Headphone Amplifier Technology
The Audient iD range is best known for its great-sounding preamps thanks to its Audient Console Mic Preamps taken directly from the flagship ASP8024-HE Recording Console. However, it’s useless having great preamps if you can’t also listen to them in high fidelity too, so it was vital that we designed the iD range to feature high-quality and incredibly powerful headphone amplifiers, which is exactly what we did. Let’s dive into what makes the iD headphone amp great.
To get the best quality in such a small portable interface, we use a Class-AB amplifier design. If you’re not familiar with these classes, basically Class-AB combines the super low distortion audio of a Class-A design and the efficiency of a Class B design meaning we can get high-quality audio in a portable device that runs on USB power alone and doesn’t require a bulky power supply.
The headphone amplifier design was first introduced on the iD22 and was paired with a dedicated, high-quality Digital to Analog Converter (DAC), which together provided professional audio performance to our user’s desktops. With the introduction of the iD44, the iD4 (MKII) and the iD14 (MKII), a few small improvements were added.
Firstly, the introduction of new generation DAC’s meant we were able to reduce distortion to vanishingly low levels whilst increasing dynamic range dramatically, to give the purest possible representation of your audio. Secondly, we added what is known as a DC Servo to the output which allows for the removal of DC without the use of capacitors on the audio path, which can cause smearing and low-frequency loss. This ensures that the headphone outputs retain the sharp details of your audio whilst also providing a powerful low-end response.
The introduction of USB-C on the iD4 (MKII) and the iD14 (MKII) also meant that we had more power and could increase the headroom of the headphone amp, to give even clearer audio at higher volume levels or for driving headphones that have a low sensitivity.
The same headphone amplifier design was also used in the smaller EVO 4 and EVO 8 interfaces as well, meaning whether you are using the iD range for recording music and mixing or using an EVO for streaming and podcasting, you’re still getting the same high-performance headphone quality.
With such a high-quality headphone amplifier, the interfaces are also perfect for the playback of high fidelity audio files, easily competing against other audiophile headphone outputs on the market. The specs of the iD14 (MKII)’s headphone output, for example, can be seen below for easy comparison to your favourite headphone amp.
The iD14 (MKII)’s headphone amplifier is just part of what is an incredibly powerful and professional audio interface. Including two Audient Console mic-pres, class-leading AD/DA converters, 4 line outputs and much more – all for roughly the same cost as a standalone audiophile headphone amplifier. This makes for a very efficient and portable setup as opposed to separate preamps and headphone amps, possibly all requiring their own power supply.
In summary, you can be confident that when using the iD interface range, you will hear every nuance, every detail of your audio, enabling you to take your recordings to the next level. If you don’t believe us here is what some of our better-known users had to say:
Damien Lewis
Mix Engineer (Katy Perry, Rihanna, Justin Timberlake)
“Many manufacturers cut corners in the details to save money. The headphone amp is often the victim. The iD44 headphone outs sound every bit as detailed and crisp as the main outputs. I noticed the difference right away after switching from my old 2 channel converter. And there are 2 sets of headphone outputs with dedicated volume knobs!
The iD44 headphone amp sounds detailed and has plenty of power. Unlike others in it’s class that sound smeared and distorted, when pushed the iD44’s components sound great from end to end.
The iD44 has 2 dedicated high powered crisp headphone outputs on the front. Just what you need in a 4 channel interface. No fiddling with menus or function knobs. It’s right there in front of you.”
Ready to take your recordings to the next level?
Our audio interfaces are popular with home and professional studios alike thanks to their versatile feature set, solid build quality and incredible audio performance.
Headphone Amplifier Technology
The Audient iD range is best known for its great-sounding preamps thanks to its Audient Console Mic Preamps taken directly from the flagship ASP8024-HE Recording Console. However, it’s useless having great preamps if you can’t also listen to them in high fidelity too, so it was vital that we designed the iD range to feature high-quality and incredibly powerful headphone amplifiers, which is exactly what we did. Let’s dive into what makes the iD headphone amp great.
To get the best quality in such a small portable interface, we use a Class-AB amplifier design. If you’re not familiar with these classes, basically Class-AB combines the super low distortion audio of a Class-A design and the efficiency of a Class B design meaning we can get high-quality audio in a portable device that runs on USB power alone and doesn’t require a bulky power supply.
The headphone amplifier design was first introduced on the iD22 and was paired with a dedicated, high-quality Digital to Analog Converter (DAC), which together provided professional audio performance to our user’s desktops. With the introduction of the iD44, the iD4 (MKII) and the iD14 (MKII), a few small improvements were added.
Firstly, the introduction of new generation DAC’s meant we were able to reduce distortion to vanishingly low levels whilst increasing dynamic range dramatically, to give the purest possible representation of your audio. Secondly, we added what is known as a DC Servo to the output which allows for the removal of DC without the use of capacitors on the audio path, which can cause smearing and low-frequency loss. This ensures that the headphone outputs retain the sharp details of your audio whilst also providing a powerful low-end response.
The introduction of USB-C on the iD4 (MKII) and the iD14 (MKII) also meant that we had more power and could increase the headroom of the headphone amp, to give even clearer audio at higher volume levels or for driving headphones that have a low sensitivity.
The same headphone amplifier design was also used in the smaller EVO 4 and EVO 8 interfaces as well, meaning whether you are using the iD range for recording music and mixing or using an EVO for streaming and podcasting, you’re still getting the same high-performance headphone quality.
With such a high-quality headphone amplifier, the interfaces are also perfect for the playback of high fidelity audio files, easily competing against other audiophile headphone outputs on the market. The specs of the iD14 (MKII)’s headphone output, for example, can be seen below for easy comparison to your favourite headphone amp.
The iD14 (MKII)’s headphone amplifier is just part of what is an incredibly powerful and professional audio interface. Including two Audient Console mic-pres, class-leading AD/DA converters, 4 line outputs and much more – all for roughly the same cost as a standalone audiophile headphone amplifier. This makes for a very efficient and portable setup as opposed to separate preamps and headphone amps, possibly all requiring their own power supply.
In summary, you can be confident that when using the iD interface range, you will hear every nuance, every detail of your audio, enabling you to take your recordings to the next level. If you don’t believe us here is what some of our better-known users had to say:
Damien Lewis
Mix Engineer (Katy Perry, Rihanna, Justin Timberlake)
“Many manufacturers cut corners in the details to save money. The headphone amp is often the victim. The iD44 headphone outs sound every bit as detailed and crisp as the main outputs. I noticed the difference right away after switching from my old 2 channel converter. And there are 2 sets of headphone outputs with dedicated volume knobs!
The iD44 headphone amp sounds detailed and has plenty of power. Unlike others in it’s class that sound smeared and distorted, when pushed the iD44’s components sound great from end to end.
The iD44 has 2 dedicated high powered crisp headphone outputs on the front. Just what you need in a 4 channel interface. No fiddling with menus or function knobs. It’s right there in front of you.”
Ready to take your recordings to the next level?
Our audio interfaces are popular with home and professional studios alike thanks to their versatile feature set, solid build quality and incredible audio performance.
