[Flea Bag]

My home and portable amp, a buffered Cmoy, has been providing me with a nice time but recently, the LED started failing and the sound coming out of the amp became bright and tiny. I used this as an excuse to order the Prehead MkI

but I still have to wait for it to arrive

, just a few days more from now!

I became so desperate that I decided to use my Behringer DEQ-2496 Digital Equiliser directly as a headphone amplifier and it's actually doing quite well!

The XLR outputs of the DEQ are cable converted into RCA, from RCA to a 1/8' socket to my HD600 with Oehlbach cable. Because of the high gain of the DEQ's circuits, I have to control the volume by digitally reducing the output signals in the PEQ, DEQ and in the I/O Menu.

Only at insane volume levels does the DEQ produce any audible noise floor and the sound is better than I remember coming from my Cmoy. It does sound very transparent indeed and treble is crisp and bass is satisfying.

I know there are a number of us who own the DEQ perhaps even with a HD600 and Oehlbach cable and I was wondering if you could take some time to try what I've done and comment on the results.

 

[Flea Bag]

Mis-typed Post

 

[Flea Bag]

Someone liked this post recently and I need to add something as an update that I forgot to type years ago...

The main correction: Using the DEQ2496 to directly drive headphones produced a fun sound when I first heard it. However, the next day, I realised that the sound that was "fun" was actually what I would call "unstable" or wobbly. There was no consistency in the sound at all. I abandoned the idea of using the Behringer immediately after, but did not remember to update this post.

Just thought I should correct it since this is the internet and people might stumble upon my original post years later and actually think it's a good idea to try. I wouldn't recommend it because a source component such as the output of the DEQ or the output of a DAC or such was meant to be connected to a receiving component of high impedance and thus, the DEQ/DAC need only output a minimal of current. A headphone, even a generally high impedance one like the 300 Ohm HD600 is not far from being the exact opposite of this requirement and could result in damage to your DEQ/DAC.