We wanted the feature set of The Headphone Amp to be sleek and easy to use. No more fiddling with complicated routing and monitor controls. Just plug in, dial up, and get to work.

Input Selector

The input selector is a 3 position toggle switch, which lets users choose between 2 balanced (BAL 1 & BAL 2) and 1 unbalanced (UNBAL) inputs, all connected on the rear panel. Balanced signals can be connected via 2 pairs of combo jacks, which accept either XLR or 1/4" TRS connectors. A built in circuit converts unbalanced signal to balanced, which can be connected to using the RCA jacks. This is great for monitoring from the headphone output on a computer or other consumer device.

Image Control

A 3 position toggle switch provides selection of the output signal type you'd like to monitor. These of course include the standard Mono and Stereo modes, but you'll also find an additional unique mode called "X-Feed".

The mono selection has been strategically placed between the Stereo and X-Feed options, so that while working in either mode you can easily check your mix in Mono, without having to "skip through" an irrelevant output mode, thereby avoiding having your perspective warped for a brief moment. 

What is "X-Feed"?

"X-Feed" is a unique mode designed to make headphone monitoring feel more like working on studio monitors, helping you get mixes that translate beyond the headphone environment.  

When you listen through headphones, each of your ears only hears the audio from its corresponding Left/ Right channel of source material. All of the information necessary for "directional listening" is stripped away; sounds do not bounce off your head tissues and the listening environment. However, when working on speakers, each of your ears hears a bit of both channels simultaneously, as the audio is not only sent directly towards you through the air but also reflected around the room via the acoustics of the space and reflected off the tissues of your head. 

X-Feed aims to bridge the gap between the two formats by using a crossfeed filter. The filter applies small amounts of attenuation and delay to the stereo elements of a signal and leaves the mono untouched, thereby 'pushing back' the stereo parts. The result more closely resembles what it's like to work on 2 speakers in front of you, rather than the extreme and artificial stereo effect generated with headphones. By switching between the 3 filter settings (Max, Med, Min),  you can decide how far to push back the stereo elements, controlling how wide the mix feels. It's recommended that you start using X-Feed mode by listening to your favorite music and toggling between the 3 amounts, listening for which one places the least strain on you and feels the most natural. Mixing with headphones in X-Feed can actually be less fatiguing than stereo, allowing you to mix for longer and with greater accuracy.  

Using X-Feed has a material effect on how you mix stereo elements of songs, like hard panned guitars, reverbs, and other effects. How many times have you dialed in a vocal effect on headphones, only to discover that when listening on speakers, your balance is totally different than you imagined? With X-Feed mode in headphones, you get a preview of how your mix might translate to speakers. 

Gain switch

A 2 position toggle switch is provided to control the amount of gain applied to the input signal. "1x" applies 0 gain, while "4x" yields a signal level of 4x the input level. This is a particularly useful control when using headphones that require a higher power level to drive. Headphones with a low impedance need more current from an amplifier to achieve the same output level as higher impedance headphones. By increasing the gain applied, you get more "fidelity" on your volume knob, where each position gives finer control of level.

Volume control

The volume control is a 24 position sealed switch,  providing better stereo linking between channels than a potentiometer. The use of a switch also eliminates the possibility of scratchy sounds while altering your monitor level. 

The Headphone Amp uses our bespoke, in-house power supply design to power the its circuits. The toroidal power transformer is custom-made to meet our specifications and voltage regulators ensure smooth, reliable, and filtered power is delivered to all of the circuit's active components. 

We use linear power supplies in all our designs to generate a stable and low-noise DC supply voltage. Common, more budget-friendly switching power supplies may introduce high-frequency noise into the power supply, which can be difficult to eliminate or design around. Our linear power supply use a custom toroidal transformer for high efficiency and a minimal magnetic stray field that would otherwise introduce hum into the audio path. Fast-recovery rectifiers are bypassed with snubber capacitors to minimize diode switching noise. Generously sized buffer and smoothing caps remove hum and provide additional current for transient signals if needed, followed by integrated voltage regulators that maintain the supply voltage for the audio circuit at the required levels.