[Tyll Hertsens]

So, here's the story on the new 2006 AirHead as best I can tell it:

The AirHead is our attempt to bring high quality headphone amplification to the masses. I see it as good design,, in high quality parts, in a durable plastic enclosure, as cheap as we can, so that people can make buying good headphones worth while.

So far, I think we must have revved the AirHead about seven times, at least. When our first AirHead came out a portable CD player was the portable player of choice---and there were some choice portable players back then. Today is another age where iPods and laptops roam the earth; and Xinful Hornets buzz feverously everywhere. It's been a bitch keeping the Airhead any where near current.

(I'd kindfully ask those of you with previous editions of the AirHead to post pix as you see fit for everyone's enlightenment.)

We've struggled with the AirHead, but by and large I think we've always delivered a quality and fully featured product (bags and USB) for it's day and age, at a price where both customer and HeadRoom benefited. In fact, USB and bag integration is STILL only done by us in any meaningful way. But even in bags, the size, shape, and use paradigm of portable players was/is still changing so rapidly that our whole current bag paradigm may be hopelessly out of date. Lastly, the price of the amp is still too high for broad market acceptance. The bottom line problem was: it cost a lot to do it by hand.

What to do?

The first question is rev it, or redesign it? (This may be the last time I mention it in public so pay attention.) If that's the first question then the second question is: how much better can you make it if your redesign it? The answer is a whole lot better. You could make them small and thin and with rechargeable batteries. You could even make real tiny ones that ran of USB for laptops. But it will take years to do well.

Well, how much better could you make it if you wanted to do it quickly? Not so surprisingly if you think about it, quite a bit. As long as we didn't change the enclosure and live with the current use paradigm (which though not optimal, is still workable) we could: redesign the amp with the AD8397 and sound quality equivalent with the current market of manufactured and DIY portable amps; we could improve the cross-feed based on what we learned from our new electronics in our high-end lines; we could add a gain switch feature and get better performance with both high and low impedance headphones; and, maybe most importantly, we could outsource our board manufacturing and get the price down. BTW, "outsourcing" in this case means having a high-end automated board assembly house in Idaho solder our sweet metal-film resistors and polyprenolenesulfite film caps to our AirHead Boards. (Oh… my pressssciousss!).

So that's the route we went. We're going to spend the next few years cloistered here working on the next HeadRoom Mobile Line---a line without a product named "AirHead" in it, by the way. And have begun to deliver our last AirHead and BitHead, and boy they sound good. No they didn't break the $100 barrier, but I guaranty you don't get better parts in a unit that cheap.

Happy to answer your 2006 AirHead questions here!

 

[elrod-tom]

As an owner of a first generation Total Airhead, and 2004 versions of the Total Airhead and Total Bithead, I'm looking forward to hearing more.

I think that the Total Bithead is a great product for what it is - a mini DAC and headphone amp in one package not much larger than a G4 iPod. I use mine all the time...probably as much as any other amp that I own. It's a very practical little amp...that said, we're always looking for more.

Were I to improve on it, I'd want a premium portable amp...as close to the performance of the Micro as is possible. Call it the Extra Super Duper Total Bithead if you like. I'd do the following:

Some sort of long-lived rechargeable battery - I like the convenience of AAA batteries, but I'm thinking there's more to be had from a more permanent power source.

Selectable gain - I hear this is already handled

A USB slot that may also be used in conjunction with an AC adaptor...my Total Bithead has no AC power option

Jump up the performance of the amp section - don't get me wrong, I really like my Total Bithead. That said, it's not quite up to the standards of some of my other amps. Not that a true portable ought to be, but I'd be willing to pay more for more oomph.

Digital (or at least line-out) connectivity with some of the more popular portables - I'm thinking of players like the iPod, perhaps the iRiver H10, and so on. I don't know enough about it to know how possible this is, but remember, I'm dreaming here.

This is a portable amp and dac that I'd be willing to pay significantly more to own. I'd also be one of the first to own it....just like I was with the Total Bithead, and the Coda/Overture.

 

[ayt999]

hey Tyll, thanks for the post. it was a good read. can't wait to see this new Mobile Line when it gets released.

