[Scooterboy]

Hi Everyone,
I am new to headphones and need your help. I am presently an audiophile with a speaker setup and I am desiring to get the same audiophile quality from a headphone setup.

Here is my question to achieve this with the headphones that I have should I go with a dedicated headphone amp or go with a separate preamp and amplifier. I am thinking about a Quicksilver Tube Linestage Pre and a AES-25 super amp which puts out about 15 Watts per channel using triode tubes. I already have the Quicksilver in my system.

Please I appreciate and thank you for your help with this.

 

[calaf]

Hi Scooterboy,
welcome to head-fi and sorry about your wallet!
You can't really use a speaker amp to drive your phones directly, unless those phones are called AKG K1000. In the old days, the head-fi front page featured a review of the Antique Sound Labs UHC-Signature,
ANTIQUE SOUNDLAB
a device that would adapt the headphone load to what a speaker amp likes. I can't find the review anymore but it basically said the device did its job more than decently. I never tried it myself but I suspect that, particularly if you are thinking to get a K340, you may be happy with it, for a while.

Another good way to drive the K340 would be to buy (since you are into tubes) a Woo Audio 3+ (or a used 3)
Woo Audio 3+ High End Headphone Amplifier

For about $500 you get a dedicated OTL headphone amplifier that has plenty of power to drive K340 and good resale value if you decide headphone listening it is not for you.

If instead you are thinking to get K701 (easier and probably cheaper to find than a good K340) I recommend you stay away from entry-level OTL amps. I am sure someone will chime in recommending the perfect tube amp to drive K701 but IMHO the best "reasonable" amps to drive K701 are the Meier Audio Corda
Meier-Audio
I own the top of the line Opera, but the other day at the NorCal meet I was listening to K701 driven by the old entry-level Corda amp, the Aria, and I really liked what I heard.

Finally, if you are using a headphone amp you do not have to use a preamp, but if you like how your Quicksilver sounds there is no reason not to...

 

[Kees]

Musical Fidelity X-CAN V8.

 

[jellojoe]

There have been some reports of K340 driven out of speaker outputs just like the K1000. I forget the results though.

 

[JadeEast]

I've driven the k-340 from a class t-amp and a pair of mono block tube amps. The t-amp was Ok but not that good, the mono blocks were the ASL wave8 wired as triode. Both of the amps are around 10 watts so not really too overpowered. The tube amp was better than the T-amp but there was a low level hum. I'd give the k-340s a shot out of your amp but watch the wick and you may need a voltage divider to get rid of some hum.

 

[Scooterboy]

Hi Everyone,
Thanks for the insightful responses so far.

Calaf suggested the Woo Audio 3+ that sounds like an intriguing option.

Could I get audiophile quality from that headphone amp driving the 340s and 701s?

Also, is there an issue with speaker amps and the impedance differences with headphones? Would this effect sound quality thus making a good headphone amp a better choice?