So I’m reading this review of the HeadRoom BitHead headphone amplifier—really more of an essay about its relative technical merits, musings about singing in freeform jazz, etc., in typical, delightful Dan’s Data form—and I get all excited about trying headphone amps again, because I just so happen to be listening to music on headphones while I’m reading it, as I often do at the computer. I’ve even got my credit card out (well, I’m looking at my wallet, at least) and I’m ready to get this BitHead thing, because it sounds great—dual 1/8th inch outs, double-duty as a USB sound device, some “Audio Image Processor” stereo-phasing doohickey—until I see the $200 price tag. Can these things really be worth the price of what is, to me, a killer set of headphones? Don’t answer that. It’s time to take the headphone amp plunge, I suppose, but I’m too cheap for these BitHeads, so I guess that means it’s time to start looking at DIY sites like HeadWize.
