Earphones are good. But headphones are better. And they sound lot better with external amplifiers. You will never know if you are not listening to one of those set ups. MP3 players or Discmans or mobile phones â all of them run on internal batteries. Result is very low powered electric signal to audio devices. To improve the quality, you need to amplify the signal strength. Separate amplifiers do the job. They improve the audio quality by amplifying strength of weak signals. You get more fidelity out of same music source even at higher volumes. But, these set ups do not come cheap leaving few exceptions like CMoy headphone amplifiers. They are no compromise on juice but make no hole in pocket too. Buffered Madcap portable Headphone Amplifier Version 2.2 is one of them.
Features
The Madcap Ver 2.2 portable headphone amplifier is 4 and a half inch in length but that doesnât make it poor on parts. It tucks within a tiny case all the components to make it worthy.
This headphone amplifier amplifies input signal twice for its 2 stage opamp design. It uses Burr Brown OPA2134 opamp chips from Texas Instruments. These are industry bests. To control volume and switch the amplifier on, it comes with Alps RK097 potentiometer. A DC jack allows user to power the device or charge the internal battery. And, all of these parts go into a Penguin Peppermint case of just 6.2X11.3X2.4 cm in size.
Specifications
2 stage operational amplifier
Madcap Headphone Amplifier Ver 2.2 comes with efficient 2 stage amplification. Benefits of dual stage amplification are:
- Good output swing
- Wider bandwidth and fidelity
- Better signal gain
- Lower noise reproduction
Amplification chip
It uses 2 industry standard OPA2134 chips for amplifying input signal. They cover wider bandwidth and create high fidelity audio signal with better stability. Besides, standard 8 pin gold plated DIP socket is used for mounting chips; it allows you to use alternate operational amplifier chips without loosing on stability of performance.
Quality components
Madcap amplifiers come with high quality components like, Wima input filtering cap and Nichicon rail splitter (E-cap). Quality 0.25 W resistances with only 1 percent error, used in this amplifier, assures perfect amplification and overall sound quality.
PCB
DIY Portable headphone amplifiers, built on CMoy(Chu Moy) design, are known for use of perforated boards for circuitry and thin wiring. They hamper operational stability if used for long hours. Besides, amplifiers may not last long too. But Madcap Ver 2.2 amplifier is class apart. It uses quality printed circuit board only, with better circuit routing and grounding facilities. Printed board circuitry ensures reliable working and stability in electrical signal transfer across the components. Decoupled PCB design accepts wide variety of opamps too.
Volume control
Amplifier uses quality potentiometer, coupled with brushed aluminum knob, which accommodates volume control and switching functionality. This feature makes it easy to minutely control the output.
Power options
The device can be powered in general with 9 volt PP3 batteries. Resistor divider power system, with low ESR 1000uF capacitors, allows use of opamps with higher current ratings.
External power/ charging
You can use external 12 volt DC adopter with 2.1 mm plug for charging or powering the device. If you keep the device on with plugged in DC adopter, device will run on the main. To charge the battery you need to keep the device switched off.
Casing
Besides all the internal component and quality features, Madcap portable headphone amplifier 2.2 comes in peppermint casing. This is not only attractive but also easy to carry around in pocket.
High points
To sum up the long technical specifications, Madcap Ver 2.2 provides better gain, wider bandwidth coverage, good output swing and stability. Quality components guarantee performance even after long time use. Custom made PCB differentiates it from DIY (do-it-yourself) CMoy amplifiers. The design allows alteration of opamp configuration. And you can proudly flaunt this amplifier for its cute little packaging.
Low points
CMoy amplifiers are general-purpose lower-end start up headphone amplifiers. They might not match with top quality professional headphones and could produce sound distortion at higher volumes. You have to mix and match it with different headphones to locate a perfect suit.
Price
The Buffered portable Headphone Amplifier Ver 2.2 comes with a price tag of $95.
