[DS-21]

Super-compact (just 8.5" wide by 8.5" deep by 2.125" high!) integrated amp with a 32-bit/192kHz Burr-Brown DAC feeding a B&O ICEpower 50ASX2 module. It runs cool, and had plenty of power to drive my bedroom speakers (KEF Q100's) to deafening levels.

For size reference, here it is, atop my 13.3" MacBook.



Digital inputs: asynchronous USB, optical, and coaxial
Line level inputs: 2 pairs of unbalanced (RCA) jacks



Here's a better picture of the back panel from someone else's A-H01:


Line level output: 1/4" headphone jack on front, mono subwoofer out on back.

Standard IEC power cord jack.

The A-H01 has nice insulated binding posts for speaker output (not those annoying collared things often found on AVRs) that take bananas or spades, and are cross-drilled for bare wire. The posts are fairly deep, though a Z-tooth/"BFA" style banana does stick out a tiny bit. as shown below. A normal banana does not.



Electrical safety certification from an CSA, an OSHA-approved NRTL, unlike competing products such as the Peachtree Decco.



Includes all original accessories: remote, blank warranty/registration card, manual, and a pair of RCA cables you probably won't use.

See http://www.teac.com/consumer_electronics/reference_series/a-h01/ for more specs

Audiogon condition: 10/10 (used <1yr, no visible flaws to surfaces or plating)

Price: $400 $375 shipped (double boxed, original box/packaging inside a shipping box) CONUS; anyone outside CONUS, same base price, but add shipping and any customs/brokerage fees. Payment via PayPal.

Trades I'd consider: ICEpower 50ASX2 or 125ASX2 modules. The amp section impressed me enough that I'm considering buying the ICEpower modules it uses to drive my reference speakers when I convert them to active drive.

I'm selling it because my fiancee likes the looks of my Meridian 551 better. Sonically, I don't think there's much to choose between them.

[pardales]

Very cool piece. I did not know TEAC made an all-in-one. Friendly bump...good luck with the sale! 

[timind]

That is an interesting looking piece. I googled for pics of innards to see if my spare 125AXS2 module might fit inside. Nope.
BTW, you can provide your email address straight up here. No need to hide it like on Audiogon.

[DS-21]

Very cool piece. I did not know TEAC made an all-in-one. Friendly bump...good luck with the sale! 

Cheers! It's a pretty new piece. I think they introduced it to the US market at CES 2012, though some markets had it a little before that.

BTW, you can provide your email address straight up here. No need to hide it like on Audiogon.

I did that to avoid spam-bots. We'll see if it's remotely successful...

[timind]

Cheers! It's a pretty new piece. I think they introduced it to the US market at CES 2012, though some markets had it a little before that.

I did that to avoid spam-bots. We'll see if it's remotely successful...

I think you'll be ok as far as spam bots.

[MichaelPublic]

I looked searched the net a bit. Didn't find much in the way of reviews yet.
Can you say a few words about the headphone out sound quality wise?
It's the perfect size for a headphone amp/dac

Thanks for your time.

[DS-21]

I looked searched the net a bit. Didn't find much in the way of reviews yet.
Can you say a few words about the headphone out sound quality wise?

Truth be told, I hadn't even used to the headphone output until I saw your post. But I just tried it out briefly, listening to Vladimir Ashkenazy conducting the St. Petersburg Philharmonic through the fourth movement of Shostakovich 7. (I discuss why I often use this track for auditions here.)  I hooked the A-H01 to my music library via optical from my MacBook. Keep in mind that for most modern headphones you'll also need a 1/8" -> 1/4" adapter, because the headphone jack is 1/4".

I listened to two pairs of headphones (Denon AH-D2000, Sennheiser HD-580) and an IEM (Ety ER-4P). I know all of them well. I've had the '580s since roughly 1997 (they got new pads for the ear cups and headband in 2010). The Etys I bought maybe a decade ago, and the Denons I've had since 2008 or 2009. I believe the headphone jack adapter I used shipped with the Denons.

The A-H01's headphone jack has sufficient current and voltage drive to drive all of them cleanly to 7th-row-center levels, even on this recording. Even the Senns, which have high impedance and often reveal headphone outputs to swing inadequate voltage.

That said...I'm probably not gonna help sales with this...but I quickly found it inferior to what I normally use for headphones. The sole reason is that it lacks a crossfeed circuit. I feel that a crossfeed circuit (as offered by HeadRoom and others) transforms headphone listening from unnatural-sounding (musicians playing in the middle of my brain) to something a little more plausible. So headphone listening without a crossfeed circuit in the chain is generally something I don't do. For headphone-only use, I would recommend seeking out a box with a good crossfeed circuit.

That said, I did a brief A/B with one of my HeadRoom Portable Micro Amps on the '580s, with the crossfeed turned off. (I used my previous generation PMA rather than my current generation one, because I'm selling it, too. I also used the headphone output of the A-H01 to drive the PMA, so they would be driven by a common DAC. In a serious comparison (i.e. blind and level-matched), I am fairly sure nobody would be able to reliably distinguish the A-H01 from the PMA, with the PMA's crossfeed circuit disengaged.

[Doublej]

There appear to be crossfeed plugins for foobar and winamp but I couldn't find one for itunes.

How does the amplifier sound?

[DS-21]

How does the amplifier sound?

I've written all I can truthfully write about the headphone amp "sound."

As for the "sound" of the ICEpower module, See here for my thoughts generally on amp "sound." Given that, here's what I can truthfuly write:
(1) Driving a pair of KEF Q100 speakers, which are a 4Ω nominal load, in a 15' x ~22' x 12' bedroom, I could not detect a headroom deficit compared to a Meridian 551, which is rated (I think) 60W/8Ω and 100W/4Ω. (I paid a bit over a grand for the 551 as a demo model from a local dealer maybe 15 years ago.) Nor any other differences between the two, for that matter, at any volume; Teac seems to have implemented an appropriate buffer between the volume pot and the ICEpower module. (The A-H01 has a motorized volume knob with a distinct range of motion, as opposed to a digital flywheel, so I assume there's an analog pot behind said knob.)
(2) After using this amp, I am considering replacing my 80-lb 7-channel Class AB boat-anchor with three of the 50ASX2 modules, one built into each speaker. An 50ASX2 per speaker (one channel for the woofer, one for the concentric tweeter) would be sufficient to drive my reference 12" Tannoy Dual Concentrics (rated 96dB/W/m with the stock passive crossover) to any listenable volume level, and more energy efficient than my current amp.

Now, if you want to know what the commentariat thinks about how the ICEpower modules "sound," there have been threads about them on this forum. Here is a search on the term "icepower." Most of the posts are about the next module up, the 125ASX2. The 50ASX2 used here is similar in design, with the ICEpower chipset and integrated on-board power supply. It's just less powerful. I could only find one thread on the 50ASX2 module specifically, but it has no subjective comments as to sound quality. Here is a recommendation to try it, but again none of the audiophool buzzwords (lifted veils, etc.).

For the record, I'm not selling it due to any dissatisfaction with its "sound." It has low noise and can drive the speakers with which I intended to use it to levels higher than I would prefer to listen. (And I like my Shostakovich and Mahler at concert hall levels.) Rather, I'm selling it because my fiancee prefers the appearance of the Meridian 551. And I think she prefers that I already had it, too.

[DS-21]

Bump for price drop. Lots of interest on this one, but no takers thus far.

[MichaelPublic]

DS-21
-communicated well, shipped safely and amp is in as good or better condition than stated.
Recommended.
(couldn't find feedback forum/circle)
<Late due to holidays>