 

[nytryder7]

The Total Airhead....my very first amp! Looking forward to what the future brings!

 

[markot86]

.

 

[Oliver :)]

Thanks for the update, Tyll

On a sidenote, it was noticed that mention of the micro switch has disappeared from the micro line site. Any news about that?

 

[Old Pa]

HeadRoom 2006 Total Bithead (Preproduction)

Hardware Employed

Amps: 2006 Total BitHead (preproduction), 2003 Total BitHead, RSA Hornet S/N

Sources: Panasonic CL470, Hewlett Packard Pavilion dv4000 (Lightscribe 8x DVD+/- RW&CD combo w/DL utilizing Foobar 2000)

Headphones: Ety 4S, Sennheiser PX100 and HD580


Software Employed

Joe Bonamassa – ”A New Day Yesterday”
Elvis Costello – ”King of America”
Wasilewski/Kurkiewicz/Miskiewicz – ”Trio”
Alan Pasqua – ”My New Old Friend”
Steve Wynn – ”Here Come the Miracles”
Los Super Seven – “Canto”


INTRODUCTION

A new 2006 HeadRoom Total Bithead showed up this afternoon with a note from Jamey that HeadRoom had changed the output stage and tweaked the crossfeed circuitry in the new model. The original Bithead and Total Bithead debuted three years ago to universal acclaim as to their unique features, solid design, and the audio improvement they provided most desktop and portable PCs. Briefly, the Bitheads are DACs and headphone amps powered by four internal AAAs or the USB hub of the host PC. They are recognized and configured automatically by most PCs upon being plugged into a USB outlet. They may also be employed as headphone amps for PCDPs and .

This author views the Total Bithead as a portable device and will test it as such with portable sources, the headphones he commonly uses in portable mode, and against his other portable headphone amplifiers. All of the hardware received extensive burn in before the comparisons were begun.

Please consider this as an unconditional plug for the redbook CDs listed as software above. All of these represent recent aquisitions of wonderful recordings by exceptional musicians. While there are many other marvelous new CDs out there, you cannot go wrong with any of these recordings. I tried to employ well recorded CDs with a diversity of style and sound content signature in my comparisons here.

While I have enjoyed traveling for years with high quality amped headphone systems, I was not prepared for the quality of audio (and DVD) performance now available with portable PCs. The HP Pavilion dv4000 is a critically acclaimed laptop and mine is equipped with high resolution screen and upgraded optical drive. An ambidextrous Microsoft wireless notebook USB mouse makes my click-and-point experience essentially the same as at my desktop PC and is also recommended. Foobar 2000 is my current choice for audio software and it offers, IMHO, markedly superior sound to the current Windows and Apple offerings especially with the redbook CDs which form my listening library. MP3s need not apply. This review was composed entirely on the HP while accompanied by audio through the Bitheads and the HD580s. While all these technologies will undoubtedly improve in the future, the experience right now is pretty damn fine.


COMPARISONS

2003 Total Bithead

When the Bitheads were released back in 2003, they represented a novel product and introduced many to a vastly improved audio experience from their PCs. The Total Bitheads, with their upgraded internal components garnered several awards including a best new audio product for the year. All Bitheads combined user friendly plug-and-play with decent amps with clipping indication and crossfeed. I’ve always favored crossfeed, which combines a small amount of each opposing channels signal to provide (hopefully) a more natural listening experience with headphones, in theory. In application, crossfeed is a more mixed bag. The crossfeed in the original Bitheads also provided a definite bass bump, which I can do without. Finally, I’m already on record saying the original Total Bithead is lacking in the cajones department for driving headphones like my favored HD580s. With the original Total Bithead’s clipping LED flickering only occasionally while driving the HD580s, we are well short of the volume I consider “meaningful”.


