[Elephas]

These are just some of my personal impressions based on reading posts here. Keep in mind these are due to my own ignorance and bias. I have no experience with any HeadRoom product.

1. Sound quality and bang-for-the-buck value seems lacking vs. other amps in comparable price ranges.

2. Recommended headphones for their amps are K701, HD650, DT880-'05. No ATs or Sony. I've rarely seen positive impressions from someone using a HeadRoom amp with an AT, Sony, Grado/Alessandro or Ultrasone.

3. Too many switches at the back of the amp. The switch to change source input should be at the front, at the very least. I hate to imagine using a Max Balanced in a rack and having to reach behind it often.

4. Balanced headphone recabling limited to Cardas. More choices might be better.

5. Styling of the large amps seems a bit too "organic" and cutesy to me. I prefer the older Blockhead's appearance.

6. Not much discussion about the Max Balanced. There are many posts by SDS-XLR, B52, HeadAmp, RudiStor, etc. owners, but I've never come across a Max Balanced owner.

 

[Kees]

I have never seen their higher end models compared to any other amps I know, so I don't have a picture of how good they perform.
They are really expensive.

 

[greggf]

Elephas,

Your "cutesy" comment is, I think, dead-on accurate. My wife and I had Headroom's $700 Millett tube hybrid deal here briefly. Didn't care for the sound at all, but even worse, the "organic" and "cute" chassis wobbled and was offensively cheap-looking, what with those little automobile radio tubes. My wife disliked it even more than I did. What are they thinking?

The big tube honkers - Mikhail's, Jack Wu's - make a statement. The expensive solid staters - Lehmann's, Naim's, the GS Solo - are gorgeous, sleek, minimal or Bauhausian Euro designs. Sexy.

 

[Asr]

I think you guys are looking too hard at the trees and not enough at the forest.

The way I see it, HeadRoom's amps exist the way they do to meet their consumer demand - which, as far as I can tell, consists more of "normal" people than hardcore audiophiles. All of us here know that Tyll was influential in starting the "headphone hi-fi" scene, so wouldn't it be safe to assume that HeadRoom's actively trying to continually break new ground in attracting new people to the hobby? HeadRoom is probably the only vendor of amps right now that sells amps and tries to make them more easily affordable for more people.

And if you were running a company that was trying to push increasing attention to what's possible with headphones and amps, how much demand do you think you would get? As vendors like Ray, Mikhail, and Justin show, you can't just crank out amps quickly if you want them to look and sound good for audiophiles - you have to compromise somewhere in order to ramp up rate of production, and it's pretty obvious where HeadRoom does this.

 

[Thelonious Monk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Asr /img/forum/go_quote.gif I think you guys are looking too hard at the trees and not enough at the forest. The way I see it, HeadRoom's amps exist the way they do to meet their consumer demand - which, as far as I can tell, consists more of "normal" people than hardcore audiophiles. All of us here know that Tyll was influential in starting the "headphone hi-fi" scene, so wouldn't it be safe to assume that HeadRoom's actively trying to continually break new ground in attracting new people to the hobby? HeadRoom is probably the only vendor of amps right now that sells amps and tries to make them more easily affordable for more people. And if you were running a company that was trying to push increasing attention to what's possible with headphones and amps, how much demand do you think you would get? As vendors like Ray, Mikhail, and Justin show, you can't just crank out amps quickly if you want them to look and sound good for audiophiles - you have to compromise somewhere in order to ramp up rate of production, and it's pretty obvious where HeadRoom does this.

you hit the nail on the head, i guess i just should have said that instead of saying they weren't as good as "hardcore audiophile" products. when you search hi-fi blogs and magazines, there's definitely a lot of headphone coverage.

for example: http://www.sonicflare.com/archives/headphone-amps.php

right there you've got more HeadRoom amp exposure than you'll see on Head-Fi in a month, and more balanced max exposure than has even been posted here, probably.

you're sort of wasting your time with anything above the Desktop Balanced. after that it goes from awesome value to "i could get something way better for less"... if Tyll reads this, i don't mean to offend. it's just a big chunk of change.

one bad thing about extensive HeadRoom coverage is that's what speaker audiophiles would see if they wanted to get into headphones- cutesy, organic. nothing serious. if i came from the speaker world i'd dismiss headphones if all i saw was HeadRoom amps, claiming to be top-of-the-line.

