Amps & DACs
HeadRoom Total BitHead
Dramatically improve headphone listening on your laptop or home computer with this very cool USB headphone amp. Plug the BitHead into the USB port and digital audio is automatically routed out of the noisy environs of your computer to be converted by the superior digital-to-analog converter (DAC) of the BitHead. The BitHead can be USB-powered or driven by 4 AAA batteries; includes HeadRoom's famous crossfeed for excellent headphone imaging; 2-position gain switch to precisely match your headphone efficiency. The BitHead can also be used as a 'stand-alone' headphone amp with your portable player, home audio component or any other audio source of your choice.
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Product Features:
- Significantly improves your listening experience with good headphones and your computer.
- Delivers greatly improved bass control and impact, and more articulate high frequencies.
- Improves headphone imaging with HeadRoom's famous crossfeed circuit.
- Gain switch optimizes amplifier gain for headphones of different efficiencies.
- Runs 20 + hours on four AAA batteries.
What's In The Box:
- 12" mini-mini cable (1/8" connectors)
- 12" USB cable
- Rubber feet for BitHead
- Assorted Velcoins for BitHead
- Owner's manual
Applications:
The HeadRoom BitHead is a perfect entry-level portable headphone amplifier to use with your computer, iPod or other portable player and your high-quality headphones. Expect to hear the bass solidly tighten up, the highs become clean and articulate while the all the music in between will sound much more coherent, detailed, and liquid. The BitHead can be used two ways: with the USB output of any computer or as a battery powered headphone amp to improve your iPod, MP3 player, portable DVD/CD player, or other portable audio device of your choice.
The BitHead can act basically like a vastly improved soundcard for your computer and any headphones. You'll find the sound quality audibly improved employing the better digital-to-analog converter (DAC) of the BitHead, and having the audio digital conversion and analog amplification that drives headphones all done outside the noisy electrical environment of the computer hard-drive. Simply plug the USB output of your desktop, laptop, or notebook computer running Apple, Windows, or Linux operating systems into the Bithead -- most computers will automatically recognize the BitHead as its audio output -- then plug in your headphones, play some music and enjoy. Your computer may now become one of your favorite ways to listen.
The BitHead can also run on four [4] AAA batteries to amplify the signal from the headphone output (or line-out) of your iPod, iPhone, MP3, or other portable player. The BitHead will drive your headphones with much greater musical authority and clarity, and will isolate the player's wimpy output amp & power supplies from the complex load of the headphones. Hence, the BitHead will allow both your headphones and your portable player to sound better. (If you're not interested in using this amp with a computer, then check out our "analog input only" HeadRoom Total AirHead amp.)
Our HeadRoom BitHead has two headphone jacks so both you & a friend can listen simultaneously. The HeadRoom Crossfeed switch improves stereo imaging to make your headphones sound better and more "open", like room speakers. You'll also find a little 'high/low' gain switch inside the battery compartment that allows a perfect match between the BitHead unit and headphones or earphones of any impedance rating. It also features a rotary volume control on the front panel and has internal room for 4 'AAA' batteries that can power the BitHead for well over 30 hours, depending on the headphones and listening volume. Batteries are NOT included.
Please consult the HeadRoom BitHead manual and our BitHead FAQ [Frequently Asked Questions] for more in-depth information on our made-in-the-USA unit!
Included:
Specifications:
- Amplifier Group: The Mobile Line
- Frequency Response: 20–20k, ±1
- THD at 1V output: <.01
- Input Impedance at 1kHz (ohms): 18k
- DAC option: yes
- Portable: yes
Additional Resources:
- Product Manuals
- The BitHead Manual
- Product Info
- BitHead FAQ's
- 2006 Mobile Line Pres Sheet
- Product Reviews
- Positive Feedback Online John Brazier 2004
- Crunchgear.com Mike Kobrin Apr 07
- onheadphones.com Total BitHead review
- Audio Ideas. Aaron Marshall Feb 07
- SoundStage! John Crossett Oct 06
- Anything But Ipod Grahm Skee December 2006
- PCWorld, Tom Mainelli November 2006
- 6moons.com Srajan Ebaen July 2004
- dansdata.com August 2004
- Rhino Gadget review Patrick Goddard
- Stereophile Magazine Michael Fremer December 2004
- Goodsound! Eric Hetherington August 2004
- techpowerup.com Fredrik Skovgaard Feb 08
- Customer Comments
- Customer Comments
Average Rating
Posted by csshih from Saratoga, CA on 2010-07-26
Recommend Product: Yes
Pros: Excellent Sound, Convenient switches, long battery life
The only gripe I have about this product is the size. I believe you can reduce the size by grouping the circuits closer together, and instead of a rubber battery cover, you can have a snap open compartment, making for a flat surface.
3 out of 5 people found this review unhelpful. Did you?
Posted by Toku from UK on 2010-07-22
Recommend Product: Yes
Pros: Good for removing noise from laptops
Cons: Could have better build quality
Mainly writing this to hopefully save a few Vista/Windows 7 users some heart ache.
I got mine, plugged it in, just like they say. Did it work? No.
Lots of seaching, reading forums, looking at drivers etc. came to nothing. It all looked happy, USB Audio detected and being used etc. Saw the little green sound bar going up and down, but nothing.
The issue? Well, some USB devices expect an analog output and that is what Vista etc. defaults to. Obviously, the DAC has no idea what to do with an analog signal.
So go to Playback Devices > Click on the USB Audio Codec > Properties > Advanced > Change it from CD Quality to DVD Quality in the pulldown. Click okay and then you should have sound.
Hope this helps people out there.
Anyway, it does exactly what I wanted it to and with my headphones, you can really tell the difference.
As for the crossfade, it is reasonably tricky to hear it in action :P But I never bought it for that.
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Did you?
Posted by Alec from Lewisburg, PA on 2010-06-28
Recommend Product: Yes
Pros: Small, Resonably Priced
Cons: Broke twice
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Did you?
