[Noseyears]

If you had the chance to design a headamp, which functions would you add?

[hibuckhobby]

Tubes
balanced and unbalanced
OTL and transformer
ability to drive both high and low impedance
Now for the real controversial part....tone controls
Hibuck...

[adydula]

Oh Gee!!! Tone Controls????

What are those!!

Are they on my washing machine?

Haaaa!!

Only kidding....

This ought to be fun!!

Alex
(Smiling!)

[hibuckhobby]

Tone controls are what 'used' to be on all hifi gear regardless of how high end it
was considered until about 30 years ago.  They are used to help you listen to
the recordings from the 70's and 80's...many of which were recorded so 'hot'
that they are nigh unto unlistenable on anything approaching quality gear.   
Hibuck...

[adydula]

Yup certainly can relate to that...my old Allied Receiver had them, my Pioneer SX receiver had them....gosh am i that old now??

Alex

[eclein]

I remember tone controls.....lol. They make sense with portables at least on DAP's and low end boost on amps like fio-e11 has but I dont miss them on my main rig. The ortho cans I have sound great all around to me so I haven't even thought about tone controls until I read this post.
I would have tubes in mine for sure though.

[FullRangeMan]

I read on web the Eternal Arts phone amp match so good with the HD800 that Sennheiser is recommending this amp with the HD800.

[J-Pak]

DIY Blue Hawaii for me (for my Stax Omega 2). 2x balanced input (one for DAC, one from phono stage), and a volume control.

http://gilmore2.chem.northwestern.edu/projects/showfile.php?file=gilmore4_prj.htm

[Noseyears]

Swappable op-amps anyone? using them may be interesting.

Its like tube rolling on a SS amp 

[ajzepp]

I'd probably make it just like this new beauty from CAry Audio

http://caryaudio.com/products/classic/HH-1.html

[Noseyears]

I'd probably make it just like this new beauty from CAry Audio

http://caryaudio.com/products/classic/HH-1.html

Right, it looks like hybrid designs caught people's attention. You can have the best of both worlds.

[Elizabeth]

Tone controls? YES. With a defeat switch, but definitely there
a phase  switch
two inputs with a switch

[G Georgopoulos]

If you had the chance to design a headamp, which functions would you add?

ss with negative feedback for a start,the transistors should be high frequency,they also should be bjt,you should match the transistors working in pairs,the output stage should be very high power,the output stage bias should be such so that there isnot any distortion,you should select transistors with high beta for all the amplifier stages,each amplifier stage should be correctly biased,the ac signal should be free from stray capacitance and inductance,the audio band should have the highest nfb factor,hope this helps.

[ajzepp]

Right, it looks like hybrid designs caught people's attention. You can have the best of both worlds.

I love hybrids....my Butler amps are tube hybrids and I couldn't be happier. Having a hybrid for headphones would definitely pique my interest.

[G Georgopoulos]

I love hybrids....my Butler amps are tube hybrids and I couldn't be happier. Having a hybrid for headphones would definitely pique my interest.

SS have the lowest noise,noise is a big issue in headphones amplifiers like hybrids if they not have additional circuitry for noise reduction.

[ajzepp]

SS have the lowest noise,noise is a big issue in headphones amplifiers like hybrids if they not have additional circuitry for noise reduction.

Interesting point. I can definitely vouch for my main solid state amp, the Meier Corda Jazz. The noise floor on that thing is absolute dead silence.