Wednesday 13 April 2011

Glossary: Headphone Types


Headphones are generally the most important piece of equipment in your portable audio setup although most people usually use the cheapest set possible and spend big on their playback device. There are various types of headphones coming in at a huge range of prices, all have their distinct advantages and disadvantages, and in this post we’ll be looking at each type.

Friday 8 April 2011

Zero 09 Version DAC/Amp

Review:  Zero 09 Version
Item: Amplifier (Headphone)
Price: £120

The Zero is a headphone amp made in Hong Kong, there really isn’t much info on manufacturer or anything else for that matter. The amps come with a couple of different options for op amps and inputs. On the op amp front the choices are OPA2604, the cheaper model, and OPA627 the more expensive of the two. For inputs on top of digital coaxial and digital optical it’s possible to have a USB DAC added, great for old computer systems and laptops.
Having heard some good things about these amps and seeing as it has an inbuilt DAC, for the price I was naturally curious and took the plunge. I’ve opted for the OPA627 model with USB in order to use with my netbook.

Zero 09 Version