The Yamaha HA-L7A & YH-5000SE can be listened to in our head-fi room in the Wifimedia Experience Center in Arnhem. Contact us for more information or to schedule a demonstration!

Yamaha HA-L7A

The Yamaha HA-L7A is a headphone amplifier that lets you immerse yourself in your favorite content by combining superior hi-fi audio technologies with sound field enhancements from AV receivers.

True sound. Because there are greater heights to reach.

Pursuing the ultimate True Sound in headphone listening, Yamaha has developed a headphone amplifier that delivers true performance for audiophiles. Our passion to constantly create and innovate has pushed sonic heights for more than 30 years. Superior hi-fi audio technologies are combined with sound field improvements in our AV receivers. Meet our high-quality HA-L7A headphone amplifier. Get carried away, immerse yourself and experience the full emotion and excitement in all your entertainment.

True sound

From the moment sound is created to the moment it reaches the human ear-Yamaha is there. It is the only brand in the world that knows this process thoroughly, from the manufacture of musical instruments to professional audio equipment. And thanks to True Sound, which strives for sound that accurately reproduces even the thoughts expressed by the artist in the music and the expressive playback as intended by the creator, you can fully immerse yourself in the sound for a deep musical experience, making it feel like you're in the middle of the performance.

Tone Balance

Strive for thorough elimination of minute noise and high slew-rate, which is critical for ultra-high-resolution music sources, and ensure that the amplification can accurately handle even the most sensitive signals, so that all sound elements, from musical instruments to vocals and dialogue, are faithfully reproduced "as is" without unnatural coloration or timbral changes.

Yamaha's unique floating and balanced amplifier technology

Yamaha has optimized patented amplifier technology with 'floating' and balanced power for this headphone amplifier. A total of four sets of amplifier circuits 'float' on the plus and minus sides of the left and right channels of the output stage above ground, resulting in completely symmetrical push-pull operation of the output stage. Headphones can be driven without changing the configuration of the amplifier between balanced and unbalanced, minimizing deviations in sound quality due to different output connections. Furthermore, every circuit, including the power supply, is completely independent of ground, completely eliminating all effects of minute voltage fluctuations and external noise around ground. By maximizing these sound quality advantages, the amplifier provides a natural sound that allows you to fully immerse yourself in your entertainment without fatigue, even when listening for long periods of time.

Top-of-the-line 32-bit D/A converter from ESS with top performance

We spare no expense to achieve superior sonic quality suitable for Yamaha's ideal high-end headphone amplifier. That's why we used ESS Technology's ES9038PRO converter, an outstanding product in the DAC industry for high-quality sound reproduction of tiny signals. The dedicated master clock in the device uses a crystal oscillator with ultra-low phase noise to achieve high-precision D/A conversion, and features an 8-channel in-chip D/A converter that applies four-channel conversion on the left and right sides, respectively. This four-channel beam delivers exceptionally high-quality audio output with a wide dynamic range and superior signal-to-noise ratio. This unlocks a greater sense of listening pleasure through headphones, allowing you to experience in depth even background concert hall sounds and the smallest details in instrument sounds.

Discrete construction and balanced transmission.

All major stages after the DAC are combined with balanced circuitry and discrete configuration, achieving fully balanced transmission from the D/A converter output to the headphone jack. Moreover, the balanced conversion is performed internally for ordinary single-ended (unbalanced) inputs, providing the unique advantages of balanced transmission and amplification, such as minimizing external noise and deterioration in sound quality, and applying it to a wide range of input sources. In addition, when combined with headphones that support balanced driving, the overall impedance of the transmission system is suppressed, further improving signal separation, which is crucial for good listening quality with headphones.

Dynamics

To fully convey the contrast between serene silence and powerful, dramatic movements in sound, the amplifier uses two toroidal transformers and has a unique, highly rigid construction. Accepting no compromises, we have achieved low-frequency response with excellent response to minute sounds, luxurious volume and exceptional transparency, so that all types of content are accurately reproduced with dynamic and realistic sound.

Low-frequency reproduction and exceptional spatial sound from dual toroidal transformers

The power supply section uses independent transformers for the circuits of tiny signals in the front stage and the amplifier section in the second stage, and has a separate power supply design that minimizes noise due to mutual signal interference. In addition, the use of toroidal transformers significantly reduces magnetic flux leakage. In addition, the use of bifilar winding minimizes voltage variations, which in turn improves power supply stability and achieves overwhelming spaciousness with powerful low-frequency reproduction.

High-stiffness construction - eliminates sonic shock due to vibration

To eliminate any negative impact of external and internal vibrations on the audio signals, we have given the unit a robust construction that combines an original design concept with components of high rigidity. An 8-mm-thick panel of extruded aluminum forms the L-shaped top surface, while the naturally vibrating toroidal transformer is securely mounted on a 2-mm-thick steel plate. A thick front panel, a double rear panel and a unique enclosure design with a bottom cap at the end provide even stronger support. This robust enclosure suppresses unnecessary vibrations, allowing for powerful yet smooth low-frequency reproduction and allowing you to fully feel the powerful energy and true realism of the music.

Sturdy metal feet for stability

The characteristic L-shaped HA-L7A is supported by five tapered steel feet at each corner of the chassis, with dampers inserted between each foot and the bottom panel that effectively suppress vibrations. This allows for firm and stable placement, even on a desk or tabletop. Combined with the heavy 5.3 kg housing, all elements work together to effectively eliminate unwanted vibrations for concentrated and realistic sound reproduction.

Soundscape

Yamaha's unique SOUND FIELD MODE and amazing sound field creation could only be realized through our uncompromising pursuit of the best sound reproduction. With a realistic, natural sound field that allows you to fully immerse yourself in your listening experience, we offer a new entertainment experience that has never been explored before for headphone amplifiers. Enjoy an immersive feeling - as if you were entering the artist's stage.

