The MultiPhones MiniPod is a compact stereo headphone amplifier for broadcast studios and other commercial sound installations. The MiniPod can be used with a MultiPhones Master unit or by itself as a "stand alone" headphone listening station. In either case, multiple MiniPods can be interconnected using cat5 cabling to produce a multi-user headphone listening system.
The front panel of the MiniPod features a volume control and headphone jacks. Both 1/4" and 1/8" (3.5mm) jacks are provided. On the back panel there are two RJ45 (cat5) connectors, two 1/4" TRS audio input jacks, and a 12 volt power input jack.
If the MiniPod is used with a MultiPhones Master unit, audio and power are supplied by the Master. Each MiniPod has two RJ45 jacks so that multiple MiniPods can be "daisy chained" together. Up to 12 MiniPods can be supported by one MultiPhones Master unit.
If the MiniPod is not used with a MultiPhones Master unit, stereo audio is fed to the two 1/4" input jacks, and a 12 volt power source is connected to the power jack. In this configuration, multiple MiniPods can be "daisy chained" together (using cat5 cabling) so that audio and power are distributed to all units. Another installation option is to use cat5 cabling to distribute power (only) to multiple units, and feed a separate audio signal to each MiniPod.
The MultiPhones MiniPod is optimized for use with contemporary high-efficiency headphones with impedances between 24 and 600 ohms. Because each MiniPod contains its own amplifier, any combination of different headphones can be used. There is no interaction between units, and no degradation of audio performance regardless of the number of MiniPods used. The system uses low-Z balanced audio distribution so that long cable runs do not degrade audio quality.
The MultiPhones MiniPod is compact, allowing for convenient mounting on a desktop or attached to the underside of a counter. A 12 volt AC power supply is optionally available.