[Brian Kinney]

A question, would I be better off purchasing a Total Bithead unit if I was going to listen about 50% out of my MacBook and 50% Ipod, with those four sets of phones (Ety 4p, UE 10(soon), HD 595, Grado RS 1(soon) and possibly K701(eventually) or would I be better off connecting an SR 71 to my Macbook and the phones, aswell as an ipod and the phones? Keep in mind the SR 71 is about $200 more than the Total Bithead.
Thanks for the help.

 

[elrod-tom]

I've not yet heard the newest Total BitHead, so my answer is based on my own ownership of the 2004 model.

If you're going to do a lot of listening from your laptop, I'd recommend the Total BitHead. The SR-71 is a VERY nice amp, but the DAC in the Total BitHead makes the decision very easy for someone who listens via laptop computer as much as you do. It's also a very nice portable companion for the iPod.

The SR-71 will do more with better sources, and will act as a pretty good home amp in a pinch. You could just splurge and get both.

 

[JMCIII]

I agree with the above. For your needs the Total Bithead is THE amp for you. The improvements Headroom made in the new 2006 model are stunning. It drives my Shure E3c, Sennheiser HD280Pro, AKG K601 headphones with no problem. The gain switch is a BIG deal. I use the high setting for my K601's and the low setting for all my other cans. Go for it.

 

[Filburt]

Price/performance ratio favours the Bithead pretty heavily, I think.

 

[steaxauce]

I disagree with the above posts. I haven't owned the total bithead, but I have owned a penguin amplifier (not a cmoy), which is said to compare favorably with headroom's portable offerings. I used it with an ipod via the line out, driving the Shure E4 and the AKG K701, and didn't think it was any better than straight out of the ipod. There were some slight differences, but I wouldn't call it better. I returned it and bought an SR-71. After that experience, I don't think amps in this price range are worth getting. Just what I think. My experience is limited and there are people who would disagree with me.

I used the SR-71 with the E4 and the SA5000 I traded my K701 for, and it did make quite a difference, and a very tangible difference with some music. In the bass lines at the beginning of Miles Davis' A Night in Tunisia, for instance, I can tell you exactly what details I could hear with the SR-71 that I can't hear without it.

I think you would be better off with the SR-71. If your Macbook doesn't have a decent soundcard, buy a $50 usb soundcard. It will be comparable to the DAC in the total bithead, and the two will make a much better setup. I don't know if macbooks have a slot for this type of soundcard, but I'm currently using a Creative Audigy 2 ZS Notebook soundcard, which runs about $100, and one look at the specs will tell you that it's much better than what's in the total bithead. It doesn't take up any extra space, it's very convenient, and it sounds good for the money. I can tell you from personal experience that it's a MUCH better source than the iPod.

 

[Brian Kinney]

Quote:

Originally Posted by elrod-tom I've not yet heard the newest Total BitHead, so my answer is based on my own ownership of the 2004 model. If you're going to do a lot of listening from your laptop, I'd recommend the Total BitHead. The SR-71 is a VERY nice amp, but the DAC in the Total BitHead makes the decision very easy for someone who listens via laptop computer as much as you do. It's also a very nice portable companion for the iPod. The SR-71 will do more with better sources, and will act as a pretty good home amp in a pinch. You could just splurge and get both.

So the SR 71 is most noticable with better sources, not as good with an ipod or a notebook? Hmm, decisions decisions.

 

[warpdriver]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Filburt Price/performance ratio favours the Bithead pretty heavily, I think.

Agree. It's fabulous for the price.

 

[Mercuttio]

I like the sound of the new Total Bithead better, and I think it'd make more sense since your laptop would need a decent DAC anyway to sound nice.

 

[Filburt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by steaxauce I disagree with the above posts. I haven't owned the total bithead, but I have owned a penguin amplifier (not a cmoy), which is said to compare favorably with headroom's portable offerings. I used it with an ipod via the line out, driving the Shure E4 and the AKG K701, and didn't think it was any better than straight out of the ipod. There were some slight differences, but I wouldn't call it better. I returned it and bought an SR-71. After that experience, I don't think amps in this price range are worth getting. Just what I think. My experience is limited and there are people who would disagree with me. I used the SR-71 with the E4 and the SA5000 I traded my K701 for, and it did make quite a difference, and a very tangible difference with some music. In the bass lines at the beginning of Miles Davis' A Night in Tunisia, for instance, I can tell you exactly what details I could hear with the SR-71 that I can't hear without it. I think you would be better off with the SR-71. If your Macbook doesn't have a decent soundcard, buy a $50 usb soundcard. It will be comparable to the DAC in the total bithead, and the two will make a much better setup. I don't know if macbooks have a slot for this type of soundcard, but I'm currently using a Creative Audigy 2 ZS Notebook soundcard, which runs about $100, and one look at the specs will tell you that it's much better than what's in the total bithead. It doesn't take up any extra space, it's very convenient, and it sounds good for the money. I can tell you from personal experience that it's a MUCH better source than the iPod.

