DACS HeadLite 3+ – 4-Channel Headphone Amp with High-Drive Channel DACS

The DACS HeadLite3+ adds a new twist to DACS’ renowned studio headphone amplifier. The technology now employed in some high-end headphones means they require a huge amount of power to drive them properly. DACS have designed the +Power plug in module that provides all the ultra-clean drive the most power-hungry headphones need. As well as powering low impedance planar magnetic headphones, it can drive multiple sets of standard headphones with outstanding performance.

The +Power module is fitted as standard on Channel 1 of the HeadLite 3+ with the option to be fitted to channels 2, 3 and channel 4.

Headphones are increasingly important for many aspects of audio production. The quality of headphone design and manufacture is higher now than it has ever been, and new technologies are producing headphones requiring significantly more power than traditional designs. Ensuring the very best performance from these headphones requires them to be driven by a dedicated headphone amplifier; +Power ensures that even these power-hungry beasts can be driven to their limit clearly and cleanly. ‘Making do’ with the headphone socket from the mix board or DAW doesn’t really ‘do’ at all. Especially when there is more than one set of ears which need to listen in.

Clarity and Sound Quality
Whatever the headphone task the quality of the end-product begins with what the artist hears. Accurate, clear and detailed reproduction of the whole audible frequency range is essential; any shortcomings will inevitably affect both the overdub and the overview. HeadLite 3+ maintains the HeadLite series’ worldwide reputation for Clarity and detail.

Optimum Drive
The metering on the four busses that feed the amplifiers allows you to set the input levels to optimum, making sure the input to the amplifier gives the best output to headphones.

+Power
+Power is an analogue plug-in module that provides all the ultra-clean drive the most power-hungry headphones need. Fitted as standard in Channel 1, +Power can be added to the other channels either at the time of ordering or retrofitted later.

Power and drive
Amplifier power is not just about level (sound pressure level) it is about clean level (sonically pure level). A cheap headphone amplifier when pushed beyond its narrow limits can begin to distort before your headphones or your ears. This not only compromises the sound, but it can also damage your hearing. A headphone amp which has enough power should be ‘cruising’ for the whole of its useable range, the output signal always as clean as the technical specifications indicate it should be.

The power of the output on the standard channels is more than sufficient to drive virtually any headphone of any impedance clean and loud. +Power provides drive to spare for taking low-impedance high-power headphones to the peak of their performance. It will also allow the driving of multiple higher impedance phones.

Flexibility
In a studio you might use different headphones for different listeners providing different material. A good headphone amplifier will provide multiple outputs with individual amplifiers, each able to drive any impedance of headphone with selected inputs.

In the HeadLite 3+ this is provided by four bussed inputs selectable in combination – inputs A, B, C and D; for L and R respectively in the headphones, select AB, AA, BB, CD, CC or DD – on each of the four stereo output amplifiers.

Design
HeadLite 3+, like all our products, was designed with feedback from working engineers and musicians feeding our industrious boffins with ideas. The amplifier produces very low distortion and has an extended and flat frequency range; it scores top marks in Clarity and Sound Quality, Power and Drive, and Flexibility. As one user said of the original HeadLite “It’s ideal.”

Technical
Outputs for each channel appear on both the front and rear of the unit and can drive long audio lines to remote headphone outlets such as in vocal booths or over-dub rooms. Users can select from the four inputs (A, B, C and D) to hear A and B, or C and D as stereo, and A, B, C or D as mono. This means you can send two different stereo submixes to the HeadLite 3+ from the mixer or your DAW, or 4 mono mixes or a combination.

HeadLite 3+ offers excellent signal to noise ratio, low cross talk, bomb proof input stages, very low distortion and a bass response that is flat well under 20Hz. The unit’s frequency response (-0.5dB at 3hz to 35kHz) is within 0.1dB over the 22Hz to 22kHz band; because of the design of the amplifier’s output stage, its high frequency response does not suffer significantly even down very long lines.

HeadLite 3+ delivers all a recording professional needs in a rugged and reliable package that our service department can confirm will last for decades.