I expected the micro stack to have a lot more headroom than either bithead. The iphone plugs into the line input on the back of the total bithead and the headphones. The total bithead is a piece of history and still a strong amp dac worth your consideration, especially as newer amp dacs with fewer features, but more fotm buzz, creep up in price. Being in my 60s im pretty old school listening to jazz, rock and classical.
The total bithead is a portable headphone amplifier with a secret weapon. The folks at headroom tout themselves as headphone geeks at your service. Headrooms micro amp and micro dac together make very good. The dac is usb input only, and does not offer sample rate conversion or as high a quality dac. Im trying to work out if they can drive my 250ohm dt770s i know they likely wont be able too but it would still be nice to know what sort of power i have to play with. Buy headphones, amps with a premium service including free shipping and no tax. The step up from mp3aac to even 4410016 flacs is well worth it, and theres little point in pushing lossy files through a pricey dac amp. With relatively efficient and good headphones, say sennheiser hd380 pros, a usb dac, crossfeed circuitry, and selectable impedance feature, it can rock.
The chord mojo dac is a small and portable headphone amp. The computer volume should then be set to max to provide unattenuated output whose level will be regulated by the bithead s thumb wheel. No one will accuse headroom s new total bithead headphone amplifier of being stylish or of riding the ipod craze, though it does make an ideal companion for an ipod. There are better larger ones out there but if youre carrying an iphone 4, it doesnt really make sense to have a 23 lbs plugin mini dac on your body. Apogee one, centrance minim8, oppo ha2, vmoda vamp verza. At work using the total bithead and byerdynamic t5p mod by alo. Guys, i bought a xduoo xd05 dac amp and it drives my ultrasone sig pros and senn momentum 2s just fine, but not my senn 6xx that i got from massdrop, not at all. The low gain sounds better, but i cant get enough vol.
No one will accuse headrooms new total bithead headphone amplifier of being stylish or of riding the ipod craze, though it does make an ideal. The iphone plugs into the line input on the back of the total. Headroom is an online headphonegear retailer that also makes amplifiers and dacs for getting the most out of your headphones. Headphone, amp dac recommendations i am completely new to the audiophile world. This device will not do 24192 khz, but it is solid at 44. It plugs into your portable music device using a headphone jack or into your computer via usb to provide you with a superior audio experience. Usb input thats plugandplay with iosmacosothers, battery bank. I primarily auditioned the audeze isine 10 using the cipher cable plugged into an iphone 6s. Select the headroom product you are looking for or choose a different brand. Just plug the total bithead into the usb port of any computer, and digital audio is automatically routed out of your noisy computer and into the superior digitalto analog converter of the total bithead. May 06, 2010 the music is great, as others have stated.
Vmodas outrageously sweet portable dac and headphone amp cnet. However, ive not tried the red, and everyone ive talked to that has one feels it is a substantial improvement over the black. Akg k240 df k240 sextett k240 monitor velour pads on all k240s k701 memory foam annie pads k501 k401 q701 pads. I could detect no substantive difference between the bithead and the total bithead yeah, yeah, upgraded components, tighter tolerances, magic fairy dust, whatever so i was expecting a similarly underwhelming experience from the mini stack. Headroom total bitheada bithead is the perfect entrylevel headphone amplifier to use with your. I cant think of a single portable dsp headphone amp. I use a dragonfly red for the iphone and, while at home, sennheiser hd600 cans. Receivers best media streamers best iphone apps best coffee machines best cash back credit. When plugged into a computer it uses the usb port for power, otherwise it runs on three aaa batteries.
