No question, the vast majority of hi-fi manufacturers have the same goals. They do their best to meet the latest requirements in terms of modern technology, features, and measurements, as well as build and finish, and above all the indispensable sonic criterion of music reproduction: true information retrieval at negligible noise and distortion levels. At Heed Audio, however, they are of the belief that the real challenge begins beyond these criteria - their main design priority is to convey the emotional content and ambience of a recording faithfully, and to create atmosphere and tension in music reproduction. The Heed sound is of "musical integrity" first and foremost with supreme attention paid to pacing, rhythm and timing (PRaT). Minimalist, low powered designs are upgradeable with outboard power supplies. Heed products look like audio components and don't pretend to be lifestyle accoutrements. They exist to make music happen, pure and simple. We think many dissillusioned audiophiles will be pleasantly shocked at the kind of sound that is available at such affordable prices. Heed Obelisk Si Integrated Amplifer$2199.00 CDN Technically speaking, the Obelisk defies conventional measurement. Mere specifications can be wildly misleading here. Consider output power: the Si is conservatively rated at 35 watts per channel into 8 ohms. While this represents a humble enough watt/cost ratio, here 35 watts don’t exactly equal 35 watts, since the Obelisk’s non-DC-coupled design behaves rather more akin to valve amplifiers (roughly speaking, Richard Hay’s approach was sort of a “valve amp built with transistors”) of similar rating. With this kind of power on board, better valve amps are capable of astonishing dynamic authority, and we’re more than satisfied that the Obelisk Si adheres to this paradigm and then some. In practice even speakers as low as 85dB can be driven to very loud levels. Sound quality is something of a revelation at the price. We dare anyone to find any comparably priced amplifier with a more natural midrange - tubed or solid state! Heed Obelisk X-2 Power Supply$1299.00 CDN The Obelisk X-2 power supply (in fact, a dual-mono power amp PSU) ups the Obelisk to a full 50wpc (again, behaving more like so many valve-watts), while allowing the original on-board power supply to dedicate itself entirely to the preamp section. In other words, with the addition of this single device, the Obelisk Si evolves into a fully-fledged dual-mono pre/power combination! The transformation in sound quality is dramatic. Bass becomes hugely more authorative-deeper and tighter-- and dynamics take a huge leap forward. Those that don't belive 50w/ch is enough for concert level dynamics need to listen to the Obelisk with X-2. Heed Obelisk PRE Preamplifier$2399.00 CDN Dedicated preamp with 5 inputs and remote control. Dual pre-outs for biamping or use with a subwoofer. Card slots for internal DAC-1 or VINYL-1 cards. Can be upgraded with Q-PSU externally. Heed Obelisk PS Power Amplifier$2399.00 CDN 50 w/ch power amplifier based on Obelisk Si circuit but with much higher quality components. Daisy-chainable for biamping or multi-room. All of the characteristics of the Si sound but with greater transparency, realism and dynamics. Heed Obelisk DT CD Transport$2399.00 CDN CD transport with HDCD decoding. To be paired with the Dactilus or used directly with the DAC-1 card in an Obelisk Si or PRE. RCA electrical and optical toslink SPDIF output. Heed Dactilus DAC with Q-Psu Power Supply$1199.00 CDN 24 bit/96 Khz digital to analogue converter. Hi-Fi Choice sums up the character of the Dactilus well: "It was thought by all our listeners to be one of the most "foot-tapping" of the group and it certainly enjoys getting stuck in to some energetic rhythms. In addition it has a very pleasing, slightly warm midrange which does much to bring out the best in voices." --Hi-Fi Choice, January 2009 4/5 stars. With the vast majority of sub $1000 DACs sounding cold, analytical and boring, the Dactilus is a breath of fresh air. Heed Dactilus DAC with Plug-top Power Supply$699.00 CDN Same as above but with lower-rated power supply. Heed Quasar Phono Preamp$1399.00 CDN The QUASAR, with its discrete conception and wide range of features, represents a unique bargain at this price level. The QUASAR is built in dual-mono configuration from the power supply upwards. There are two separate amplifier stages for MM and MC cartridges, both being fed from their own regulated power supply arrangement. Optimum adjustments to the cartridge in use can be applied for sensitivity and load by various settings of the jumpers on the PCB. The two separate outputs with different sensitivities make it possible for preamps or recorders to be fed via 'Low Out', whilst its 'High Out' can drive power amps directly. The output stage has huge headroom at extremely low noise levels and, due to its low output impedance and high current delivery, can drive long interconnect cables without any sonic degradation. The enhanced power supply of the QUASAR is based around a 60 VA toroidal transformer with low-density magnetic field and very little dispersion. This power, together with 40,000 µF filtering, can feed the circuit with the kind of super-clean current usually delivered only by battery-based supplies, even with extreme dynamic swings. Heed CanAmp Headphone Amplifier$599.00 CDN The CanAmp is a two-stage amplifier. While the first - voltage gain - stage is based on an integrated circuit of the highest audio pedigree, the second - power gain - stage is a single-ended, pure Class-A amplifier. It enables the CanAmp to drive virtually any headphones from 32 ohms up to 600 ohms. The unit has no internal wiring, and the signal path is kept to a minimum on its PCB. Its high-quality, 1 dB-tolerance Blue Alps volume pot goes through a further selection process during manufacturing to achieve an even tighter, 0.5 dB tolerance. The CanAmp not only has a line-level input but offers a line-level output to boot; it can therefore be connected to the TAPE MONITOR output of an amplifier, leaving the TAPE output free for additional components (MP3, TAPE, CDR, etc.). Gold-plated RCA terminals are used, and soldered directly onto the fibreglass PCB. Heed Questar MM and Questar MC Phono Preamps$499 CDN each The QUESTAR MM incorporates the Quasar’s unsurpassed MM circuitry. Its sibling, the QUESTAR MC deploys a streamlined version of the Quasar’s MC stage, eliminating the need for jumper switches by optimising the amplifier to suit the 300-600 µV output range characterising the vast majority of today’s moving coils. Considering its generous 18 dB headroom, ideal cartridge matching is virtually assured. The internal construction of the QUESTARs meets the most critical high-end standards in every respect. The amplifier employs an entirely dual-mono configuration and uses a two-stage - passive/active - RIAA equalisation. Gain adjustment has been optimised for maximum headroom and highest signal-to-noise ratio. Component parts are selected to exacting tolerances matching those of our flagship Quasar. The QUESTARs are suitable for any line-level amplifier input, and can easily drive virtually any length of interconnect. There is no internal wiring or binding, and all high-current parts of the circuit are shielded. Both models feature gold-plated RCA terminals soldered directly onto the PCB, limiting all signal paths to a bare minimum. Heed Q-Psu Power Supply$599.00 CDN The Heed Q-Psu powers either the Dactilus or Quasar unit. Heed VINYL-1 Card$229.00 CDN MM phono card for Obelisk Si or Obelisk PRE. Heed DAC-1 Card$299.00 CDN DAC card for Obelisk Si or Obelisk PRE. Heed ZENE Cartridge$1299.00 CDN Low-output MC Cartridge with FGS stylus (custom-made for Heed by BENZ).