Austrian Audio Full Score One – Fully Discrete Reference Headphone Amplifier

The Full Score One is Austrian Audio's first headphone amplifier: a fully discrete, reference-grade design conceived in Vienna and built in Austria. There are no ICs in the signal path, and the in-house True Transient Technology keeps fast attacks — the snap of a kick drum, the pluck of a string — intact. It is made for home listeners and mixing and mastering engineers alike, available at Soundium.

Key Features

• Fully discrete circuit: No ICs in the signal path and a triple emitter-follower output stage for low noise and ultra-low distortion.
• True Transient Technology (TTT): A front-panel switch lowers the rise time to a constant 0.25 µs and reduces high-frequency THD, so transients stay unaltered.
• Balanced and unbalanced outputs: One 4-pin XLR for balanced headphones with split left/right grounds, plus two 6.35 mm jacks that can be used in parallel.
• XLR and RCA inputs: Balanced and unbalanced line inputs, connected in parallel, for any DAC or source.
• Wide load range: Drives headphones from 10 Ω to 600 Ω with up to 9 Vrms output.
• Built-in protection: Guards against mains overvoltage, output overcurrent, DC offset, over-temperature and mains failure.

Customer Benefits

The Full Score One gets out of the way of your headphones. Its fully discrete analogue circuit keeps noise and distortion vanishingly low, while TTT lets you choose between maximum speed and a gentler presentation for productions mixed on slower systems. With balanced XLR and RCA inputs and both 4-pin XLR and 6.35 mm outputs, it slots in behind any DAC and drives everything from sensitive low-impedance models to 600 Ω studio headphones.

Quick Specs

• Type: Fully discrete analogue headphone amplifier (no DAC)
• Inputs: 2 × XLR, 2 × RCA (parallel), 0 dBV / 1 Vrms recommended
• Outputs: 1 × 4-pin XLR (balanced), 2 × 6.35 mm jack
• Max. output voltage: 9 Vrms (19 dBV) at 0.01% THD
• Recommended load: 10 Ω – 600 Ω
• THD+N: 0.0005% at 1 kHz, 10 Ω, 1 W
• Power bandwidth (-3 dB): 5 Hz – 2 MHz
• Power: 100–120 V / 220–240 V, 50/60 Hz, IEC inlet
• Dimensions: 26.5 × 22 × 6.5 cm
• Weight: 2.8 kg

What’s in the Box

• Austrian Audio Full Score One headphone amplifier
• Mains power cord

Ideal For

Mixing and mastering engineers who need a transparent reference amplifier, and audiophiles building a high-end desktop headphone system around a separate DAC.

Compatibility

Needs a line-level source such as a DAC, streamer or audio interface line output via XLR or RCA. Works with balanced headphones (4-pin XLR) and standard 6.35 mm plugs; 3.5 mm plugs need an adapter.

Pros & Cons

✅ Pros:

• Fully discrete, IC-free signal path with extremely low distortion
• TTT switch for speed on demand
• Balanced 4-pin XLR plus two parallel 6.35 mm outputs
• Made in Austria

⚠️ Cons:

• No built-in DAC, so it needs a separate source
• No 4.4 mm or 3.5 mm headphone outputs

For a headphone system built around a separate DAC, the Full Score One is a transparent, long-lived centrepiece. Find the Austrian Audio Full Score One at Soundium.