Headrooms micro amp and micro dac together make very good headphones sound even better, and do so in a small package thats perfect for use on your desktop as the heart of a computerbased. Im trying to find the specifications of the iphone x dac and amp. Its easy to plug your shure se846 earphones or fostex th900 headphones into your ipad, iphone or apple laptop to connect earphones and inearmonitors. The headroom total bithead is a portable headphone amplifier and. I used a headroom total bithead for years, but always wanted to get. Headroom total bithead, a budget combination of an amplifier and a dac. The amps tested here all work with both ios and android, with prices. With all of them, i miss the crossfeed from my old headroom total bithead. One of the greatest audiorelated inventions of the last 20 years has been the portable headphone amp. I always thought the cheaplooking plastic headroom total bithead. Several new headphone amps now sport builtin dacs that can communicate digitally with ios and android devices, bypassing the low quality dacs and amps that typically come with tablets and phones. Andrew commented on headphones in his thread on audio systems. Headroom is a unique company that has been dedicated to improving the headphone experience by providing hiend headphone solutions to audiophiles everywhere.
We delete comments that violate our policy, which we encourage you to read. Headroom total airhead headphone amp headphone amp. Digital trends summer of free swag continues with a headroom total bithead amp and denon ahd1001 headphones, on the house. Aug 22, 2009 for my testing, im using an iphone with the ipod application, a set of beyerdynamic dt880 headphones and the total bithead. Jan 17, 2009 after checking headfi i see that i probably dont have a good match between my headphone amp. I also used my battery powered headroom total bithead to power the ahd7000s. Ive been looking for a new portable headphone amp to replace the headroom total bithead ive had for over 15 years, and theres a lacuna in the headphone market that really surprises me. If a direct tie to the ipod was the idea, the bithead would be shiny, sleekly curvaceous, and white, with ipodlike electronic controls and an ipodlike name. The total airhead runs on 4 aaa batteries, includes headroom s brilliant crossfeed for excellent headphone imaging, and a gain switch to better match your headphones efficiency.
After checking headfi i see that i probably dont have a good match between my headphone amp. Headroom total bithead headphone amplifier measurements. Ive been trawling the internet and cant find anything anywhere. For those of you that already have a high quality dac or just dont feel youd need one, headroom makes an amplifier with the same specs as the total bithead. Dec 26, 2004 no one will accuse headroom s new total bithead headphone amplifier of being stylish or of riding the ipod craze, though it does make an ideal companion for an ipod. The headroom total bithead started out in 1998 as the airheada portable headphone amp designed to replace the crummy headphone jacks on portable cd players. Discussion in audio hardware started by puma cat, may 22, 2011. The headroom total bithead portable amplifier and dac is a great combination of both a usb audio codec and a headphone amplifier that will drive most high end cans on the market today. Lg v20 streaming tidal and playing flac chromecast audio and headroom micro amp for bedside.
For the money, it will play cd quality files at native resolution. Oct 16, 2010 unboxing headroom total bithead headphone amp. Just to add to this thread, there are also portable amps for the iphone if you need a separate dac. I dont regularly use it via its usb connection but when i do it does improve the quality of the output when compared to the pcs soundcard. Measurements i loaded the total bithead with four fresh aaa batteries and looked first at its performance via its analog input. The total bithead can be usbpowered or driven by 4 aaa batteries, includes headroom s brilliant crossfeed for excellent headphone imaging. Also purchased a headroom total bithead portable amp for work. The missing link between a good pair of headphones and your iphone or other portable player, the total airhead will take a. The dac and amp are good enough to justify a higher resolution. The headroom amplifier module is of a similar design and uses upgraded parts as compared to the standard module.
I sold it recently, because it never really worked with iphone x. With the separate amps, sources were either iphone or macbook. This digital to analog converter is smartphone, iphone, and android friendly for all your audio needs. Headroom total bithead headphone amplifier sign in to comment. Sony pha3 usb portable hires dac headphone amplifier. Headroom began life making one single product, the headroom standard headphone amp, which then morphed into a wide range of classic headroom designs ranging from our groundbreaking total bithead portable amp dac the worlds first digital usb headphone amp to the unconditionally highend audiophile max balanced amp the worlds first. Anyway, what do you use in terms of headphones, headphone amp, dac for your computerdevice. I wonder if that is because as with their bluray player business, oppo is. Ive got a headroom headphone total bithead mobile amp. Jan 04, 2009 as with earlier headroom amplifiers, the total bithead is a compact, batteryoperated device able to drive two pairs of cans, taking the line or headphone output and amplifying it to drive quality. Select oyaide 18 diameter stereo plug when connecting fostex or other fullsize. Headroom total bithead mobile headphone amp hands on years one of the greatest audiorelated inventions of the last 20 years has been the portable headphone amp. This htb has been a status icon in the headphone community for some.
