Skip to content
1 piece in stock and available for immediate delivery.
You save CHF 500!
Highlights
- Renewable power supply works as a dedicated power generator
- True balanced ACSS Pure Class-A headphones and preamplifier
What's new about the HE-9 MKIII?
After 5 years of long-term testing and testing, we are ready to release the new version, it apply the perfect layout technology, improve sound quality obviously, better detail and dynamic, but more analog sound, no longer harsh, and also update the functions:
- The preamp output has built-in exclusive output buffers, which can improve the sound quality of the preamp output.
- It has dual volume control can well match with the different output level sources.
- The new design apply the same board of the left and right channels which make the design exactly the same that we can measure and adjust the boards for assembly in the one unit to ensure consistency
Overview
- Unique fully analog regenerative power technology as built in a private power generator, which provide the cleanest power supply, increase the sound quality more transparency, but analog, much better than the external digital technology power processor, not to mention the passive LC power filter socket.
- The unique ACSS true anti-reactive power amplifier employs four channels of anti-reactive output stages, each consisting of eight transistors, each with a power rating of 15A/150W. The entire amplifier's capacitance reaches up to 60,000uF. Four R-core transformers with a total power of 260W are used.
- The preamp output has built-in exclusive output buffers, which can improve the sound quality of the preamp output.
- Separate Class A power supplies supply the regenerative drivers and the audio signal amplifiers.
- Four-channel digital volume control with 100 steps based on relays avoids channel imbalance and improves sound quality.
- Four-channel 9-stage digitally controlled, relay-based pre-volume control can adjust the source input level from 0DB to -9DB.
- Two gain modes, high gain has 20DB and low gain has 10DB, which is more flexibility for different gain power amplifier.
- 5 analog inputs: RCA X2, XLR X2, ACSS X1 (also with RCA or XLR inputs, the output still has ACSS available)
- 3 preamplifier outputs: XLR / RCA / ACSS
- 4 headphone amplifier outputs: 6.3MM / 4 pins XLR / 3 pins XLR *2
Detail of Current Conveyor Technology
Unique fully analogue renewable power technology:
While audio is life, power is water. Pure water creates wonderful life, clean power supply reproduced wonderful sound.
The regenerative power supply is built into the device like its own electrical generator. can block most of the interference from the power line, provides ultra-clean power supply for the audio amplifiers, reproduces the most neutral and analog sound of the audio signal for the system and users.
In the regenerative power supply, the alternating current is converted to direct current via the regenerative input transformer and passed on to the regenerative wave generator and the driver stages via the Class A power supplies.
A balanced regenerative wave generator produces an extremely low-distortion 50 Hz wave, which is passed through the equalizing amplifiers and the powerful output stages. The regenerative transformers produce a clean AC supply, which is fed into the separate Class A power supplies for the L and R channel preamplifiers.
The Class A parallel PSU has a very high input impedance to avoid interference from the PSU from affecting the signal parts and low output impedance with very fast speed and high linear, it is a very clean power supply.
Unique true ACSS non-feedback preamplifier technology
The HE-9 MK2 was built in a truly balanced design using the latest ACSS design. It seems complex, but in fact, they're the simplest design the world has ever had, with their numerous components handling the power supply.
The amplifier built into the HE-9 MK2 has only a single "voltage amplification stage" for signal processing, but operates in ACSS mode, so it's actually a current amplification stage instead of a voltage amplification stage, whereas conventional OPA chips already contain two or three voltage amplification stages. The simplest and shortest signal path produces the most neutral and least colored sound.
The HE-9 MK2 utilizes an ultra-low-distortion, single-stage ACSS amplifier soldered directly to the main circuit board. The gain stages and diamond-cross output stage operate in pure Class A mode.
ACSS is a zero-feedback technology that uses fully discrete amplifiers. Most people know that global feedback designs can deliver better results in test measurements, and that non-feedback designs don't perform well in test measurements but provide better sound to the human ear.
