Cingular Go Phone: Ramsey SHA1C Stereo Headphone Amplifier Kit Review

This is a very wide bandwidth amp and should be capable of driving just about anything you have.

What I cannot understand is the way they implemented the volume controls.Not only are they separate, which means you have to readjust the balance every time you adjust the volume, but they used linear (rather than audio taper) pots with the left on the right and the right on the left.I can see doing that if you are putting a quick prototype together out of spare parts, but if you can order parts or get to a good electronics store there is no need and if you are selling it as a commercial product there is no excuse.

I replaced their volume controls with a conductive plastic dual gang 10k audio taper for volume and a dual 5k linear taper in series on the signal side for fine balance adjust.They don't fit in the circuit board so the wiring inside isn't pretty, but it's much more convenient to use.I also bridged the switch for the sibilance filter with resistors to eliminate the ear splitting click the first time it is engaged.Anything around 3 mega ohm or above should work.That filter comes in very handy with my Beyerdynamics DT-770's which have enough high end definition to cause physical pain when listening to low quality streaming audio where the high end is all compression defects.

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Product Description:
So, you buy a really good radio or CD player, go to plug in your headphones, and there isn't a headphone jack! You find a line level jack, plug in your headphones, and they sound terrible. Sound familiar? Most good quality gear lacks an earphone output, or if there is one, it is woefully poor quality. We developed this kit to help us listen to our mixers, reverbs, voice recorders and other audio goodies. We took a pair of LM-386 250 mW audio amplifiers, added volume controls, power supply and a handy, switchable, high-cut filter. A common 1/4 stereo earphone jack is used for the output - assuring compatibility with all stereo headphones - and RCA phono jacks accept standard line level input signals. There's plenty of volume and of course, the Fi is quite Hi . Available in money saving kit form or fully wired and tested (model SHA1WT). Runs on 9 to 15 VDC. If you need an AC power supply, check out our AC125. Includes an attractive matching case measuring 5 W x 1 1/2 H x 5 1/4 D. (Did you know the leading manufacturer of high-end table radios recommends the SHA1C to all their customers?!)