I also evaluated them with their analog cable connected to a headroom desktop amp, headroom total bithead, or oppo ha2se. And whilst the new dac amp boxes would continue to have amplifiers that are less potent than the micro amp, i cant help but thinking that given the low price of todays dac amp boxes, it would probably makes more sense for someone to go for a one set up box that they can hook to their laptops and be done with. Headroom total bithead headphone amp dac headphone. The airhead portable headphone amp boosts the output and sound quality of the puny. This offset will not be high enough to damage headphones, but its presence led to a scraping noise when i rotated the bithead s volume control. This setup really does sound very noticeably better. Headroom s micro amp and micro dac together make very good headphones sound even better, and do so in a small package thats perfect for use. Apr 24, 2007 headroom total bithead mobile headphone amp hands on years one of the greatest audiorelated inventions of the last 20 years has been the portable headphone amp. May 03, 2018 lg v20 streaming tidal and playing flac chromecast audio and headroom micro amp for bedside. Feb 09, 2017 andrew commented on headphones in his thread on audio systems.
At this incredible price, what do you have to lose. Headroom total bithead mobile headphone amp hands on. There are lots of headphone amps, but only the vamp verza works with the digital output of an iphone or android device, and thats a. Page 10 the headroom bithead and total bithead amps are warrantied for two years. The headroom total bithead is a portable headphone amplifier and digital audio converter. Page 2 of 2 amps though typically power the headphone jack by an op amp and minimal electronics resulting in a wimpy headphone amp that may not sound so good. The amp has a gain switch which can be flicked to accommodate either less than 120 ohm or higher than 120 ohm impedance headphones. Headroom total bithead with sennheiser hd600 a good combo.
Denon ahd7000 headphones and headroom ultra desktop. Headroom total airhead headphone amp shop music direct. Based in boseman, montana, headroom offers a full range of headphone products that includes not only headphones, but the important electronics that drive them. With a computer it is being used as both a dac and a headphone amp in one unit. In windows, it automatically recognizes and configures the total bithead as the new default sound device.
As with earlier headroom amplifiers, the total bithead is a compact, batteryoperated device able to drive two pairs of cans, taking the line or headphone output and amplifying it. The proliferation of truly mobile audio devices postwalkmandiscman, starting with the ipod, has made musiconthego a new norm, something taken for granted. Total bithead s sound isnt close to the ultra, but costs are relative and was purchased for portability. This portable amp is also a headphone amp with a built in dac. None of the software based crossfeeds ive tried work as well. The arcam rpac offers pc and mac users an affordable upgrade to their onboard sound, complete with a dedicated headphone amplifier. Jun 26, 2011 just to add to this thread, there are also portable amps for the iphone if you need a separate dac. Jun 01, 20 vmodas outrageously sweet portable dac and headphone amp.
In 2000 the total airhead was introduced as an upgrade option, which included fancy, audiophilegrade capacitors and better op amps the chip inside that performs the amplifier function. Mac mini, audioengine d1 dac and musical paradise mp301 mkiii. Black home audio headphone amplifiers 2 for sale ebay. Headroom s trademark audio image processor is included but can be bypassed with a switch. Theres a reason the total bithead has been around for so longits a great piece of kit. I could detect no substantive difference between the bithead and the total bithead yeah, yeah, upgraded components, tighter tolerances, magic fairy dust, whatever so i. Will i find audio bliss in the headroom total bithead. Headroom total bithead headphone amplifier specs cnet. Akg k240 df k240 sextett k240 monitor velour pads on all k240s k701 memory foam annie pads k501 k401 q701 pads k550 brainwavz. Jan 07, 2007 primarily being driven by the headroom total bithead which has a da converter builtin and is essentially responsible for the conversion of the digital files.