Studio Headphone Amplifiers

Notes: Apogee Groove is the best portable USB DAC and headphone amp for listening to music on your Mac or PC. Groove takes the same high quality audio technology found in the world's most prestigious recording studios and delivers it to your laptop. Connect Groove to your computer's USB port and your headphones or powered speakers to Groove's audio output. It's that easy. Groove's output provides ample power at any impedance and Apogee's Constant Current Drive technology makes your headphones sound their best. You'll be amazed by the difference in sound quality - the precise stereo image, punchy bass and stunningly clear high-hats.

For 30 years Apogee has been an innovator and industry leader in digital audio recording. From rock to classical, hip-hop to country, and reggae to jazz, the world's most successful artists, producers and audio engineers rely on Apogee gear to capture GRAMMY winning recordings. Now, for the first time, Apogee Groove takes this same recording studio technology and makes it available in a simple take-anywhere device dedicated to delivering the ultimate listening experience.

Whether you're building your FLAC file collection or subscribing to a premium music streaming service, you are investing in a higher quality listening experience. Groove unlocks the full potential of that experience, revealing definition, clarity and details like you have never heard before.

With professional headphones, your laptop and Groove, you can mix or make music anywhere. Groove's reference quality sound insures you will hear every detail of your project as it would sound in the studio.

Groove's Constant Current Drive output stage dynamically compensates for the nonlinearities - acoustic, mechanical or electrical - of any connected headphones, resulting in lower distortion and a more linear frequency response. Whether listening through earbuds or "hi-fi" headphones, you'll discover a new level of fidelity, clarity and detail.

Groove also features a Quad Sum DAC design which employs four digital-to-analog converters per channel to achieve the highest dynamic range and lowest distortion (THD+N) of any device in its class.

ESS Sabre32 32-bit Hyperstream DAC with Time Domain Jitter Eliminator offers unequaled dynamic range, ultra low distortion, and unmatched audio clarity free from input jitter.

If you're a music lover and you want the best listening experience, one of the key ingredients in the quality of your sound is the digital-to-analog converter or DAC.

A DAC takes the digital information on your computer and translates it into analog sound you can hear through your headphones and speakers.

Your computer has a DAC built-in, however without a high quality DAC like Groove, you will miss out on much of the subtlety, detail and dimension of music you listen to - regardless of what headphones or speakers you use.

Notes: Clever little valve-based headphone amp from Korg's NuTekt DIY range. Some basic assembly required but no soldering. Fully customisable for advanced users.

Supplier's notes:
The HA-S is a Nutube-equipped DIY Headphone amp kit that will let you enjoy the highest quality audio anywhere. No soldering is required, so even if you are new to the world of DIY, you will be able to assemble the HA-S to add a warm, analog tube-driven signal boost to any sound source in no time! Build your own Headphone amplifier This DIY HA-S kit allows you to build your very own Headphone amplifier in an easy and fun way, without any soldering needed. Not only that, it provides the authentic vacuum tube sound that audiophiles know and love. Built-in Nutube Nutube is a new and revolutionary fully analog vacuum tube developed by KORG INC. and Noritake Itron Corporation. The same as a conventional vacuum tube, Nutube is constructed with an anode, grid and filament, and operates as a complete triode tube, effectively generating the response and same rich harmonic characteristics of conventional vacuum tubes in a more compact, stable and energy-efficient way. The transparent case of the HA-S delivers a glimpse into this technology; allowing the glow of the tube to be visible at all times. Energy efficiency The filament of the Nutube is powered by a DC to DC converter, which consumes less electric current and thus allows for a longer battery life than other vacuum tube equipped amplifiers. The design is so efficient that the HA-S can drive the Nutube with a line voltage of 26 V using only two A4 batteries., for a rich and authentic vacuum tube sound. Sound possibilities The HA-S has a special NFB (Negative Feedback) switch, that allows you to choose from a high fidelity clean and pristine sound, or a warmer, more harmonically rich sound as expected from a vacuum tube. When the NFB switch is OFF, the harmonics present in the Nutube (triode tube) will be amplified to create a sound rich in harmonics, warmth and textures. When the NFB switch is ON, the distortion ratio and frequency characteristics will be modified, creating a really detailed and clean sound. For further sound modification, we have included two OP amp options for the output: the premium audio oriented "MUSES01" and the industry standard NJM4580, both from JRC. These can be easily replaced so even the most purist audiophiles will be able to customize and adapt the sound of their HA-S to heir heart's content. For advanced users who want to customize their amplifier even more, the circuit diagrams are readily available, making it really easy to change discrete components and make your own and unique headphone amp matching your desired tone and performance -, the possibilities are endless!

Notes: Perfect for studios, practice spaces, quiet stages, and more, the HM Series offers everything you need whether it is just splitting a single signal to your band, or more complex headphone distribution.

Whether you need to expand your home studio headphone monitoring capability or add robust cue mix distribution, the affordable HM Series offers the sound quality, reliability, and flexibility you need to expand your setup.

The 19" rackmount HM-800 model delivers flexible, robust headphone distribution for studios, practice spaces and more.

Excellent Sound Quality:
Premium analog circuitry and design delivers an ultra-low noise floor and high headroom.

Ultra-Flexible:
From a simple yet effective way to split a single stereo signal out to four pairs of headphones to robust headphone distribution, the HM Series offers a wide range of options to suit your needs.

'Built-Like-A-Tank':
With a heavy-gauge steel chassis, long wear potentiometers and switches, the HM Series is built to last.

Notes: "Turn my headphones up!" "More me, I can't hear myself!" "Turn down that click!" It gets old. Change that tune with the HP60 headphone distribution system. The HP60 is more than just a half-dozen headphone amps, it's a field-tested solution to a host of common headphone-monitoring problems.

Let's start with "turn my headphones up." Each of the HP60's six headphone amps has its own level control and puts out 150 mW, which is loud enough to drive the alligators out of the Louisiana swamps. If they can't hear this headphone system, they're stone deaf.

More likely they'll scream, "turn it down, you're killing me!" Problem solved.

Now let's solve "turn down that click." The HP60 features two sets of line-level, stereo inputs that are routed to all six headphones; a Mix control that sets their relative levels for each headphone output. So you can feed the main control-room mix to channel A and the click to channel B and use the Mix controls to individually raise or lower the click relative to the main mix for each musician. Problem solved.

As for "more me," in addition to the two pairs of main stereo inputs, you get an external stereo input pair with level control for each headphone channel. A Mono switch lets you sum the left and right inputs. Additionally, a mute switch is provided for each headphone output.

So you can send each person a feed of just their instrument or voice and can control the level separately for each. Problem solved.

With the HP60, when you talk, everyone listens. Hit the Talk button and use the talkback-mic input and your favorite dynamic mic to tell 'em what to do. You can even use a footswitch to control the talkback hands-free.

Each channel also has stereo line outputs that can send a copy of the line-level headphone-channel mix to additional headphone amplifiers or monitor systems. So if you have a large band and need more than six headphones, you can chain two or more HP60s.

So get the problem solver, the most flexible and advanced headphone-mixing system in its price class: the PreSonus HP60.