was the first such product to accomplish this feat. The first commercial Power Soak was issued towards the end of 1980 for $89.95. An updated version of the Power Soak, the Model II, was issued towards the end of 1981. This model has an extra switch on the back to adapt the Power Soak to solid-state amplifiers. The Power Soak was re-issued one last time in 1992 as a Power Soak model III, lacking the solid-state switch, though the Power Soak III can be used both with solid-state and tube amps. The 1/4" jacks were also moved to the back of the unit. Rockman Headphone amplifiers The Rockman brand was introduced with SR&D's eponymous battery powered headphone amplifier claiming to replace $10,000 of studio gear. The first generation Rockman combined multiple effects with high quality components and construction in a hip-worn enclosure using a built-in attached belt clip. Rockman (Rev.1 and Rev.2) Rockman II (Rev.3 and Rev.4) Rockman IIB (Rev.5 thru Rev.7) Ultralight ($198.95) X100 (Rev.8 thru Rev.10) ($319.95 introductory price, $349.95) Soloist ($169.95) Bass Rockman Rockman X100 10th Anniversary ($190) Rockman or X100 with Rockmax modification Guitar Ace ($99) Bass Ace ($99) Metal Ace Rockman Released in 1982, the original Rockman (Model I) advertised "custom EQ, heavy sustain, clean/distortion control, 'chamber echo', stereo chorus" and "folding headphones". The Rockman requires eight AA batteries or a "Rockadaptor" power supply adapter which mounts in the battery compartment. Featuring a built-in compressor, the Rockman offered two clean modes utilize different equalization settings with "hi power sustain": "CLN 1" can be used for R&B and country, while "CLN 2" is recommended for a wider range of use, including acoustic guitar, vocals and keyboards (electric piano, organ and synthesizer). The "Edge" setting produces what is described as "subtle" distortion, that will clean up when playing softly. The chorus and echo are tied together, both being on when the switch was set to normal. Either chorus or echo can be disabled, but not both at the same time. The output was then processed by an integrated amp simulator to the headphone jack and low level output jack. The 'Rockman' name has similarity to Sony's 'Walkman' which had been introduced to the US in 1980 as a breakthrough in portable stereophonic electronics. The Rockman even allowed you to plug your Walkman in using its AUX INPUT jack which allowed you to play along with your cassette