A magnetic head for writing information on a relatively-moving medium includes a first substantially flat soft magnetic pole layer and a second substantially flat pole layer with at least one coil layer between them. The pole layers are magnetically coupled in a core region and spaced by more than one micron from one other. A soft magnetic pedestal adjoins the first pole layer adjacent to a medium-facing surface of the head, and a first high magnetic saturation layer adjoins the pedestal. A second high magnetic saturation layer adjoins the second pole layer. The first high magnetic saturation layer has a first throat height and the second high magnetic saturation layer extends from the medium-facing surface only to a second throat height. The first and second throat heights are within about one and one-half microns from the medium-facing surface and are essentially equal.