This is where the classic circuits conflict. However, the ACSS opens up a new field, as it can deliver a less colored, more neutral sound with very low distortion and high linearity. This allows it to retain dynamics, detail, and neutrality, but avoid sounding bright or harsh.
All signal amplification occurs in the form of current, achieved through the unique, outstanding open-loop multiple output mirror. The result is an incomparably precise and extremely low-distortion amplification signal. The entire signal path is symmetrical, and all transistors operate in Class A mode.
The HE-9 MK2 uses four channels with non-feedback output stages consisting of eight transistors, each rated at 15A/150W. The entire device's capacitance reaches 60,000uF. Four R-core transformers with a total power of 260W are used.
Unique I/V conversion volume control technology
The volume control is also different from conventional technology. Conventional volume control technology implements volume control in the analog amplifier input stage through a volume control potentiometer to reduce the signal. The quality of the volume control directly affects the sound quality. If the volume control is poor, details will be lost, and channel imbalance will lead to soundstage distortion. Even the high-power volume potentiometer, in the attenuation then gain mode, will still lead to loss of detail and cause the S/N to be worst.
In the HE-9 MK2, we have the I/V conversion volume control, the volume control only a variable passive I/V conversion place at the ACSS amplifier output, where the output is the current signal, not the voltage signal. The volume control is an I/V conversion, and the volume depends on the conversion of the current (I) to the voltage (V). (Like R-2R D/A chips that output passive I/V conversion) It can keep the signal frequency band flat and does not lose details.
It can maintain sound quality at any volume level. After the volume level, the diamond crossover output stage provides very low output impedance.
The quality of volume control is very important in real balance gear.
It must ensure that the four-channel signal control accurately achieves the performance of the real balance gear. If the cool and hot balance signal cannot be accurately guaranteed, the balance output will have significant distortion, causing the sound quality and performance to be even worse than a single-end gear, wasting the balance gear design and reducing costs.
In HE-9 MK2 is applied a four-channel digital control relay-based volume control, by changing the tolerance 0.05% resistors to control the volume for the channels to avoid unbalanced, achieve the best performance and sound quality of the transmission.
HE-9 MK2 have 100 steps volume control, applied supper exponential volume characteristic, easy to adjust the volume to match with different power amplifiers and speakers.during changing the volume, the different relays break or close, it may had slightly changing sound at the output and disappear while stop changing the volume.
shielding
HE-9 MK2 has a complete separation of the left, right amplifier channels, regenerative drivers and transformer, also the 230V / 120V power input lines had shield in the two thick aluminum plates.
The HE-9 MK2 uses a heavy-duty all-aluminum chassis to prevent the transformers' eddy current from interfering with the circuit board.
| S/N ratio | >130 dB | |
THD | <0.0025% |  |
| THD+N | <0.0025% |  |
| Frequency Band (XLR input) | 20Hz - 100KHz (<4dB) |  |
|
| 100 steps Supper Exponential Volume Characteristic |   |
| Headphone amp output power (Balanced class A) | 25 ohms: 15W | |
Headphone amp output power (Single-ended class A ) | 25 ohms: 4W 40 ohms: 2500mW 100 ohms: 1000mW 300 ohms: 350mW | |
|
| High gain: +20 dB | |
| Output Level (Max) | 9.5V @ RCA | |
| Output Impedance | 10 ohms @ Preamp XLR | |
|
| 94K ohms @ XLR | |
Channels cross | < -130 dB | |
Channel imbalance | < 0.01 dB | |
| Power requirement | 1 version 100-120V AC 50/60 Hz | |
| Power Consumption | 66W Class A @230V or 120V | |
| Transformer Power | 260W (3 unit transformers) | |
| Package Weight | Approximately 20KG | |
Dimensions | W430 X L485 X H123 (MM, fully aluminum) | |
| Accessories | Power cord X1 | |
