Using Tape Outputs


Hi All,

My speaker tech did me a favor and made me a respectable pair of DIY open back headphones. They work beautifully with everything except the 6.4mm connection on the front of my ASR Emitter II Exclusive amplifier. There may be a way to fix the disconnect that I’m getting from the ASR amplifier headphone connector but the best way might be to add a headphone amp to the tape outputs on the amp instead. My understanding then is that a separate amplifier connected to the tape outputs would act as a volume control but that the signal would come from my amp. I apologize for seeming stupid but I need a better clarification on how this is done and an idea regarding what type of amp I would need and how much it will cost. Thanks !

128x128goofyfoot

@fuzztone Thanks, I was looking at the Schiit headphone amps. I did fill out an information request which was all automated and I got a response saying; the better the headphone amp, the better the overall sound, even though I’m tapping into my amp’s outputs. In other words, what you said. Anyway, $71.00 is so affordable that it’s well worth any risk.

@soix My current budget is practically non existent, as I'm again paying for new Quad ESL panels, looking for a new place to live and other inundating money matters. That being said, I'm entertaining the idea of eventually purchasing the Schiit Lyr + at around $650.00 new. If I could find that same piece as pre-owned and in very good shape, I'd be open to buying it used. One thing that I'm unclear about, is how much of the sonic signature that's coming from my power amp is altered by passing through the headphone amp before it reaches the drivers in my headphones? As for right now, I'm still looking at whether or not there's an easy fix in getting the headphone jack that's in the front of my amplifier to work. I have a new jack but am not confident enough to install it on my own. I believe one potential problem is that installing a headphone jack is not often requested when building ASR amplifiers, in fact the distributor offered to add the headphone output free of charge. It was suggested that I add a divider to the headphone output given its high impedance but I'm focusing on fixing the disconnect before trying anything else and if I can't resolve the disconnect, my only recourse is to integrate a headphone amplifier.