There are few engineers that have achieved the level of respect garnered by the legendary British professional audio industry veteran Rupert Neve. The pro audio world's version of Meridian's Bob Stuart, Neve has designed some of the most iconic products in audio production history, including the famous Neve 8078 console that was immortalized in the Dave Grohl movie Sound City.
Neve's latest endeavor is Rupert Neve Designs and the company's latest product is the new RNHP headphone amplifier. Based on headphone output circuit utilized in Rupert Neve Designs' 5060 Centerpiece Desktop MIxer, the RNHP is a 24-volt reference-quality headphone amplifier.
The made-in-the-U.S.A amp features specialty calibrated +4dBu balanced line (XLR), unbalanced RCA and 3.5mm (1/8-inch) inputs within a VESA-compliant mountable chassis, and the company says the RNHP delivers, “effortless, wide-open sonic performance, and the ability to drive any pair of headphones without compromise. The RNHP allows you to perform, mix and enjoy your music with a new level of clarity.”
Rupert Neve Designs explains the singular purpose of the RNHP is to make headphones perform at their best possible level.
“This exceptional level of quality can be the difference that inspires an artist to give their best performance; [it] lets an engineer make better choices with mic and [mic] placement, [it] gives a mix engineer reliable translation of EQ and dynamic adjustments, or [it] lets a music listener appreciate the full depth and detail of a recording.”
The RNHP works with components that include studio audio interfaces, headphone mixers, mixing consoles, professional DACs, CD/DVD and Blu-ray disc players, stereo tuners, turntables, cameras, smart phones and tablets, computers, DSLR cameras and handheld recording devices.
In professional environments, the headphone amp is compatible with any VESA 100 mount, and users will find its front-panel ergonomics feature a simple A/B/C input select buttons, a 1/4-inch headphone jack and a volume knob.
