Gauting, Germany (October25, 2022)—Lake People has announced the G108, a new headphone amplifier intended for mixing and mastering applications.
The unit adapts the balanced signal path developed for sister brand Violectric’s products and applies it to studio applications. As a result, it offers the usual 1/4-inch jack, but also a four-pin XLR output to connect to balanced headphones. According to the company, separating the ground of the left and right channels achieves a better stereo image with a wide stage and localization of individual instruments.
The new model also features high damping, balanced and unbalanced inputs, a five-step pre-gain setting, balance controls, stereo/mono switch and phase reverse are also on-board. The rear panel offers inputs for balanced or unbalanced signals, which can be activated via a switch, so source devices can stay connected without influencing each other. Meanwhile, the front panel features 25-mm knobs milled from solid aluminum, and a dip switch that changes the output signal from stereo to mono. The left channel can also be reversed in its polarity to easily identify possible phase errors.
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Balanced headphones have the advantage of allowing the amplifier to work as a push-pull design. The Lake People G108 does this with four individual power amps, amplifying the positive or negative half wave of the stereo channels respectively. The voice coil is actively pushed or pulled, hence the name of the design. According to the company, this minimizes interference from the cables while also eliminating the shared ground.
The G108 drives models from 8 to 600 ohms, and the amplifiers deliver up to 2,700 milliwatts of power. The preamplification can be adjusted in five steps from -18 to +18 dB inside the device.
The G108 will be available in early November from select retailers; the MSRP is 699.90 euros (roughly $698 US).
