[holderlin]

I have a dumb question. Do you connect your headphone amp directly to the source or do you connect the source to preamp and the headphone amp to the preamp?

If you connect headphone amp directly to source do you find yourself constantly switching interconnects depending on whether you want to hear your source through speakers or headphones?

My cd player has xlr and rca outs. I've tried plugging it simultaneously into my integrated amp and my headphone amp. However, when I unplug one of the pairs of interconnects from the cd player the sound seems to improve so I'm considering running the headphone amp through the integrated amp.

 

[JMT]

I have my Creek running out of the tape monitor of my integrated receiver, for some reason I thought it sounded better than directly out of the CD changer too. Of course, the changer is connected to the CD input of the receiver as well. I am expecting delivery of an MG Head in a few days and do not want to keep having to switch IC's, so I am going to try running the MG Head through the output RCAs of the Creek.

 

[morphsci]

I run my CDP-DAC into my Adcom tuner/preamp, McCormack MID on Tape 1, (Future) MicroZOTL on Tape 2, Main outs to ASL AV-8s and KEF Q15.2s. That way I can listen to SS headphone amp, tube headphone amp or with speakers. I hate switching IC's.

 

[joelongwood]

Old habits die hard........I've always assumed the less components in the signal path, the cleaner the signal. Whether this is something that I can hear, I have no idea, because ever since I got my first headphone amp, I always go direct from the source. My RA-1 is hooked directly to my AMC CD8B CDP, my MG Head is hooked directly from the fixed outs of my Sony Changer (there is also a variable out which goes to my Carver Receiver to drive my speakers.) My Creek OBH-11 is hooked directly to a Radio Shack portable CDP. And my JMT-built CHA47 amps are used exclusively with my Panasonic portable CDP. All of these different sources avoids any changing of ICs.

 

[Vertigo-1]

I'll take it no other way than direct from the source, baby...

 

[jude]

In all three of my headphone rigs, the CD player goes right to the amp.

 

[chych]

Wow... I guess I am the recluse...

scsi/ide CDP->scsi/ide ribbon cable->scsi/ide bus->pci bus->ap 2496 sound card->coax cable->MSB Link DAC->(will be) xfeed box

and THEN finally, to the amp.

 

[Redwoood]

Well chych, I guess in this case your DAC is the source.

 

[gerG]

Are there any decent source switchers on the market? I need one more for my workplace than the home systems, and I don't want to drag in a pre-amp.


Thanks

 

[Tim D]

http://www.garage-a-records.com/preamp.html

I have the 5 way switcher listed on that page. Its cheap and it works. The RCA jacks are tight on a new unit...I would break em in with a cheap cable at first.

I've compared it with and without in my signal change and its effect was too negliable to me to not use it for convenience sake and not having to swap IC's all the time.

 

[gerG]

That is exactly what I had in mind. I couldn't build one for that price.

 

[holderlin]

Quote:

Originally posted by Tim D http://www.garage-a-records.com/preamp.html I have the 5 way switcher listed on that page. Its cheap and it works. The RCA jacks are tight on a new unit...I would break em in with a cheap cable at first. I've compared it with and without in my signal change and its effect was too negliable to me to not use it for convenience sake and not having to swap IC's all the time.

Thanks,

I might just look into that as well. I'm waiting for Cary to respond to whether they recommend plugging two pairs of ics to separate amps.

Bob