Cranborne Audio N22H Headphone Amplifier and Breakout Box

Cranborne Audio N22H Headphone Amplifier and Breakout Box

The N22H is a headphone amp that can be deployed exactly where it is needed, right beside musicians.

N22H's headphone amplifier is based on the same custom design found in Cranborne’s renowned 500R8 interface. With a flat Frequency Response from 0.8Hz to above 250kHz and ultra-low distortion (0.0009% THD+N, 100 kOhm load), it can easily power headphones with clean, transparent power, ideal for critical listening, mixing, and mastering. There’s also enough power (up to 950mW per ear) to drive headphones at high volumes during tracking, perfect for loud drummers.

Headphone Monitoring Made Easy

N22H is a reference-grade headphone amplifier with advanced C.A.S.T. cable management, battery power, and switchable power mode.

Using Cranborne Audio’s C.A.S.T. system, N22H can be connected on the end of a 100m (330ft) shielded Cat 5e, Cat 6, and Cat 7 cable and deliver a headphone mix directly to the musician during tracking.

Based on the same custom design found in the renowned 500R8 interface, N22H’s headphone amplifier achieves a flat Frequency Response from 0.8Hz to above 250kHz and ultra-low distortion (0.0009% THD+N, 100 kOhm load) allowing it to power headphones with clean, transparent power during critical listening, mixing, and mastering.

Standalone Headphone Amplifier

First and foremost, N22H is a standalone, reference-grade headphone amplifier. Simply connect the line outputs of your audio interface, guitar pedalboard, mixer, keyboard, or outboard hardware directly into N22H's inputs, set the 'Source' switch on N22H to 'Inputs' and you are ready to use N22H for all your headphone monitoring needs.

Using N22H's headphone amp, instead of built-in devices, upgrades the headphone monitoring quality of your existing setup and allows you to benefit from more power and higher clean volume with a wider range of headphones.

C.A.S.T. Breakout Box

C.A.S.T. uses a shielded Cat 5e, Cat 6, and Cat 7 cable instead of 4 XLRs to not only reduce cable spaghetti in your studio but also distribute audio around studios or stages using affordable, readily available network cabling whilst achieving the highest sonic results due to their strict design standards.

Each C.A.S.T. connection on a Cranborne Audio product features unique optimisation to ensure that the maximum signal integrity is transmitted over shielded Cat 5, Cat 6, and Cat 7 cables for distances of up to 100m(330ft) without high-end roll-off and with very low-crosstalk.

Connect N22H into 500R8/500ADAT's C.A.S.T. Input connectors and then mic/line sources connected to N22H’s inputs are sent directly to the interface's inputs ready for recording via C.A.S.T. Meanwhile, a stereo monitor mix generated by 500R8/500ADAT is carried down the same C.A.S.T. connection and directly into N22H’s headphone output.

Replace cumbersome and expensive analogue multicore systems by using one N22 and an N22H to send and receive balanced analogue audio between two locations. Connect N22 to your current audio interface and send a monitor mix directly to the N22H in the vocal booth using a single shielded Cat 5e, Cat 6, or Cat 7 cable.

Phantom Power

Crandborne's C.A.S.T. system is fully able to transfer 48v, phantom power from a preamp to N22/N22H to power condenser microphones and DI boxes. Cat 5e, Cat 6, and Cat 7 cables are designed to transfer much higher voltages and currents than 48v, so one C.A.S.T. cable can easily transfer up to 4 separate phantom power lines in your studio or live space.

If you're using an audio interface or 3rd party preamp, simply connect one N22 to your preamp's inputs, the other N22 to your microphone, and engage 48v on your preamp! Now you can effortlessly power and record your sources through a single C.A.S.T. connection!

If you are using a 500R8, 500ADAT, or Camden EC2, simply connect the C.A.S.T. inputs of the device to the C.A.S.T. output of N22, engage 48v on your preamps, and you're ready to record!

Reference-Quality Headphone Amplifier

With carefully calibrated High and Low Power Modes, N22H can be quickly optimised for maximum performance with high-impedance over-ear headphones or low-impedance in-ears at a flick of a switch. A custom logarithmic Headphone Level control also allows for precise control of the headphone output without big shifts in volume during small adjustments.

N22H can be powered using the included 9V DC power supply as well as any 3rd party 9v DC (centre negative) guitar pedal power supply. It can also be powered using a 9v battery for up to 10 hours of headphone amplification in Low Power Mode during tracking and location recording where power isn’t available nearby.

Key Features:

• Two balanced combi jack inputs
• Two balanced XLR and 1/4” jack outputs
• A.S.T IN RRTT Port: For connecting to the C.A.S.T. Output of N22 or other C.A.S.T. enabled devices
• A.S.T OUT TTRR Port: For connecting to the C.A.S.T. Input of 500R8, 500ADAT or other C.A.S.T. enabled devices
• Cat5 snake connectivity with N22 or second N22H
• Compatible with any shielded Cat 5e/Cat 6/Cat 7 cables with distances up to 100m/330ft
• Improved crosstalk performance with high-performance Cat 6 and Cat 7 (recommended)
• Ruggedised metal enclosure
• Fixing holes for permanent installation
• Cable-tie holes for cable management
• Non-slip rubber feet
• ⅜” mic stand thread mount on the bottom

Reference-quality headphone amplifier

• THD+N: <0.0009% (-100.4dB) @ +6dBu, 1kHz, A-weighted, 100 kOhm load
• Output Wattage (1kHz): 252mW x 2 @ 600 ohms, 502mW x 2 @ 220 ohms, 950mW x 2 @ 100 ohms, 470mW x 2 @ 32 ohms
• Frequency Response: 1dB, <0.8Hz to >200kHz

Switchable High and Low Power Modes

• High Power optimised for maximum power and performance for high-impedance, over-ear, and open back mixing/mastering headphones
• Low Power optimised for maximum battery life for low-impedance, in-ears and closed backtracking headphones

9V Battery compartment

• Up to ~10 hours battery life (Low Power Mode)
• Up to ~2 hours Battery life (High Power Mode)

9V DC Power Inlet

• Includes a 9V DC (centre negative) power supply
• Can be powered with any 3rd party 9v DC (centre negative) guitar pedal power supply (1000mA supply recommended)