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"When the folks at Benchmark suggested a review of their HPA4 for Tape Op, my first reaction was, “Isn’t this aimed more at the audiophile market?” Benchmark’s Rory Rall replied that I should consider its use as a reference-grade monitor controller, with a world-class headphone amp built-in. He recommended I pair it with my Benchmark DAC3 B digital-analog converter and use it to drive my Benchmark AHB2 [Tape Op #111] power amp."
"When I previously reviewed the Benchmark AHB2, I described it as being as close to a straight wire with gain as I’ve ever heard – “a silent transmitter of musical energy.” I stand by that description after four years of living and listening to it."
"With the DAC3 B and HPA4 ahead of it, the whole signal chain runs silently and transparently."
"The HPA4 is built on the idea of avoiding any sort of bit-stripping volume control in the digital realm. So a full-output DAC sends it line-level audio."
"Inside the HPA4 is a precision relay-controlled analog attenuator, with exact channel-to-channel matching and a measurable/repeatable gain or attenuation (expressed in dB on the large color touch-screen front panel display). The volume knob is a 256-step precision encoder, driving relays that engage resistors, in 0.5 dB steps."
"You can memory-set a gain level for each input, so for instance, if you wanted to compare an analog source to a digital transfer, you can precisely level-match. Or (like I often do) measure an original LP release against a digital remaster. Or set your mixer’s output with what’s coming out of your digital rig. The possibilities are limited only by your line-level sources and the HPA4’s four inputs."
"Finally, in what may be a case of “burying the lede,” allow me to rave about the HPA4’s built-in headphone amp. Designed using similar technology as the AHB2 and licensed from THX (Benchmark calls it the THX-888 Amplifier), this is the cleanest, quietest, most neutral headphone amp I’ve ever heard."
"The HPA4 has no trouble playing music dynamically and precisely through any headphones I own."
"I don’t turn the HPA4 any louder than -30 dB, and lower than that for rock music. Putting it in numbers, the THX-888 headphone amp is capable of peak-to-peak voltage swings of 25V and an output of 1.5 amps. It puts out 6 watts into 16 ohms! This should give you the idea that this thing will drive any low-efficiency cans you want to plug in."
"For all this silence and neutrality you have to pay a pretty penny, but is it worth it? As with all pieces of your system, it depends. For a precision monitoring setup for mastering, detailed mixing situations, or even a top-shelf listening system, you’ll have to look hard (and maybe spend more) to get this close to the fabled “straight wire with gain” sound."
"I can’t think of anything else that will get you closer to the sound coming out of your sources. Combined with Benchmark’s DAC and power amp with excellent speakers and headphones plugged in, this is quite the monitoring chain."
"When playing music you love, it will fire all the pleasure synapses."
- Tom Fine, Tape Op
"I don't think it is sterile sounding at all ... it is very neutral."
"In the studio, neutral, flat and detailed are on the top of my list."
"The HPA4 is speeding up my work, helping me make better decisions."
- Ken Jacobsen, Ken Jacobsen Music
"It has already been noted in previous reviews that the professional market often offers products that may also be of interest to the 'ordinary' consumer. In Japan in particular, home systems often consist of a mix of consumer equipment and (vintage) professional items."
"Benchmark was founded in 1983 and started building professional audio equipment."
"The goal, from the outset, is to build sound-transparent equipment of the highest quality. The employees are musicians, audiophiles and audio technicians. So sound quality is top notch."
"The HPA4 and LA4 are preamplifiers and largely identical. The HPA4 also has a built-in headphone amplifier."
"The Benchmark HPA4 and LA4 preamps deliver a very high quality neutral and transparent signal."
"Developed from a professional focus on sound reproduction, they bring the essence of the recording closer to the listener."
- Ruud Jonker, FWD Magazine, fwd.nl
"Before I dig into the sound of the LA4 it is important to know that it employs a wide bandwidth design. The LA4’s bandwidth is specified at 0.2 Hz to 500 kHz."
"Most of the wide bandwidth designs I have heard exhibit ... a purity in tone with superb timing and speed ... the LA4 proved to be no exception."
"The Benchmark LA4 yielded a change that was quickly apparent in several areas. Notably were; bass, upper midrange, treble, low-level listening, and the ability to distinguish the colorations of other components that were contributing to my overall sound."
"Acoustic guitar, piano, and harmonica among many other instruments are presented with speed, clarity, and coherency that made them sound more “present” in the room and less like a recording."
"The Benchmark LA4 is simply the most transparent, least colored, and most revealing component I have had in my system to date. I look forward to it joining my stable of reference components."
"Highly recommended."
- Ken Redmond, The Audio Beatnik
