 provides all the pluses of a TOTL dynamic/planar headphone amplifier, as well as a veritable plethora of headphones and In-Ear-Monitors (IEMs) with which to pair the CFA3, which is a decided advantage over electrostatic headphone amps.
The HeadAmp CFA3 is, like its HeadAmp brethren—the Blue Hawaii Special Edition electrostatic headphone amplifier—a DIAMOND AWARD winner for its superb technical prowess, its musicality, and its ability to transcend musical formats to their three-dimensional representations effortlessly.
Pros: Powerful and able to easily handle even the most inefficient headphone the world has to offer. Not just electrostatic-like, but more electrostatic than most electrostatic headphone amplifiers. Outstanding technical abilities with commensurate musical engagement.
Cons: None.
The Specifications
HeadAmp CFA3
Inputs: 2x XLR balanced, 1x RCA stereo
Outputs: 4-pin XLR + TBD
Input Devices: 2NOS Toshiba matched pairs
Gain: TBD
Volume Control: 47 steps
Voltage Output: up to 80Vpp, balanced
Power Output: up to 15W/50-ohm balanced
THD: 0.001%
SNR: TBD
PSU Type: Linear, Golden Reference discrete regulation, at least +/-25VDC
Power Transformer: Toroidal, 120VA, 100-240VAC input
Power Consumption: at least 75W
Thermal Regulation: Passive Heatsink
Chassis: CNC machined anodized aluminum
Dimensions: 12x9x4.5"
Weight: 22 lb.
The Company
HEADAMP
HeadAmp CFA3:
Regular Edition: $3,999
Special Edition: $4,999
156 Carlton Rd #103, Charlottesville, VA 22902
Call or text : 434-981-2829
Email: support@headamp.com