2006 Total Bithead

HeadRoom certainly addressed the shortcomings of the original Total Bithead in the preproduction 2006 Total Bithead I have been auditioning. Form and layout are the same as the original (with the aforementioned inclusion of a low/high gain switch). Crossfeed no longer has a pronounced bass bump. Output is quite robust, up at least two or three dB by my earometer at clipping. The new Bithead drives my HD580s to the highest listening level I am comfortable using, adding considerable additional depth and clarity in the process. This is defintely “Hi-Fi”; Old Pa’s Portable Home Theater is cookin’ now! And that’s off of USB power, which I feel adds considerable convenience.


RSA Hornet

It is my understanding that Ray Samuel’s Hornet amp was one of HeadRoom’s comparison targets while developing the new Total Bithead, and it is therefore properly included in this comparison. The RSA Hornet is a marvelous little amp. Capable of battery or mains use (while recharging its internal battery), it is small, well made, and elegant. While others have suggested it benefits from extensive burn in, the unit I own sounded great right out of the box. I had previously employed a Porta CORDA I (both with 9V battery and with 24V wallwart), and the Hornet demonstrated superior clarity, depth, and imaging immediately. While the original Ports CORDA benefited greatly from getting adequate juice to its rails from the 24V wallwart, The Hornet is well past this point on either battery or mains power. Smooth, solid full spectrum audio without a touch of bright edge. As much as my ears and audio sensibilities agree with Tyll’s design objectives, they also find a soul mate in those of Ray Samuels.




CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Well, guys, your portable amp choices just got tougher. HeadRoom’s redesigned Total Bithead is meaningful competition for amps like RSA’s Hornet. The Total Bithead still provides an effortless way to get into PC based Hi-Fi sound with proper crossfeed and the ability to drive tough home cans to symphonic levels. It can also serve as a standalone amp for PCDP and other portable sources and need no apology for its audio performance in this role. If your audio application has you sourcing from laptop or notebook by bitstream, and portability and convenience are major decisions, then the new Total Bithead has got to be on your shortlist. And all for quite a bit less geld than the Hornet.

Comparing the new Total Bithead with RSA’s Hornet provides a harder question. As a portable amp for analog output sources driving headphones like the HD580s, the Hornet has the edge. You will be best served by listening to both with your music, source, and headphones before making a choice, but many will forego crossfeed and pay extra for the Hornet’s stellar sound and robust output in the standalone portable amp category. I know I’m not selling mine.

And as a suggestion for those looking for a better PCDP experience? Check out a decent notebook/laptop with a good optical drive, Foobar 2000 and the 2006 Total Bithead. Sound is excellent and if you are already packing the PC, using it for your audio source with the new Total Bithead should cut down on your load. This review was composed entirely on my HP Pavilion while listening to great tunes through the Total Bitheads. My kind of multitasking.

It was time to revise the original Total Bithead and Tyll and his crew, with their usual responsiveness to customer needs and market standards, have hit another homerun with the 2006 Total Bithead. The onlysad faces should be on those with original Total Bitheads, but then they should have had a good several years of sound and should be glad to be able to make a meaningful improvement in their portable sound with the new Total Bithead. I sure hope Tyll wasn’t planning on having me send this new Total Bithead gem back.

 

[Skylab]

Interesting...when will it be available?

 

[TheSloth]

If you are referring to the 2006 T Airhead and T Bithead, they are available and are currently shipping from www.headphone.com.

 

[Skylab]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheSloth If you are referring to the 2006 T Airhead and T Bithead, they are available and are currently shipping from www.headphone.com.

So the ones currently for sale on the website are different from the one I bought in early 2005?

 

[Tyll Hertsens]

Quote:

Originally Posted by elrod-tom As an owner of a first generation Total Airhead, and 2004 versions of the Total Airhead and Total Bithead, I'm looking forward to hearing more.

You gave me such a lovely post to yabber from! Thanks, Tom. (I just love these "paid for" threads!)

Quote:

I think that the Total Bithead is a great product for what it is - .... It's a very practical little amp...that said, we're always looking for more.

I couldn't have said it better myself: A cool little tank of an all-purpose headphone amp ... but make it better.

Quote:

Were I to improve on it, I'd want a premium portable amp...as close to the performance of the Micro as is possible.

I'd say it is very close to the Micro module performance.

