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Ho ho ho! And Melly Kalikimaka! (That’s Merry Christmas in Hawaiian.)
I’m heading down to the Florida meet in a few days and will be showing prototypes of our newest product (so new that it's not even out yet). I thought I better start a thread in which you can ask questions if you’d like, about our new Desktop Balanced headphone amp.
First, some luscious pix of the prototype:
The Desktop Balanced Headphone Amp will be available with Desktop or Home modules---remember it’s balanced so that’s two pairs of module boards. Max modules are too big, and put out too much heat, to be used in the Desktop enclosure. It will also be available with both Desktop and Home Balanced Digital to Analog Converter card options. The amp has two combo jacks on the front, so you can plug in one balanced headphone, or two unbalanced cans. It has a Crossfeed and gain switch on the front in addition to the volume control----which is an Alps pot that can be upgraded to our balanced stepped attenuator.
The rear panel has one pair of balanced inputs and one pair of unbalanced inputs. Yes, you heard right: unbalanced inputs. We are using a balanced line driver chip internally to create a balanced signal from an the single-ended ins---it’s not as good as using a balanced source, but it’s amazingly close and oh so much fun to hear an iPod on balanced cans. Besides, we couldn’t fit a second set of balanced ins; and the ability to use an unbalanced analog source seemed handy dandy.
The amp comes stock with a new high-current switching power supply---so you don’t HAVE to buy the Desktop Power Supply to drive the thing (though it will sound better if you do). (P.S. Those of you wanting a better supply for your current HeadRoom gear who don’t want to drop the big bucks on the desktop may be interested in these supplies for your current gear. They won’t be available for sale separately for a little while---as we get our supply chain up to speed---but they are better than the standard low-cost supply we ship with gear. Price as yet unknown.)
Preliminary pricing for the amp will be $899 with Desktop Modules. $199 Home modules upgrade. $299 Desktop Balanced DAC, $399 Home Balanced DAC. $199 balanced stepped attenuator upgrade.
PLEASE, ask any questions here and DO NOT CALL in for info as the sales folks are buried in Christmas, and really don’t know much about the amp yet. Well…they’ve taken home for listening sessions, but so have I. Which brings us to: HOW DOES IT SOUND, DANGIT!
Well, with the Desktop Power Supply and Home modules, pretty much like a balanced Home…which means pretty darn good. It always amazes me how good balanced amplification sounds: clear, tight, articulate, resolution with ease. Folks here are digging the heck out of the prototypes; we’ve had more positive comments about these amps by employees than almost any other amp. Why? Well, one thing is that it’s not so easy to drag a big Max or Home to your home or desk and give it a listen. I tend to think people are just not expecting this level of performance from such a small amp. They plug their computer or iPod into it and are pretty much floored by what they hear. So, it’s not that the Desktop Balanced is better than a Home or Max, it’s just that folks aren’t expecting it to be almost as good and it is.
Oddities of note: we might have been able to squeeze Max modules into the amp, but the heat load would have gone over the line. The Desktop Balanced with Home modules gets plenty warm as it is. Mind you, not so hot as to be damaging (really, the chips like to run warm to sound their best), but we don’t recommend leaving the amp on 24/7 as over 5-10 years of continuous operation you might audibly degrade the electrolytic caps.
Other oddity: don’t bother mentioning the fact that some of the lettering is askew, or that a hole in the front panel looks funny---we’re still figiting.
Oh yeah, when can you get one? Probably in early February.
Feel free to ask questions!
I’m heading down to the Florida meet in a few days and will be showing prototypes of our newest product (so new that it's not even out yet). I thought I better start a thread in which you can ask questions if you’d like, about our new Desktop Balanced headphone amp.
First, some luscious pix of the prototype:
The Desktop Balanced Headphone Amp will be available with Desktop or Home modules---remember it’s balanced so that’s two pairs of module boards. Max modules are too big, and put out too much heat, to be used in the Desktop enclosure. It will also be available with both Desktop and Home Balanced Digital to Analog Converter card options. The amp has two combo jacks on the front, so you can plug in one balanced headphone, or two unbalanced cans. It has a Crossfeed and gain switch on the front in addition to the volume control----which is an Alps pot that can be upgraded to our balanced stepped attenuator.
The rear panel has one pair of balanced inputs and one pair of unbalanced inputs. Yes, you heard right: unbalanced inputs. We are using a balanced line driver chip internally to create a balanced signal from an the single-ended ins---it’s not as good as using a balanced source, but it’s amazingly close and oh so much fun to hear an iPod on balanced cans. Besides, we couldn’t fit a second set of balanced ins; and the ability to use an unbalanced analog source seemed handy dandy.
The amp comes stock with a new high-current switching power supply---so you don’t HAVE to buy the Desktop Power Supply to drive the thing (though it will sound better if you do). (P.S. Those of you wanting a better supply for your current HeadRoom gear who don’t want to drop the big bucks on the desktop may be interested in these supplies for your current gear. They won’t be available for sale separately for a little while---as we get our supply chain up to speed---but they are better than the standard low-cost supply we ship with gear. Price as yet unknown.)
Preliminary pricing for the amp will be $899 with Desktop Modules. $199 Home modules upgrade. $299 Desktop Balanced DAC, $399 Home Balanced DAC. $199 balanced stepped attenuator upgrade.
PLEASE, ask any questions here and DO NOT CALL in for info as the sales folks are buried in Christmas, and really don’t know much about the amp yet. Well…they’ve taken home for listening sessions, but so have I. Which brings us to: HOW DOES IT SOUND, DANGIT!
Well, with the Desktop Power Supply and Home modules, pretty much like a balanced Home…which means pretty darn good. It always amazes me how good balanced amplification sounds: clear, tight, articulate, resolution with ease. Folks here are digging the heck out of the prototypes; we’ve had more positive comments about these amps by employees than almost any other amp. Why? Well, one thing is that it’s not so easy to drag a big Max or Home to your home or desk and give it a listen. I tend to think people are just not expecting this level of performance from such a small amp. They plug their computer or iPod into it and are pretty much floored by what they hear. So, it’s not that the Desktop Balanced is better than a Home or Max, it’s just that folks aren’t expecting it to be almost as good and it is.
Oddities of note: we might have been able to squeeze Max modules into the amp, but the heat load would have gone over the line. The Desktop Balanced with Home modules gets plenty warm as it is. Mind you, not so hot as to be damaging (really, the chips like to run warm to sound their best), but we don’t recommend leaving the amp on 24/7 as over 5-10 years of continuous operation you might audibly degrade the electrolytic caps.
Other oddity: don’t bother mentioning the fact that some of the lettering is askew, or that a hole in the front panel looks funny---we’re still figiting.
Oh yeah, when can you get one? Probably in early February.
Feel free to ask questions!
