Nickel Amplifier

The Periodic Audio Nickel Amplifier was designed to provided almost unlimited power for every headphone. Completed in house, the compact and portable package is capable of producing high levels of power.

High Power
Made with a 4 layer SMT board, the amplifier can supply 150 mW into 50 Ohms, 250 mW into 32 Ohms, and 270 mW into 16 Ohms. The Nickel amplifier is stable into an 8 Ohm load that makes it ideal for nearly any headphone on the market. With a fixed 3 dB of gain, Nickel has higher headroom than most phones and DACs can generate while still being low enough to maintain the dynamic range of volume from any source.

Two-Stage Power Supply System
A battery charger is used to keep the 220 mAh battery charged and conditioned, feeding a dedicated dual-voltage converter that generates ±5V analog power rails. Switching noise is practically eliminated and the listening experience is not diminished, even when charging the battery.

SmartSwitch System
With the SmartSwitch System, the Nickel has no on/off switch. It uses its internal MCU to sense the presence of the input and output connectors and will only turn itself on when both connectors are occupied. Once Nickel is switched on, the battery level is constantly displayed on the integrated LED light pipe and will adjust from green to yellow to red as the battery charge decreases. Turning off Nickel is as simple and easy as unplugging either the source or the headphones.