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  Stereo Products > GCHA Headphone Amplifier GCHA Headphone Amplifier More Info Starting at just $995.00!  So, what kind of product can we make that would allow our customers to experience high-end audio at work, at home or anywhere they had a computer or a stereo system? Aha! A headphone amp!PS engineer Jon Magnussen decided he was tired of listening to crappy music from his computer’s soundcard while he designed circuit boards. So, in his spare time, he developed a high-end USB input and DAC, Paul designed a cool little class A power amp for him, we added analog inputs and a Gain Cell, and the GCHA was born. Ever since its introduction we haven’t had a lack of Beta testers for it: every member of the PS team was vying for the chance to try it at their desk. Trouble was, once you put a pair of high-end headphones on and crank up the GCHA, you’re immersed in great sound and the rest of the workday world goes away. Our president, Steve Jeffery wasn’t too happy about this turn of events, so we turned it over to Head-Fi’s Jude Mansilla (http://head-fi.org ) for comment instead.  “When PS Audio's Paul McGowan first told me that PS Audio was developing a headphone amplifier, I silently considered the mixed feelings I had about this announcement. On the one hand, it was exciting to know that a hi-fi biggie saw the market for high-end headphone amps as viable enough to enter it. On the other hand, when I asked if they had much experience listening to other headphone amps, the answer was 'no,' and so it was a bit more difficult for me to latch on to the faith that McGowan had in his company's ability to hit the mark, the very first time out, with a specific product type they had never previously designed or manufactured. Maybe I should have known better. Maybe headphone amp tabula rasa actually makes for an advantageous platform from which to start -- that is, going with what you think sounds best, with a fresh angle on how to get there, versus being influenced by an existing collective body of thought on how to do things and how things have been done.I should have remembered the story of a guy named Ray Samuels, who I'd spoken with several years ago, asking if he'd ever consider making a headphone amp (at the time, he only made a tube preamp). He said  something like, 'Are you crazy? If I made a headphone amp, it would have to cost at least $500.00, and who'd spend that much on a dedicated headphone amp?!' With essentially no previous experience with high-end headphone audio, Ray Samuels went on to design and manufacture what has become one of the most successful lines of high-end headphone amps, starting with a solid state amp (the Emmeline HR-2) that didn't sound like most other solid state amps -- and which went on to sell very well, probably in large part because it didn't sound like most other solid state amps -- and followed up by an impressive, growing stable of headphone amplification products.Clean slate. Fresh start. Should've remembered that. Because, Paul, your GCHA is excellent. And, as it turns out, the GCHA is an awesome headphone amp and I think you're going to sell a lot of them.” What’s inside The GCHA has 4 parts to it: the input stage, the Gain Cell, the Class A output power amplifier and the power supply itself. The input stage is divided into two parts: digital and analog. The digital side of things is handled by a USB port that connects to any computer, Macintosh or Windows based. All the drivers and “stuff” you need to help your computer recognize the GCHA is built right in. It’s actually pretty cool, you simply plug the GCHA into your computer, and the computer takes over and installs everything for you. Once you’re plugged in  and going, you need only slip a CD into your computer’s CD or DVD player and away you go with music through the computer’s music software. Or, you can stream live radio, download music, play it from your hard drive.The analog inputs are conventional high-end audio inputs through RCA connectors that you can access the output of your preamplifier, your CD player directly or any music source you might have. Just plug it in and go. Regardless of the music source, once you have audio in to the GCHA, it is fed directly into the PS Audio Gain Cell. Gain Cells are unique in that they have fully adjustable gain without any attenuation. Using the front panel control, you adjust the gain of the amplifier directly to match exactly what your listening needs are. From the Gain Cell, the signal is fed into a discrete Class A power amplifier that puts out a couple of watts; more than enough to drive any manner of headphone with warmth and dynamics in a low noise setting. One of the challenges we faced with this amplifier is the level of scrutiny a listener will display. Remember, this small power amplifier is feeding “speakers” that are about an inch away from your ear, so it’s critical that the electronics be first rate. To finish off the GCHA internals we added a huge power supply with a large bank of capacitors and  regulated power supply. PS Audio has long been a fan of oversized power supplies to help maintain dynamics, warmth and openness of the music and the GCHA is no different.Using the GCHA Operating the GCHA couldn’t be simpler. The front panel gain control acts as the on/off mute control as well as the level control. The unit will automatically default to the USB input if there’s a signal present and, if not, the analog inputs are active. Simply plug in a headphone and adjust the level of what you’d like to listen to and sit back and enjoy some of the finest audio you’ve yet to experience. If you’re looking for a new way to relax at work or at the computer, or just enjoy high-end audio in your own “world” then the GCHA is probably exactly what you’re looking for. A real treat for the eyes and the ears.
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