HeadRoom Desktop Millett Hybrid Amp

What if you could carry a vacation to a tropical paradise around in your coat pocket?...And not on some cheesy giant boat jam-packed with thousands of sweaty discount vacationers suffering through vulcanized chicken buffets... but on a warm, palm-shaded beach with languid breezes, tall cool drinks, a good book and nothing but sweet time.... Aaah, that's exactly what our Micro Amp is like: Clean, clear, crisp and a perfect Get ready for the lush life! If you’ve never owned a vacuum tube amp before, you’re in for a real treat. In brief, tubes have a lot more second harmonic distortion than solid-state transistors, and fewer high-order distortion products... What that actually sounds like inside your head is a superbly warm, luscious wash of tonal color in the music. The great advantage of an amp with this kind of coloration is that it makes ragged and low-fidelity recordings sound much better. This is a superb headphone amp choice for your older rock and jazz recordings, as well as for a lot of the more modern dance, hip-hop and remix tracks that sometimes have a tendency towards a harsh, sharp-edged sound in the treble ranges.

Our long-time friendly relationship with Mr.Pete Millett (designer of the infamous Wheatfield HA2 headphone amp) has allowed us to spend a bit of quality time together co-developing a HeadRoom-flavored version of his renowned 'hybrid' tube amp, which has received wide acclaim amongst the DIY (Do-It-Yourself) community. In the Millett, the audio signal flows through an excellent low-voltage tube line stage to lovingly flavor your audio with that awesome 'rounded' and deep-sounding tube tonality. It's truly a unique, spectacular sonic presentation combining the focus and drive of solid state output with the lushness of a true tube amplifier... You get the best of both worlds!

Tube Rolling

So, if this is your first experience "rolling" tubes: Welcome!... Just don’t burn your fingers! Slip on cotton gloves, or use tissues, and start freely swapping tubes around. There are three tubes that can be installed in the Millett Hybrid Amp: 12FM6, 12AE6A, and 12FK6. These tubes were originally designed for vintage car radios and they operate over a very wide voltage range. Therefore, there is no need to bias each tube individually or ultra-precisely. Still, each tube model has slightly different bias requirements, and a front panel switch on the Millett-Hybrid Amp automatically adjusts the bias for each tube type. Simply set the tube selection switch to the tube you are going to use and you're done!

Features

The Desktop Millett Hybrid Amp has two analog stereo RCA inputs selectable by a switch on the rear panel. The Millett-Hybrid Amp can also be used as a simple pre-amplifier within a larger home stereo rig and it has a variable output control on the rear panel that can be defeated from a front panel switch when listening solely to headphones. The Millet-Hybrid amp offers both 1/4 “ and 1/8” headphone jacks. Other switches include on/off power, crossfeed, and a 3-position gain to adjust for variations in the impedance efficiencies of different headphones.

Upgrade Options

Upgrade options include swapping the Alps continuously variable volume pot for a 24-position stepped attenuator we custom-manufacture here at HeadRoom, as well as a potential electronics module upgrade to the 'Home' module which offers full Class “A” constant-current operation. Remember, you SHOULD definitely also purchase the separately-sold HeadRoom Desktop Power Supply (DPS, $399.00usd) to deliver enough voltage swing for that upscale 'Home' electronics module to realize its full sonic potential.

If you need help choosing the various options on your amp, please feel free to contact us for personalized help, by emailing sales or calling our sales staff at 800.828.8184. You can also learn more about our electronics modules, D-A converters, and volume controls.

Dimensions

The HeadRoom Millett-Hybrid Desktop Amp measures approximately 6.25" X 6.25" X 4.75" inches tall, including the height of the protruding vacuum tubes. The unit weighs in at around 1.9 lbs of tube love.