Quote:

Some sort of long-lived rechargeable battery, I like the convenience of AAA batteries, but I'm thinking there's more to be had from a more permanent power source.

Aaaaarrrrgh! Yeah, that's one of those we have to do in the long run. And I agree that AAAs have some benefit---you can't recharge a battery at 30,000 feet.

Quote:

Selectable gain - I hear this is already handled

Well, it would be nice to have three possitions, but two is better than one.

Quote:

A USB slot that may also be used in conjunction with an AC adaptor...my Total Bithead has no AC power option

This is harder than it apears, when you try to do it with one socket, and if we stay with the current enclosure we cannot add a connector. Future, again.

Quote:

Jump up the performance of the amp section

Amen, brother! And the DIYers ain't wrong, that AD8397 is a sweet chip, especially with the virtual ground topology. It's really hard to beat it all things considered.

Quote:

but I'd be willing to pay more for more oomph.

The new one does have more gain, I'd have to find out how much, but it is better in the ooomph department. I have to say, though, that I don't think the last one was really that bad. All that said, we are still ultimately limited by the 6 volts or so from the AAAs.

Quote:

Digital (or at least line-out) connectivity with some of the more popular portables - I'm thinking of players like the iPod, perhaps the iRiver H10, and so on. I don't know enough about it to know how possible this is, but remember, I'm dreaming here.

This is as much an issue of the players as the BitHead because they don't have friggen ANYKIND of digital out. Frankly, the first mass market usable one will likely be a wireless USB or Bluetooth interface. Til then just keep your fingers crossed that SOMETHING shows up. Oh, and the 2902 USB chip won't take a digital in.

Quote:

This is a portable amp and dac that I'd be willing to pay significantly more to own. I'd also be one of the first to own it....just like I was with the Total Bithead, and the Coda/Overture.

Probably missed on too many counts for a well amped geek like you to be jumping on it. But you probably wouldn't be sorry if you did. Thanks for all the good questions.

Oliver

, The Switch isn't dead, but we've decided to add a bunch of features and we need to beta test a few ideas before we make it a product. According to plan, it will be the next new product from us.

Old Pa: First, thanks, it's very comforting when first introducing a new product, to know that it passes muster with with sounder minds than ours.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Old Pa While I have enjoyed traveling for years with high quality amped headphone systems, I was not prepared for the quality of audio (and DVD) performance now available with portable PCs.

Ain't it the truth. And if you haven't laid in bed and night and watched a few movies with WinDVD and Dolby Headphone your missing something. My my 9 year old daughter and I watched Nemo on HD600s not long ago and it was great.

Quote:

It is my understanding that Ray Samuel’s Hornet amp was one of HeadRoom’s comparison targets while developing the new Total Bithead, and it is therefore properly included in this comparison.

It's always best to have the best in catagory available for listening when coming up with a product. The Hornet is a fine little amp, and I agree with you, I don't think the AirHead is as clean. But we never really thought it would be, we still have to contend with all the extra circuit from the crossfeed, and the lower voltage battery supply. Thank you for comparing it in your review, it is good to bracket your target and your review was all the more meaningful to people for it.

 

[Tyll Hertsens]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skylab So the ones currently for sale on the website are different from the one I bought in early 2005?

Yes. And yes, they are shipping now.

 

[markmaxx]

I just ordered my Total Bithead this morning

I had the old last generation (2005) Total Bithead and with my ER-4P/S there was alot of hiss, has this been addressed?

I now also have Sennheiser HD 600 cardas cable and Grado RS-1, which I did not have when I had the first Total Bithead, will the hiss be an issue with either of these?

Tyll good work, I can't wait.

I have to say what a pleasure it is to deal with such a well organized, profesional group of people. Headroom is that and more.

 

[warpdriver]

Quote:

Originally Posted by markmaxx I just ordered my Total Bithead this morning I had the old last generation (2005) Total Bithead and with my ER-4P/S there was alot of hiss, has this been addressed?

That is a good question, that is my complaint with my Airhead too.

 

[Tyll Hertsens]

Yes, the hiss was addressed. It's basically fixed by adding the gain switch and having a lower gain mode available on the amp.