Sound field mode for unparalleled immersive content

The HA-L7A features the same Yamaha CINEMA DSP sound field technology built into many of our AV receivers. The unit also utilizes the unique signal processing and multichannel expansion technologies that Yamaha has developed and optimized over its long history of designing AV components, and have now been introduced to headphones. One of the stunning results is the built-in SOUND FIELD MODE. With six convenient options that display the optimal sound field for all types of music, video and other specific sources, you can enjoy countless types of entertainment content with a total sense of realism and immersion, opening up new, previously unknown worlds to the headphone listening experience.

Circuit design with low noise and high-quality components

The HA-L7A features a low-noise design that isolates the three circuit boards: the main board that processes minute signals, the amplifier board and amplifier, and the power supply board for the system. Moreover, the main circuit board is designed to eliminate unwanted interactions between the digital and analog signals by using a multilayer circuit board and thoroughly eliminating ground loops. In addition, the MUSES72323, famous for its exceptionally low distortion and low noise output, is used for the volume IC, while the Analog Devices power supply IC provides low noise output and high ripple rejection. The inverter part includes the ES9842QPRO, made by ESS Technology. By using only the highest quality components, carefully selected through repeated listening tests, we have achieved the most natural sound field reproduction possible.

Uncompromising connectivity

Because the HA-L7A is fully compatible with the widest possible variety of music, video and entertainment sources, you can fully immerse yourself in your favorite listening experience with sonic performance that maximizes the potential of all your headphones. Comprehensive connectivity options and expansion flexibility allow you to enjoy your headphones even more.

Three headphone jacks on the front panel

The front panel of the HA-L7A features two balanced headphone jacks that allow you to fully enjoy the detailed and high-quality "as is" quality of the balanced circuits, and an unbalanced headphone jack that reduces contact loss thanks to a gold-plated design. For the balanced XLR headphone jacks, we use the famous NEUTRIK jacks and for the 5-pin 4.4 mm jacks, we use Pentaconn jacks, so you can plug in your favorite headphones and enjoy their full potential.

Extensive inputs/outputs for expandability

The HA-L7A features an extensive set of inputs, including USB (Type B), coaxial and optical. This allows you to connect a wide range of devices, such as high-resolution DAPs (digital audio players), PCs and CD players. The amplifier also has built-in XLR and RCA pre-out/line-out output connections, allowing it to serve as a D/A converter or preamplifier. This allows for exceptional connectivity and expansion options when using an external amplifier.

Pure direct

This feature reduces noise by bypassing all circuitry not present in the original input source, such as DSP processing and analog-to-digital converters for analog audio. This ensures the purity of the signal and enhances the sound, allowing you to fully enjoy the subtlest nuances in music.

USB DAC functionality.

DSD (Direct Stream Digital) files with a top frequency of up to 11.2 MHz can be played as standard with the ASIO driver, which accurately reproduces the original sound of DSD audio. In addition, high-resolution PCM sound sources up to 384 kHz and 32-bit are also supported. The driver is from Yamaha Steinberg, and the transmission is not synchronized with the PC clock, but uses asynchronous transmission that controls the transmission with the device's high-precision clock. This reduces jitter to the max, for accurate playback of the most demanding Hi-Res sound sources.

Highly precise clocking

The USB DAC processing uses two dedicated clocks: a 44.1 kHz system and a 48 kHz system that uses a high-precision crystal oscillator with low phase noise. In addition, the DAC section is designed to be less sensitive to external clock jitter by placing the clock with the crystal oscillator as the master clock near the device.

Eight types of digital filters

Some of the various built-in digital filters include Yamaha's original low-latency filter and filters already pre-programmed for the DAC processor. You can select a total of eight modes to suit your personal preference.

Quality brings user enjoyment

While this headphone amplifier is characterized by a pragmatic internal design that places the highest priority on sound quality, it is the stylish exterior that truly transforms your listening environment into a special one. And the thoughtful approach to design and high-quality texture that you feel and see when using the amplifier further deepens your listening pleasure with your favorite headphones.

Extraordinary design to match exceptionally high sound quality

Following traditional audio principles and maintaining a low center of gravity, two transformers are mounted on the main frame and present in the unique external design, giving the impression of sophisticated modern architecture. Moreover, thanks to a vertical three-dimensional structure, the transformer is located directly above the power supply board, minimizing the route of the power supply. This contributes to a design that offers both high sound quality and aesthetic elegance.

Elegant rotary switch

The rugged, heavy-duty chassis consists of thick aluminum, and in addition to that sophisticated main frame, aluminum is also used for the rotary switches for master volume and mode selection. In addition, an abrasive sandblasting process has created a high-quality textured feel, adding to the elegance of high-quality audio down to the smallest detail. As a result, the HA-L7A offers you an extremely tactile experience.

OLED screen with beautiful display

The top panel of the unit features a beautiful OLED display that provides several key pieces of information, including the input source, sample rate, volume and name of the SOUND MODE being used, all exceptionally easy to read. The display turns off automatically after use, so you won't be distracted and the sound won't be affected by slight unwanted effects.

Features:

  • Yamaha's unique amplifier technology with "floating" and balanced power is optimized for listening with headphones
  • ES9038PRO from ESS Technology is used to create superior sonic quality
  • Two toroidal transformers for exceptional spacious sound
  • Sound Field mode for an immersive experience across all content
  • Pure Direct mode to fully enjoy the subtle nuances in music
  • Elegant design but very sturdy construction
  • Five solid metal feet provide exceptional stability and suppress vibrations
  • OLED display with beautiful reproduction