Having followed Auris Audio from show to show since its 2013 founding, I leapt at the chance to review its stylish Nirvana two-chassis headphone amplifier. I'm no longer shocked by the cost of high-end headphone amps, especially not at a time when £3000 headphones are common, so its £4900 price tag earned a mere 'Meh' from me. After all, I'd be putting it through its paces with, among others, the Audeze LCD-4Z, which sells for £3600. So high-end cans deserve high-end amplifiers, and this analogue-only device is conceived to deliver the most it can through headphones. But does this 'personal space' seem more critical than speaker listening? This is just a half-baked belief of mine - I won't dignify it by calling it a 'theory' - but I certainly consider a direct feed into my lugholes to be less forgiving than sitting in a room a few feet away from loudspeakers.
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