Gold Note HP-5.2

Gold Note HP-5.2

Compact Class-A discrete headphone amplifier, made in Italy

The Gold Note HP-5.2 is Gold Note's entry point into its own family of headphone amplifiers – and yet it is anything but a compromise. Under its compact aluminium shell sits a fully discrete, Class-A circuit in a balanced dual-mono layout, the kind of engineering more commonly found in much larger and pricier components. Gold Note, best known for its turntables and electronics from Florence, didn't design a simple accessory here, but a self-contained headphone preamplifier with genuine studio ambitions.

Inputs cover both balanced XLR and unbalanced RCA, while the output side offers the same choice of balanced XLR and unbalanced line-outs – so the HP-5.2 slots effortlessly into an existing system as a full-fledged link in the chain. Four separate headphone connections are on offer: unbalanced 6.3mm and 3.5mm jacks, plus balanced 4.4mm and 4-pin XLR, delivering up to 5 watts of output for demanding planar-magnetic and dynamic headphones alike.

Sonically, the HP-5.2 can be finely tuned to headphone and taste via its graphic touchscreen: four Crossfeed settings for a more natural, less inside-the-head soundstage, three Harman target curves for tonal fine-tuning, two damping-factor settings, selectable gain and a Balance/Superflat switch. A built-in Sabre ES9023 DAC turns it into a self-sufficient digital source in its own right, and a remote control is included. Those wanting extra headroom can later add the optional external PSX-5 power supply.

Within Gold Note's headphone-amp line-up, the HP-5.2 is the compact starting point: where the HP-10 steps up a notch with a larger chassis, more finish options and an optional PSU-10 EVO power supply, the HP-5.2 focuses on the essentials – the same Class-A philosophy, in a black anodised aluminium enclosure, compact and easy to live with day to day.

What the press says

Soundnews

„Something had to be sacrificed to reach that price, and Gold Note sacrificed the right things.“

23 August 2026

Technical Specifications