Front Panel - SWR Headlite Owner's Manual

Thank you for choosing the SWR® headlite™ bass amplifier.
The SWR tradition of innovation and excellence began in 1984, when
founder Steve W. Rabe developed an entirely new concept of bass
instrument amplification. Responding to advice and suggestions from
top L.A. recording bassists of the day who wanted their live sound to
resemble what they heard in studio playback monitors, Rabe developed a
full-range, hi-fi bass system that allowed players to dial in any tone they
wanted with the accuracy of a studio mixing console. The "SWR sound"
was born.
The headlite is a result of our ongoing efforts to improve the lives
of bassists everywhere, and is part of a completely new generation of
innovative, lightweight bass amplification products.
Thanks to the laws of physics, bass instruments in general require
substantially more power for accurate amplification than their high
frequency counterparts and, until recently, have required extremely heavy
transformers and bulky power supplies to produce this needed power.
The headlite was made possible by recent advances in technology
that have finally made powerful, lightweight amplifiers and speaker
enclosures a reality. Further, the headlite is the direct result of
exhaustive research and development efforts and countless hours of real-
A. POWER INDICATOR—Illuminates when the unit is ON.
B. PAD—Press IN to reduce input sensitivity by –10dB to
provide high-output instruments with more headroom and
cleaner response.
C. MUTE—Disables audio output from the Speaker Out {O},
DI {R}, and Pre Out {P} jacks. Mute does NOT disable the
Direct {W} or Send {V} outputs.
D. INPUT—Plug your instrument in here.
E. COMPRESSOR LED & PREAMP CLIP LED—This dual
purpose indicator turns yellow when the compressor is
active and turns red when the preamp clips. The brightness
of the yellow LED represents how much signal level is
actively being attenuated by the compression circuit. For
the cleanest signal, increase Gain until the Preamp Clip LED
6 6
headlite headlite
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world playing applications that, together, ensured that the SWR standards
of quality, excellence and reliability were successfully met.
Combining lightweight class "D" amplifier technology with the legendary
SWR tube preamp, the headlite is a 3.75-pound (1.7 kg), 400-watt*
dynamo that delivers the tonal clarity SWR amps are famous for, as well
as astonishingly thunderous low-end response for such a diminutive
package. In addition to convenience, the headlite offers a full array
of professional features, including a studio-quality Line Out, a Compressor
circuit, an optional footswitch to engage the Effects Loop or Tuning Mute
(it also controls an integrated Tuner) and a new three-position Aural
Enhancer™ circuit (Classic, Modern or Bypass).
Ideal as a stand-alone amp in a head/speaker rig or partnered with the
amplite™—a matching 400-watt* power amplifier—in a multiple
power amp rig, your headlite is an extremely versatile performance
tool. Carry it in the included accessory bag, slip it into a pocket of your
bass's gig bag or rack-mount it with the optional rack-mounting kit
(P/N 007-7798-000) and you'll be ready for nearly any gig in a matter of
minutes.
We're confident that you will enjoy your new headlite for many years
to come, and many thanks for "Stepping up" to SWR.
*300-watt for 100V Japanese models.

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occasionally flashes red at your instrument's peak output
levels, then reduce Gain slightly.
F. GAIN—Adjusts the amount of preamp gain and is used
together with the Master volume {L} to control the overall
loudness of the amplifier. If signal distortion is desired, use
higher Gain settings (unlike power amp clipping, preamp
clipping is not harmful to the amplifier).
Gain is also the primary level control for the effects
loop Send {V} jack on the rear panel and can be used to
accommodate the input sensitivity of external equipment
if necessary.
G. SHIFT—The OUT position (green setting) selects the
classic Aural Enhancer circuit that has been a trademark
SWR feature for over 25 years. The IN position (yellow
setting) selects a modern Aural Enhancer providing a more
contemporary sound that was developed in partnership
with SWR artist, Marcus Miller.
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