McIntosh MHA200 Vacuum Tube Headphone Amplifier

The MHA200 combines the old-school beauty of tube-based audio with modern connectivity options, including balanced inputs and outputs. A pair of 12AT7 and 12BH7A dual triode vacuum tubes power the compact component. The 12AT7 vacuum tubes amplify the incoming audio signal while the 12BH7A tubes provide the power to drive the output to the headphones with low distortion, the company explains. For connecting headphones, there are: a pair of 3-pin balanced XLR connectors for dedicated left and right balanced output; a 4-pin balanced XLR connector for balanced stereo output; and a ¼-inch stereo headphone jack. For connecting the MHA200 to a home music system’s source components, it has one set each of balanced and unbalanced inputs.