Headway EDB-1 Review

[John M.]

My EDB-1 has been great so far. I do not hear any noise I feel is disproportionate to the considerable amount of gain on tap and combined with the K&K PWM in my Collings I'm getting great tone - really sounds just like the guitar which is pretty much the point I think. Like posters above, I've had a good interaction with service from the US distributors. As for build quality - you guys probably know more about it than I do, but is any of this stuff built well these days?

As for live vs. studio use. Personally, I think there is a difference between a noisy venue and an isolated studio environment. I've usually found gear designed for one setting less than optimal for the other. I understand the mentality of those wanting studio quality sound in a live setting - just have a hard time believing most audiences would notice a difference (the exception here being a true music hall setting where people sit down, shut up and listen!).

I have one niggle though. I do think that customers would be better served if the found a way to make the unit compatible with some industry standard power supplies. I would very much like to run mine off of my Pedal Power 2+ on a combined acoustic/electric board but after two inquiries, I still get the red light from Headway. So now it's batteries or a wall wart which is kind of annoying no matter what the battery life.

[pob]

Originally Posted by John M.

I have one niggle though. I do think that customers would be better served if the found a way to make the unit compatible with some industry standard power supplies. I would very much like to run mine off of my Pedal Power 2+ on a combined acoustic/electric board but after two inquiries, I still get the red light from Headway. So now it's batteries or a wall wart which is kind of annoying no matter what the battery life.

I was interested to read this, as I was contemplating doing pretty much the same thing. When you say you got the red light from Headway, do you mean they told you not to use the EDB1 with the PP2+, or any DC power supply other than their own? If so, did they give any concrete reasons?

Surely if the voltage, current rating, polarity and connectors are correct, then it shouldn't much matter what DC power supply is used (provided it's of good quality, of course)?

[John M.]

Originally Posted by pob

I was interested to read this, as I was contemplating doing pretty much the same thing. When you say you got the red light from Headway, do you mean they told you not to use the EDB1 with the PP2+, or any DC power supply other than their own? If so, did they give any concrete reasons?

Surely if the voltage, current rating, polarity and connectors are correct, then it shouldn't much matter what DC power supply is used (provided it's of good quality, of course)?

Never got a concrete reason. I was simply told that the power requirements were very specific and I needed to use either their wall wart or two batteries. I agree with you - if the PP2+ can put out 18v with 200 ma (which it can with a Y cable) there should be no issue, there's no magic.