 

[n_maher]

The one thing that I consistently see ignored/overlooked when looking at the Headroom line is best shown in the following quote (not trying to pick on the poster, just illustrate a point):

Quote:

However, the problem i found was in the high end. simply put, the maxed out deskop was something like 2100, while the zana deux was 1600, but SQ out of the Eddie current was much more impressive than what i was hearing out of the maxed desktop or the single ended max.

What the poster fails to mention is that he wouldn't be able to do much with the Zana without a separate source, whereas with the Desktop he's describing he could plug in a USB, optical or coax digital source. So it's not exactly an apples to apples comparison. With the introduction of the new high-current brick power supply you can also knock $400 off the price of that maxed out desktop.

And like others have said I'm not sure that Headroom is aiming at the same target as say Ray Samuels.

My 2¢,

Nate

 

[dw6928]

my experience with Headroom was: my Microamp has been long replaced by a SS Heed which is far superior. The Microdac however has worked fabulously for me for a long time. It is the sweetspot of their Micro line and is a terrific bang for the buck.

 

[granodemostasa]

Quote:

Originally Posted by n_maher /img/forum/go_quote.gif The one thing that I consistently see ignored/overlooked when looking at the Headroom line is best shown in the following quote (not trying to pick on the poster, just illustrate a point): What the poster fails to mention is that he wouldn't be able to do much with the Zana without a separate source, whereas with the Desktop he's describing he could plug in a USB, optical or coax digital source. So it's not exactly an apples to apples comparison. With the introduction of the new high-current brick power supply you can also knock $400 off the price of that maxed out desktop. And like others have said I'm not sure that Headroom is aiming at the same target as say Ray Samuels. My 2¢, Nate

I think i get what you are saying, and if i was looking specifically to start a rig, i might look to headroom first. I'm trying to get across my experience as a consumer at the point where i wanted to buy an amp last summer. Without the max dac, the maxed desktop was still 50 dollars more expensive than the Zana Deux, and the unbalenced max is still twice the cost of the zana duex. For me the extra bells and whistles are like saying "oh, but the sennheiser has better construction and is more comfortable." I didn't care, if i only wanted an amp for SQ the maxxed desktop didn't win me over.
(And i was speaking purely for that i heard that day, not of products or improvements that came later.)

headroom products are for those looking to get into the hobby and maybe have an easy fix. because i absolutely love switching components and testing new stuff, the whole "one box" solution seems like a cage to my headphone experience. while i agree that headroom amps, with their versitility and dacs, can be seen as great-rigs-for-the-money, I have not been convinced that their high-end headphone amps (as amps alone) are something i want to own and pay for.

on another note, the sheer costs of the home and max lines (without dac) puts them into the high-end audiophile amp market, and i don't think those lines should be afforded excuses about the market or targets. (And, yes, the desktop line is probably the sweet spot where things get pretty good for them.)

 

[vberch]

Bravo!


Quote:

Originally Posted by greggf /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hardcore head-fiers seem to prefer tubes, I'm afraid. Even if there's no practical reason for it, hobbyists in any hobby tend to like to take the romantic or difficult path. Pen fanatics prefer fountain pens that leak and fade and smear. Tomato fanatics prefer to grow plants from seed rather than buying ready-grown seedlings from Walmart, and they prefer growing difficult heirloom varieties rather than sturdy hybrids. Audio ocd-ers like vinyl that they have to clean and get up and change rather than CDs, and they prefer tubes that they can "roll" and tubes that hiss and spit and overheat the room and need biasing. I think that if the point is the music rather than the simple killing-of-time-between-birth-and-death, then ss is just as good. Therefore the Headroom stuff is fine, and great, but it will sell to people who want first class music reproduction in the home, not to people who want first class music reproduction in the home PLUS something to admire PLUS something to fiddle with PLUS something that makes them feel a little bit special in what is otherwise a way too brief lifetime.

