I can't give any recommendations for an integrated amp, but there are a lot that do take the headphones off of the speakers outputs, that is amplified through the whole amp. Without knowing if this is done from someone that has a schematic, or manufacturers provided info, there might be one way to tell. If the amp has a preamp amp loop with jumpers, if you take them out (jumpers) and the headphone jack keeps working, that should tell you it has its own amp stage, or at least is not going through the power amp too. If the jack shuts off, it obviously is going through the whole output stage also.
Integrated with good headphone output
Hi all,
I recently bought some Grado SR60 headphones and I'm looking for a headphone amp. I got to thinking a budget integrated (3-400) with a good headphone output is more versatile than a dedicated headphone amp. Any ideas? New or used, old or new, whatever.
On a related note, are most headphone outputs on a seperate circuit from the amplifier output section?
Thanks
bmdduck
I recently bought some Grado SR60 headphones and I'm looking for a headphone amp. I got to thinking a budget integrated (3-400) with a good headphone output is more versatile than a dedicated headphone amp. Any ideas? New or used, old or new, whatever.
On a related note, are most headphone outputs on a seperate circuit from the amplifier output section?
Thanks
bmdduck
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- 12 posts total
Willing to try some DIY? Check out the CMOY pages. Most of what you'll need is at the RadioShack. The rest? A single order to any one of the electronic vendors. Than you can get into 'opamp rolling'. Buying the tools, for those without tools may be expensive, but you'll never have to buy 'em again. You can build one for 30$ or 40$. It should drive the Grado phones just fine. http://tangentsoft.net/audio/cmoy-tutorial/ |
bmdduck, My first headphone amp was a Project Head Box II which I used to drive a pair of Grado 325's. I picked up the Project for $100 used and they worked great together. In fact I probably preferred the Project/Grado combo better than using a Creek Destiny 2 which was my amp at the time and had a headphone out. Don't think you have to pay a fortune to get those 60's working. |
among headphone lovers, the Japanese built Leben CS-300, which includes a number of variations (CS-300x, CS-300xs and just the plain CS-300), is generally considered to be the best integrated headphone amplifier. Leben CS-300xs thread on Head-Fi review of the Leben CS-300x on 6-Moons thread about comparison of the CS-300xs to a $10k headphone amp Head-Fi forum, best place for headphone questions good luck. |
- 12 posts total