The Sicphones headphone amplifier
(Credit: Steve Guttenberg/CNET)
It was just a few weeks ago when my buddy Tyll Hertsens was raving about Colin Shaw's Sicphones amplifier Kickstarter project. Hertsens never steers me wrong, so I contacted Shaw, and a few days later I received the amp. Hertsens was right. This design uses a newly available SemiSouth silicon carbide transistor, and the amp sounds amazing. If Shaw makes his Kickstarter goal he'll be able to sell amp kits for as little as $229, and assembled amps for $279! DIY-ers can spring for just $35 and get the Sicphones amplifier PC board, assembly instructions, and parts source list.
I was blown away by the sound: the Sicphones is competitive with $1,000 headphone amps. The 6x7x3.25-inch chassis is a three-piece design with laser-cut steel top and bottom panels. Shaw's friend David Tanner is responsible for the Sicphones look, and I think it's a handsome and totally unique design. Build quality is, by far, the best I've seen for the money. The rear panel hosts a pair of good-quality RCA inputs, a power switch, and a mini connector for the included wall-wart power supply.
I listened to the Sicphones with Grado RS-1, <... [Read more]
via CNET http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cnet/NnTv/~3/ExhGA5M-UvQ/
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