Усилители для наушников — Senna Sound Sunstone

The Sunstone is a desktop headphone amplifier from Senna Sound, a Serbian brand founded by Nemanja Cokic. The brand went public in November 2024 with three hi-fi components - the Phoenix phono stage at EUR 2,150, the Onyx power amplifier at EUR 3,100, a Class AB design rated at 45 W per channel into 8 ohm and 70 W into 4 ohm, and the Orca line preamplifier at EUR 2,750. It sells for EUR 3,600 in Europe and USD 4,500 in North America, and it is hand-assembled in Serbia.

Key specs that matter

Output reaches 4.5 W per channel into 50 ohm. Frequency response runs from 5 Hz to 100 kHz within 1 dB, and total harmonic distortion is 0.03 percent at 1 kHz and 1 W. Input sensitivity is 0.8 V RMS and input impedance is 22 kohm. Line sources connect through a pair of RCA inputs or a single balanced XLR input, and headphones plug into either a balanced XLR socket or a 6.35 mm jack. The chassis measures 280 mm wide, 200 mm deep and 127 mm high and weighs 6.5 kg. Power consumption is 90 VA, and the mains voltage is set to 120 or 230 V at 50 or 60 Hz by a switch on the rear panel. The case is offered in black, white or red.

Engineering and use context

The circuit is built entirely from discrete components and runs in Class A without global negative feedback. Because the Class A output stage stays biased on through the entire waveform, no switching point exists between halves of the signal, and the cost is steady heat and a constant draw from the mains. Running without feedback means the amplifier relies on the linearity of each stage rather than on correction loops. A custom toroidal transformer and a regulated, low-noise, high-current supply feed the circuit, which keeps the operating point steady as the volume changes. The front panel carries VU meters that show the signal level. The Sunstone is a purely analogue design, with no DAC and no USB, optical, coaxial, Bluetooth or network input, so it needs an external digital converter or another line-level source. A mains cable with an IEC plug is supplied.

Pairing

Senna Sound names both planar magnetic headphones, which are often low in impedance and hungry for current, and high-impedance dynamic models as suitable loads. Any DAC or preamplifier with RCA or XLR line outputs can drive it, and the balanced headphone socket suits models cabled for XLR.

Alternatives

Senna Sound makes no other headphone amplifier besides the Sunstone.