 

[twsmith]

I have the Maxed-out HR Desktop, which I bought primarily on the basis of HeadRoom's package offering this amp in combination with the K701s for the price of the amp only. Admittedly I was somewhat influenced by the reviews of this product in the press, but I nonetheless concede that I was taking a bit of a chance since I had very little experience with headphone equipment previously. One attractive thing about this package was the option of getting a built-in DAC which essentially obviated for me the need to purchase a high-end CD player. Having had this amp now for about 6 months, I do not regret buying it, and do feel that it was an excellent value for me. I haven't been bothered at all by design quirks such as having some controls on the the rear, etc. Whether or not I might have got the Balanced Desktop had it been available then is uncertain - I'm quite satisfied with all aspects of the sound of the Maxed-out Desktop and K701s as is. I do think either the Balanced DT or Maxed-out DT probably represent the best values in the so-called "high-end" HeadRoom line (as compared to their Home or Max lines, for example). HeadRoom is often the first place where persons like myself with little experience in headphone listening first look and I do think you can get extremely good products from them. Of course, they won't appeal to everyone and certainly many committed headphone hobbyists will want to look elsewhere as well and may find amps at cheaper prices that are as good as or perhaps better in some aspects of performance than HR amps. However it would be serious mistake to assume that HR amps only appeal to headphone newbies or persons with less than audiophile ears.

 

[ken36]

That old pendulum always swings back the other way. SS will rule again.

 

[Davesrose]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ken36 /img/forum/go_quote.gif That old pendulum always swings back the other way. SS will rule again.

The day has already come

:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sleestack /img/forum/go_quote.gif Not quite ready yet, but here are 2 preview shots of Mikhail's latest creation for me, the Singlepower SS1 solid state amplifier. The amp essentially has 2 different amps in one chassis. One is a reference amp with no adjustable parameters, and the other is the "fun" section with several adjustable parameters. The pictures show the amp in a protective film, so the gloss of the anodized and polished chassis doesn't really come across. Final amp will have some minor aesthetic differences (e.g carbon fiber feet rather than gold). Final should be done some time next week.

 

[elrod-tom]

I sometimes think that HeadRoom gets a bit of a bad rap around here. I mean, over the years I've heard a LOT of folks take a poke at them as being too costly, not enough bang for the buck, and so on. What I often found out later, as I observed many of these folks posts, is that many had never even HEARD the amps, and were simply parroting what they had heard someone else say. Or, maybe they heard the amp for a moment at a meet, and made a conclusion based on what are frankly not the best conditions.

I've also heard a lot of folks say that they don't represent a good value versus <<enter favorite DIY amp here>>. Well, strictly in dollar terms, that's true I suppose...they don't have employees, R&D, insurance, facilities, and other costs to consider. Then one day, you need to get the amp fixed. We have a lot of good DIY folks out there, but more than a few have elected to leave the business...and one or two have simply vanished, literally leaving their customers holding the bag.

I also think that HeadRoom gets a fair amount of abuse by folks who wish to do little more than rail against the man. All this for essentially inventing the hobby and market. Oh well....

The market for headphone amps has changed a whole lot over the last 10 years or so. Back then, you had HeadRoom, and that was pretty much it. There were a few folks who were dabbling in the business, like the folks at Audio Alchemy (the HPA-1 is still pretty good by today's standards...and whose crossfeed circuit did they license??

). Today, there are a lot of folks who have decided that a living can be made in headphone audio. Lots of those folks got their start here, manufacturing amps one or two at a time. They are still small operations (in terms of employees) that make a product that serves what amounts to a niche. Lots of other manufacturers have slowly found their way around to adding headphone amps to their existing line of audio products.

Through all of that, HeadRoom is still the unquestioned leader in the headphone amp market. I say that as my opinion, but it can also be argued as fact when one considers their position in the market.

I bit of disclosure here: I've had a lot of different amps over the years. I own at last count no fewer than 7 headphone amps, from various manufacturers, and I've owned enough over the years that I've stopped keeping track. I own or have owned no fewer than 10 HeadRoom amps, including an old school Max, various incarnations of Total AirHead/BitHead, and was one of only 25 folks to purchase the Coda/Overture amp/DAC. I like the HeadRoom house sound, which has typically been warmer with a rich midrange. I also make use of crossfeed when I'm listening for extended periods (at work, for example). I've also always appreciated both their position in the industry, and what they've done for the hobby. I've always know that if something goes wrong, they have my back...and I'm frankly willing to pay a little more for that.