Not trying to be offensive, but I think you're stretching a bit far with the extrapolation here. None of headroom's amps, that I'm aware of at least, use the LM6171 (what the PengAmp) uses, nor do they share the same design. The AD8397 on the Bithead has a pretty significantly different sonic signature, and it may be one that some prefer to either the PengAmp or the SR-71 *shrug* (just as some prefer the Hornet to the SR-71?). The other amps use other chipsets along with discrete output stages. I don't know what "favorably" is supposed to mean, but it probably doesn't mean "sounds identical", so that greatly weakens the empirical strength of extrapolation as it's then sort of up in the air with respect to what's actually better. I also haven't seen people claiming the PengAmp was as good or better than Headroom's portables, though, so it's hard for me to evaluate that I suppose. I also find I'd rate my LM6172 PINT better than a lot of portable amps I've tried, so I don't know if that's a knock against the PengAmp or not, but it does illustrate the difficulty involved in evaluating this.

Also, one of the big reasons the Bithead has been supported, as far as I can tell, is that it will perform the needed functions for both the iPod and laptop itself in a nice all-in-one solution. What you're suggesting he do will cost $300+ dollars more, which seems sort of strange to suggest when he's already concerned about an additional 200, let alone 300. Specs alone aren't going to tell us everything we need to know about the sound. I've been using a JRC 2100D op-amp in my test box over the weekend, and it has pretty lousy specs (although maybe not too bad for a 30 cent part), but it sure sounded good enough (at least in that circuit) that I used it over the weekend ;D. Interpreting specs and datasheets in a manner that will actually predict the sort of sound to expect is a difficult task, and involves a lot more than simply looking for the highest or lowest numbers.

 

[Andrea]

The PengAmp I have too.

It's nothing outstanding, admittedly. I'm sure the Total Airhead & Bithead 2006 are better (I'd personally go with the Airhead). The Little Dot Micro+ betters the PengAmp by quite a bit.

 

[J-Pak]

I found the soundstage with the SR-71 using MS-2i and HD650 to be compressed compared to my M3.

 

[n_maher]

Quote:

Originally Posted by steaxauce I disagree with the above posts. I haven't owned the total bithead, but I have owned a penguin amplifier (not a cmoy), which is said to compare favorably with headroom's portable offerings.

A year ago this might have been true, today I say it's well beyond a stretch. I challenge you to drop a penguin (any mint tin amp) from a height of more than 12" and let me know what happens. There is no substitute for a well designed enclosure when it comes to portable amps as they take ABUSE. The SR71 and TBH will stand up to some serious abuse. The penguin is housed in a case meant to be tossed after a week or so of eating mints.

Also, you're giving no value to the other features that Headroom includes like crossfeed, gain switch, USB input and two outputs. All of those things can come in really handy.

My 2¢,

Nate

 

[tyrion]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brian Kinney So the SR 71 is most noticable with better sources, not as good with an ipod or a notebook? Hmm, decisions decisions.

I think what Tom meant was that the bithead has a built in dac that you can use with the usb port on a notebook. The SR-71 is an amp and does not have a built in dac.

 

[elrod-tom]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tyrion I think what Tom meant was that the bithead has a built in dac that you can use with the usb port on a notebook. The SR-71 is an amp and does not have a built in dac.

What he said...

To add a bit more: I think that the Total BitHead is an excellent value, and a good amp/DAC combo that is fine for most portable needs. It also works particularly well with a laptop, bypassing the typically crappy internal soundcard with a well-implemented DAC. I gather that the 2006 TBH is a significant improvement on the 2004 model...so much that I'm considering an upgrade myself.

I'm a fan of RSA products, and I have an XP-7 (which is said to be similar in sound signature to the SR-71)...and have heard the SR-71 many times. I like it a lot, and frankly I think that (for these ears) the SR-71 (based on what I've heard out of a 2004 Total BitHead) is a much better amp. That said, it's almost too good IMHO for most portable sources...too much is left on the table sonically with a weak source, as the SR-71 is capable of much more. Others will disagree, and that's perfectly fine...it's just my opinion.

I feel like you'd be hard pressed to go wrong with either.

 

[Brian Kinney]

Well due to the overwhelming response here I'm going to try the Total Bithead to start with, thanks alot for the help.

Now to find out if Headroom ships to Canada.