Discrete Component Headphone Amplifier?

Read the following page:

http://www.headphoneamplifiersusb.com/novoheadphoneamplifier.htm

...it seems geared to experts in amplifier technology rather than the average listener. Can you help translate some of the jargon?

It begins by saying "Award winning discrete component headphone amplifier for £212.75 (ex VAT). Unbelievable? But amazingly true!" To me it's not unbelievable or amazing, because I don't understand it! What is a 'discrete component headphone amplifier'? What other kinds are there? Why is it better?

"The Novo has a wonderfully open sound, and paints low level detail with a fine brush" What does 'open sound' mean? What should I listen for that might distinguish the Novo from my NAD in terms of 'openness'? Does 'paints low level detail with a fine brush' mean 'you can distinguish quieter instruments in the orchestra'?

Why should a discrete component headphone amp should be in the highest echelons of price?

I tried Googling but am now more confused. PCMag: "Discrete components are widely used in amplifiers and other electronic products that use large amounts of current. On a circuit board, they are intermingled with the chips, and there is hardly any electronic product that does not have at least one or two discrete resistors or capacitors."

So all headphone amplifiers are discrete to some extent? Are you saying you don't use chips *at all*, so all the components are discrete resistors, capacitors, and so on. If so, what is so wonderful about that? Coming from a computing background I tend to think chips are marvellous, and resistors and capacitors are the primeval things I soldered together way back when during boring physics labs.

I may be totally missing the point here, you may be using "discrete" in a totally different sense. Or I'm missing the wonder of discrete components, through a bad education or personal dislike of solder:)

S0 - Graham - could you provide an explanation of what you mean by "discrete headphone amplifier", and why you think they are so wonderful, that a BBC news reader could understand. Thanks.

- Mal

Apologies for not being more explicit. But, in my defence, I didn't attribute the quote explicitly to you. I hoped to imply it was just 'on the page'. Failed dismally. "To err is human...", and all that.

I don't think much marketing gumpf is needed, you just need to dumb down the selling page so the average person can understand it at first reading, and really sell the Novo's 'quality at a low price' attributes. The first sentence could become "Award winning Hi-Fi headphone amplifier at a Low-Fi price..."

We appeal to many people and not only to "the average Richer Sounds customer" (to snatch a quote from our private discussion).

Although this is the first complaint about our product page regarding this product I will take your comments on board and see if it is possible to rewrite it.

I will just add that 70% of our sales are world-wide exports where English is not often the first language of our customers. I am sure they would prefer us to explain ourselves in their languages but alas, we don't have the ability to do so or the money to pay a team of interpreters to do so.

Graham

 

Graham Slee wrote: I am sure they would prefer us to explain ourselves in their languages but alas, we don't have the ability to do so or the money to pay a team of interpreters to do so. Graham