Canor launches Crius H5S headphone amplifier with DAC

Canor has launched a three-in-one component for headphone listening and preamplifier duties. The Canor Crius H5S combines a solid-state headphone amplifier, DAC and preamplifier, using two ES9039Q2M DAC chips in a dual-mono configuration. Its UK launch price is £1,799.

The headphone amplifier uses a fully discrete amplification stage, while the analogue output stages are fully discrete and balanced. An adaptive bias circuit transitions between Class A and Class AB operation, and the design uses local feedback in place of heavy global feedback. Power comes from an internal supply.

The USB-C input supports PCM up to 32-bit/768kHz, DoP up to DSD256 and native DSD up to DSD512. Separate optical and coaxial inputs each accept PCM up to 24-bit/192kHz. The DAC offers nine digital filters, and the unit supports wired firmware updates.

Balanced headphone connections comprise 4-pin XLR and 4.4mm sockets, with 6.3mm and 3.5mm sockets providing unbalanced connections. The balanced headphone output is rated at 4W into 30Ω or 500mW into 300Ω. The unbalanced output is rated at 1W into 30Ω or 130mW into 300Ω. Specified output impedance is below 0.02Ω for both balanced and unbalanced outputs.

For use with power amplifiers or active speakers, the Crius H5S provides XLR and RCA output pairs alongside a dedicated XLR bypass pair. Analogue inputs comprise one XLR pair and one RCA pair, while a 12V trigger output uses a 3.5mm jack. RCA output gain settings are −6dB, 0dB and +5dB, with XLR settings of 0dB, +6dB and +11dB. A 1.8-inch circular display embedded in the volume knob provides access to left-right balance adjustment.