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Austrian Audio Full Score one
Premium Headphone Amplifier
The Full Score one – our reference-grade amplifier, conceived in Vienna for absolute fidelity. Fully discrete and built from premium components, it delivers stunning transients and ultra-low distortion. True Transient Technology reveals every detail with clarity and control – effortless power, pure intention.
Austrian Audio Full Score one | The assembly
Immerse yourself in the art of sound.
The Full Score one is Austrian Audio’s debut headphone amplifier, applying the same meticulous approach to its design as with its family of award-winning headphones and microphones. Created with both home listeners and high-end mixing and mastering engineers in mind, the Full Score one takes headphone performance to new levels, revealing a new world of listening pleasure and precision to all users, from those unfamiliar with the world of premium audio to the already committed audiophile.
Beautifully built and employing only high-end and military-grade components, the Full Score one looks as assured as it sounds. Integrate the Full Score one into a sound system, pair it with capable headphones, and you revel in fast and accurate performance.
True Transient Technology (TTT)
The new model features Austrian Audio’s proprietary True Transient Technology (TTT), which helps deliver the most jaw-dropping transients, such as the snap of a kickdrum or the delicate pluck of a guitar string in unaltered detail. The analogue amplifier design is as clean as a whistle: Fully discrete, no ICs in the signal path, and low noise. Lovely.
All made in Austria and built to last.
Our technical approach to our first headphone amp was comparable to building a very low-noise power amplifier. The Full Score one handles low-impedance headphones down to 10 Ohms as well as high-impedance, low-sensitivity headphones with over 300 Ohms.
Thanks to innovative design – the amplifier comprises a wide band, fully symmetrical voltage feedback circuit with a triple emitter follower output stage biased in class B, a high-speed complementary push-pull gain stage and a cascoded parallel differential input stage – the Full Score one secures very low THD (Total Harmonic Distortion) at every output level and over a wide frequency range.
This makes the Austrian Audio Full Score one a perfect duo together with the Austrian Audio The Composer.
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- Full Score one
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Professional Reviews 88/100
Nicely Roasted
Sound Quality
90/100
Build Quality
92/100
Features Usability
86/100
Value for Money
85/100
Austrian Audio’s Full Score one delivers a neutral, highly revealing window into a great headphone system, pairing explosive dynamics with articulate bass grip and crisp, layered imaging. What Hi-Fi? found it equally poised across a wide headphone range, while its True Transient Technology sharpens resolution and leading edges for remarkably authoritative, studio-bred playback.
What Reviewers Are Saying
Pros
Clear, detailed and balanced presentation with strong resolution, stable imaging and convincing instrumental separation.
Explosive dynamics, rhythmic drive and articulate low-frequency grip give music impressive authority and scale.
Drives a broad range of headphones capably, including models from low impedance to 600 ohms.
Compact, beautifully made metal chassis with a carefully assembled discrete internal layout.
&
Cons
Its uncompromising transparency exposes harshness and edge in poorer recordings.
Volume rises quickly with sensitive headphones, limiting fine adjustment at low listening levels.
Focused analogue design lacks an integrated DAC and offers only a single parallel RCA/XLR input connection.
SOUND QUALITY PERFORMANCE 90/100
Reviewers find the Full Score one exceptionally clear, controlled and dynamically expressive, with a neutral, revealing studio-informed presentation. It drives a broad range of headphones capably, though sensitive models can leave limited room on the volume control and the review does not directly assess hiss or hum.
Transparency Resolution
94/100
What Hi-Fi praises a clear, detailed and balanced presentation, with the True Transient Technology mode improving resolution, leading-edge definition and image precision. Complex orchestral material remains well separated, with multiple instrumental strands tracked without confusion.
Tonal Balance Musicality
91/100
The amplifier is described as even-handed, balanced and honest rather than flattering. Its unvarnished presentation exposes harshness and edge in poorer recordings, making source and recording quality important to enjoyment.
Dynamics
94/100
The review highlights explosive punch, strong low-frequency grip and impressive orchestral scale. It retains rhythmic verve and dynamic expression without the dilution sometimes associated with neutral-sounding components.
Noise Floor
80/100
The supplied review does not directly report on background hiss, hum or performance with highly sensitive IEMs. Its listening comments describe clean, precise replay, but there is no specific silent-background evidence.
Headphone Compatibility
89/100
What Hi-Fi found the Full Score one capable and balanced with every headphone it tried, and says it can drive most headphone loads without issue. With more sensitive designs, however, the volume control reaches high levels quickly, reducing fine low-level adjustment.
Assessments of Build Quality, Usability, and Overall Propositions.
Build Quality
92/100
The compact amplifier is described as beautifully made, with curved metal casework, a neat integrated volume control and carefully assembled internal discrete layout. Reviewers also note good-quality parts, although they would prefer a thicker volume dial for easier handling.
Features Usability
86/100
The Full Score one offers parallel RCA and balanced XLR inputs, two 6.35mm headphone outputs and a four-pin XLR balanced output. Its focused analogue design is straightforward, but it lacks integrated digital inputs, DAC functionality, remote control and selectable gain settings; the volume range is also limited with sensitive headphones.
Value for Money
85/100
At its listed $1,299-$1,699 price, What Hi-Fi considers it more than most listeners need, rather than a universal recommendation. It is nevertheless warmly recommended for committed owners of high-end headphones and sufficiently capable sources; the review offers no direct comparison with similarly priced rivals.
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Authorized dealers for Austrian Audio Full Score one
- Acclaim Sound and Light — online and in-store — North Bay, Ontario, Canada (website)
- Adorama — in-store — New York, New York, United States (website)
- Andertons — online and in-store — Guildford, England, United Kingdom (website)
- Atlas Pro Audio, Inc. — online and in-store — Sun City Center, Florida, United States (website)
- Audio 46 — online and in-store — New York, New York, United States (website)
- Audio Centrum — Hungary (website)
- Audio essence — online and in-store — Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland (website)
- Audio Magic - EU — online and in-store — Wola, Województwo mazowieckie, Poland (website)
- Audio Sanctuary — in-store — London, England, United Kingdom (website)
- Audio Sound Music — online and in-store — Paris, Île-de-France, France (website)
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