Analogue headphone amplifiers are less common than they used to be thanks to the more fashionable DAC/headphone amp alternative dominating. However, a dedicated analogue unit still has a place. It is ideal if you just want to add headphone functionality to a system or are trying to eke the final degree of performance from your wired cans. Austrian Audio’s Full Score One is one of the finest examples we’ve come across in recent years.
Austrian Audio is a young company, formed in 2017. But don’t think that youth means a lack of experience. The team behind the brand have been in the business for decades, having worked for AKG Acoustics up until its Vienna-based facilities were closed following Samsung’s takeover of its parent company Harman International in 2016.
