HeadRoom Total AirHead

HeadRoom Total AirHead

Put a Total AirHead portable headphone amp between your portable player and quality headphones, and presto chango, the space between your ears becomes your own personal listening room. How does it do it? Behind most headphone jacks is a cheap op-amp. The Total AirHead is a true miniature power amplifier for headphones. It isolates your player from the complex load of the headphones (which make the player even sound better), and it drives them with the authority and finesse of quality power amplification. The result? Exquisite audio right between your ears.

The HeadRoom Crossfeed
In the process, so to speak, we also include a special circuit you can switch on/off called "crossfeed" that makes headphones more natural sounding by improving soundstage imaging on headphones. The crossfeed makes the audio image on headphones more natural sounding; not taking it out of the head but rather making a more coherent sound in your head. Between the crossfeed and a great power amp circuit you end up with eye-blinkingly tight bass and drums; snappy cymbals, well-located in space without harshness; and a liquid-smooth yet neutral & detailed midrange.

Controls & Switches
Controlling your Total AirHead as it controls your headphones is a piece of cake. Two parallel headphone jacks in the corners let you and a friend plug in. (Headphones with similar impedances/efficiencies will generally play at about the same volume). The switch on the left is the on-off switch, then the power-on LED, volume control, clipping/battery low indicator, and crossfeed switch.

Gain Switch
Inside the oval hole of the battery door catch you can see a two position switch that allows you to select between amplifier low and high gain settings. Use of the switch is simple: Use the low gain setting (the position where the volume is lower) unless it won't get loud enough for you. The main reason for this switch is that it allow use to match amplifier performance better with the headphone efficiency and impedance. Speaking of amplifier performance, as the word "œTotal" in its name implies this unit uses a very high grade of electronic componentry---far higher parts quality than normal consumer equipment.

Powering the AirHead
To the left rear of the Total AirHead is its power plug; it's take anything from 5 to 12 VDC center pin positive, both regulated and unregulated supplies are optionally available. Plugging in the Total AirHead disconnects the internal batteries. (Batteries which will not charge in the amp.) At the right rear is its audio line input. It takes a standard 1/8th inch stereo mini-plug. We include a nifty one foot long mini-to-mini cable so you can connect your portable player to the Total AirHead.

Its luscious molded rubber door might seem an extravagance until you remember you will never have to worry about losing or breaking it. (Dontcha' hate those cheap plastic doors?) Simply lift the cover from the rear and it releases from its soft nubby detent to reveal the four AAA batteries.

Attaching the AirHead
Along with the mini-mini cable, we also enclose an assortment of Velcro hook "dots", called Vel-Coins, that you can stick on the Total AirHead's feet and the back of an iPod or other Mp3 player and easily mate them back-to-back. Then you can use the aforementioned rubber door as a sexy non-slip foot for your desk-top portable player system.

DIMENSIONS:

The Total AirHead measures approximately 3" wide X 4.5" long X .75" thick and weighs about 7.5 ounces with four AAA batteries inside.