Advice on headphone set up please

[admin_exported]

I have a cable that can run from my CD player, twin RCA to 3.5 female jack plug to accept headphones. Now can I just do without a headphone amp and use a portable volume control unit inbetween the CD and headphones / or even use a simple passive pre amp as a volume control. The CD seems to have plenty of output.......I plugged my phones in direct using the above mentioned cable.....obviously it was a wee bit loud, but it sounded really good. ???

 

[idc]

So your CDP outputs an analogue signal powerful enough without amplification to drive your headphones loudly

Crikey! Both a volume control and preamp, which is a volume control would work. But why not get a headphone amp to do it properly and protect your ears and headphones from potential damage?

 

[Anonymous]

Hi, thanks for the reply. That was going to be my 2nd question.......wether or not I could use a pre-amp (passive). As it is, and i've just done it as a test. It is really loud just coming though the cable then into the phones. It sounds more open and full........so if i can tame it down with a volume control without introducing too many extra electronics, hopefully i can get the original sound out of the CD player, without changing the music to much. I have been disapointed in the past with so called good headphone amps and just want the purest sound out of my CD player i can.........hopefully without damaging the CD player ??? I don't know enough about this sort of stuff.........but i've heard things like if it isn't buffered ? ....it might strain the output of the CD ??? I don't know.

So in theory i should be able to buy a passive pre amp ( or powered, but i'd prefere a simple passive ) and use the signal OUT on that in the way i discribed above, and have ajustable volume.............will different makes have different resistances / gains even in a passive, and poss make it quieter or louder ?

 

[idc]

I would certainly say a preamp is the minimum needed, but again, although you have been disappointed with headphone amps before (which ones) it sounds dodgy.

Certainly different makes and models of headphones have different sensitivity and will sound louder or quieter. Basically the higher the Ohms the more of a load the headphone presents to the amp and the higher the SPL in either db/w or db/V the louder the headphone will go for a given volume. So more sensitive headphones have a low (less than 50ohms) and a high SPL (over 100 db/w). But a headphone can have low SPL and very low ohms, such as Grados and be considered sensitive.

 

[Anonymous]

Just had a message from an expert who said something about using a basic volume control to control the CD outputs directly could short the outputs ! So ( i am a novice at this ) just trying to find out if a passive pre amp would be safe to use.....in this application...or not

 

[idc]

I would pick a product and then contact the manufacturer.

 

[Anonymous]

That's sounds like good advice.

 

[Anonymous]

Expert got back to me now he has bit more time,says it will not short output

but may have a guy prepared to adapt / make a passive volume control........

 

[idc]

I am really intregued by what you are doing. Please post back, preferably with some pictures of how this setup will work.

 

[PJPro]

Sounds like he's placing an attenuator onto the RCA output of the CDP and plugging his headphones into the output without amplification. I don't think it's a good idea.

 

[Anonymous]

Hello again. I just got rid of my hi-amp and was using a cheap h. phone amp, have had Musical fidelity and Creek before with Senhiesser HD580's...various cables stands etc etc.....was sorely dissapointed. So I like to get the best out of stuff, and try and get 'sound for pound' as there are a lot of unessasary boxes out there with rubbish performance and high price tags ( and good expensive stuff !) and converly a lot of good cheap stuff that you can tweek. ( been into hi-fi since 85 had lots of low to mid price stuff, used to demo a lot of kit for a local dealer cos he thought i had good ears ! )

Anyway, my aging Arcam Alpha 7i CD player is what i have chosen for head phone source. It appears to have a highish output according to specs. I have a normal twin RCA interconnect at the CD end with a female RCA to 3.5 female head jack Y connector at the other end....where I can plug my budget Koss porta pro's in. TOO loud straight through ( and though my vinyl souce !!! ), but sound is big and clear and more detailed than though my budget headphone amp. I want the 'better sound' thank you. So today I recieved a very cheap volume control to fit inbetween phones and cable........works very well and the sound still sounds very good. If this is safe to use and wont damage anything that would be great.......if its safe....I want to try better phones.......better vol control like a passive pre amp.......or maybe a Sennhieser volume control that fits on the phone cable £30 with L+R balance.........WHY have an extra box (head amp) of active electronics to change the sound ? If it's safe.....(yet to find out 100%) I will be closer to the original sound of my CD player and saved money on an expensive head amp. That's the idea.

 

[idc]

Can you do a link to the volume control or tell us its make and model so I can google it. Thanks.

 

[Anonymous]

Hello, do you mean the cheapy one i'm using just to test if it works £3.50 plus post or the Sennhieser one that i havn't tried ? bout £30

 

[idc]

Both, I would like to look at and read more about the volume controls

 

[Anonymous]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sennheiser-HZR62-Stereo-Volume-Control/dp/B000H0K8VY

http://www.pjbox.co.uk/store/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=437

 

[jimdonnelly]

idc:So your CDP outputs an analogue signal powerful enough without amplification to drive your headphones loudly

Crikey! Both a volume control and preamp, which is a volume control would work. But why not get a headphone amp to do it properly and protect your ears and headphones from potential damage?

For info.

My old Technics CD player also outputs a signal strong enough to drive my Goldring DR50s. It also has a volume control. I never need to swith my amp on when listening through the cans.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi did your CD player have a headphone socket in it ? Or did you do what I did. I just found some info which may lead me to stopping this experiment for fear of damaging my CD outputs.....

" Preamplifier outputs to drive headphones:
Configuration - 2 RCA plugs to stereo headphone jack (1/4" or 1/8")."
Rarely used and not recommended unless the preamplifier output
specifications are known to be compatible with driving headphones.
Preamp outputs may be both low current and high impedance, which would
limit their ability to drive phones cleanly. The strongest candidates
in this regard are preamps with buffered outputs.

There was a bit earlier about damaging outputs if not buffered correctly.

 

[jimdonnelly]

My CD player has a headphone socket built in to it.

 

[Sizzers]

Now this I find interesting.

I'm picking up a CDP on Friday for a headphone set-up myself and although I won't be trying this one out for the potential risks already mentioned (that's assuming it had the output), I do hope you find a solution as the logic behind it is faultless IMO. Good luck!

 

[Anonymous]

Why, thank you.........

 

[cse]

My Micromeger Stage 4 CDP has a headphone socket with adjustable volume control and i have never seen the point of adding a headphone amp. However, i can't be sure whether or not that would improve things.