BTW - Don't misunderstand my last point to mean that I don't think that many of our manufacturers here don't look out for their customers. I know many of them personally, and have some of their products too. I'm quite certain that if something ever went wrong that I could get it resolved. I am just pointing out something that needs to be considered when one makes (especially a) substantial investment in a headphone amp.

With regard to the HeadRoom amps of today:

I think that the Micro series is an outstanding value, and ground-breaking to boot. A lot of the excitement around these parts lately concerns DAC's, particularly those that can take a USB feed. For $600 you get a pretty decent DAC and an amp that is as good IMHO as most of what's out there at its price point. Not bad...

I like their up-market amps...but I seriously doubt I'll ever own one. Just too much coin for a guy with two kids and a big mortgage IMHO. I do think that, so long as we're looking at that price point, they would be better served by using a different enclosure. I like the HeadRoom look on the smaller amps, but on the bigger ones I'm finding that I want something closer to the old school look. I also think that, fairly or not, a lot of folks who hang around here feel like real high-end headphone amps are going to be tubed.

Their portable amps (for someone like me who listens for long sessions) are IMHO a great buy. The Total BitHead, when one considers what it does, is an ideal amp for someone who travels or listens to music at work. I use mine a lot, and have no qualms about recommending it.

Finally, the next amp that I own will be a Desktop Balanced with Home Module and DAC. That's close to $2K, by the time I add PS and stepped attenuator...and IMHO it's an incredible bargain when one considers all that comes with and how versatile it is. It would not surprise me to learn that they've sold a butt-load of those amps. I'm not sure how long it will be before I get one...hopefully sooner than later. It's part of a promised reward by Mrs. Elrod if I, uh, slim down a bit. Wish me luck!!

In closing, I see a lot of folks around these parts championing their favored amp from their favored manufacturer. I don't see so much of that going on with HeadRoom, to some degree because IMHO they are the old stand-by. I know an awful lot of folks who have owned HeadRoom MAX's over the years that still maintain that it's the best amp they've owned. I think most of the excitement (at least here) generated over HeadRoom products have been those recently introduced that have a high value for their price point. Lots of folks seemed to be very happy with their Micro Amp/DAC combo, or their 2006 Total BitHead...and the Balanced Desktop is looking like a winner to me too. I think that their higher end products are very worthy of praise, but are not generating the excitement that some of their other products do, largely because there are fewer placements.

So that's my $0.02 worth...

 

[Vicomte]

Quote:

Originally Posted by greggf /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hardcore head-fiers seem to prefer tubes, I'm afraid. Even if there's no practical reason for it, hobbyists in any hobby tend to like to take the romantic or difficult path. Pen fanatics prefer fountain pens that leak and fade and smear. Tomato fanatics prefer to grow plants from seed rather than buying ready-grown seedlings from Walmart, and they prefer growing difficult heirloom varieties rather than sturdy hybrids. Audio ocd-ers like vinyl that they have to clean and get up and change rather than CDs, and they prefer tubes that they can "roll" and tubes that hiss and spit and overheat the room and need biasing. I think that if the point is the music rather than the simple killing-of-time-between-birth-and-death, then ss is just as good. Therefore the Headroom stuff is fine, and great, but it will sell to people who want first class music reproduction in the home, not to people who want first class music reproduction in the home PLUS something to admire PLUS something to fiddle with PLUS something that makes them feel a little bit special in what is otherwise a way too brief lifetime.

Tru dat.

I'll take the romantic path over the practical path any day.

Just for the record, I've seen many people with stained hands from a ball-point that has 'exploded', while my fountain pen hasn't leaked one bit.

Having only owned an Airhead, I can say that it seems that HR amps seem to be made to appeal to everyone, and as such are loaded with features and whatnot. HR amps don't have that cold, hard, 'audiophile' theme, it's more of a warm, friendly, 'Howdy'.

 

[Mrvile]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vicomte /img/forum/go_quote.gif HR amps don't have that cold, hard, 'audiophile' theme, it's more of a warm, friendly, 'Howdy'.

Who said audiophiles wanted cold, hard sound? greggf just stated that most audiophiles use tube amps over solid state amps, which offer a completely opposite sound.