Headphone amp & Dynaco pre: Possible?

[caseyjames]

Hey everyone

I'm new here and also very new to headphones and headphone amps. This past year, I made a modest investment into my entire analog setup. I got the itch to get into tubes, so picked up a Dyanco PAS-3X preamp and ST-70 amp. Also grabbed a nice AR-XA turntable and a pair of AR-2xa speakers. All in all, I'm very happy with where I am at. However, having a roommate, I've found it problematic to listen to my music on my schedule, so am now looking into getting a nice pair of headphones and a headphone amp to drive them.

I'm a librarian by trade, so I'm predisposed to doing TOO much research and now my head is swimming. I have a few questions that I'm hoping y'all can help me with. Some may seem really basic and/or dumb, but I'm trying

1. I should be able to run a headphone amp from my PAS-3X, right? Can I run it out of the TAPE OUT inputs?
2. I sort of want to keep things all tube, so was looking at a Schiit Valhalla (or even Vali 2). But then I got the thinking, would the PAS' tube-ness be enough? Would a tube headphone amp color the sound even more? Would it make more sense to get something like the Magni?
3. During my research, I got it in my head that a pair of AKG k240 Sextetts might be something I'd be into. Would something like the Vali or Magni drive those? How about if I went with Senns HD600s?
4. Do I even want either of those cans? My tastes include lots of classic rock from the 60s up until now, some sole, folky stuff, modern indie, and lately, early-mid 70s country-tinged rural jams (think Poco, American Beauty-era Dead, anything with a pedal steel, etc).

I appreciate any and all help/advice you can provide and will continue to read as much information as I can find.

 

[cossix]

The 600 should work for you! If you go with the Schiit tubes, they'll sound close to solid state which may not be a bad thing considering the tube pre, but you'll have to wait for somebody else to find out if the tube pre actually colors the sound much because Im not sure about that one. But definitely recommending the 600 for your music genres

 

[caseyjames]

The 600s over the K240 Sextetts? Is it pretty much a slam dunk of a decision? I know personal preference comes into play here but I'm looking for something that is pretty neutral, so if the 600s trump the 240s in that regard, I may have to shift my search.

 

[cossix]

The 600s over the K240 Sextetts? Is it pretty much a slam dunk of a decision? I know personal preference comes into play here but I'm looking for something that is pretty neutral, so if the 600s trump the 240s in that regard, I may have to shift my search.

I'm not experienced with the k240 but the 600 is one of the best neutral and slightly warm sounding headphones ever made in many people's opinions. Definitely worth checking out especially with tube amps. As a side note, the Bottlehead Crack is regarded as the best tube amp for the 600 for its price

 

[bixby]

Hey everyone

I'm new here and also very new to headphones and headphone amps. This past year, I made a modest investment into my entire analog setup. I got the itch to get into tubes, so picked up a Dyanco PAS-3X preamp and ST-70 amp. Also grabbed a nice AR-XA turntable and a pair of AR-2xa speakers. All in all, I'm very happy with where I am at. However, having a roommate, I've found it problematic to listen to my music on my schedule, so am now looking into getting a nice pair of headphones and a headphone amp to drive them.

I'm a librarian by trade, so I'm predisposed to doing TOO much research and now my head is swimming. I have a few questions that I'm hoping y'all can help me with. Some may seem really basic and/or dumb, but I'm trying

1. I should be able to run a headphone amp from my PAS-3X, right? Can I run it out of the TAPE OUT inputs?
2. I sort of want to keep things all tube, so was looking at a Schiit Valhalla (or even Vali 2). But then I got the thinking, would the PAS' tube-ness be enough? Would a tube headphone amp color the sound even more? Would it make more sense to get something like the Magni?
3. During my research, I got it in my head that a pair of AKG k240 Sextetts might be something I'd be into. Would something like the Vali or Magni drive those? How about if I went with Senns HD600s?
4. Do I even want either of those cans? My tastes include lots of classic rock from the 60s up until now, some sole, folky stuff, modern indie, and lately, early-mid 70s country-tinged rural jams (think Poco, American Beauty-era Dead, anything with a pedal steel, etc).

I appreciate any and all help/advice you can provide and will continue to read as much information as I can find.

1. NO you cannot run headphone out of the analog outs of a preamp, wrong impedance.
2. The pre may work just fine with a decent ss amp, a Magni 3 for $99 would be a great place to start and probably end if it is to your liking. Worse case is you lose a bit on resale, but Schiit holds value.
3. Magni will drive the AKG fine, not sure about Vali.
4. Maybe Sennheiser 569s. Very nice sounding can, that is comfy and closed. Should sound great with New Riders of the Purple Sage,

 

[caseyjames]

1. NO you cannot run headphone out of the analog outs of a preamp, wrong impedance.

I can't run a headamp out of the pre? I posed this question on another board and was told I could, so now I just don't know. :/

 

[bixby]

damn, I read the #1 part wrong, my apologies, I thought it said headphone..........duh, I am an idiot.

Of course you can run the preamp into a headphone amplifier, sorry!

 

[caseyjames]

Okay, phew! I was about to give up if that were the case and just blast my music at full volume regardless of time of day or who is in the house

 

[buke9]

Don’t know the PAS and how much “ Tubieness “ it has so hard to say if it will color it even more. I have a Schiit Freya and it just like a lot of the other Schiit tube stuff sound fairly solid state to me but with a bit of richness. I have yet to try it on one of my tube amps as I figure it would just add a bit more noise but did try it on my Liquid Carbon and it didn’t warm it up more than what it already is. If I weren’t headed to a wedding tonight and maybe a meet tomorrow I would check it out with my Bottlehead Crack and Amps and Sound Kenzie amp with the K240 Sextett’s it will have to wait till Sunday at the latest.

 

[caseyjames]

Just an random update, but I ended up getting a Schiit Valhalla 2 and am running it off of my PAS-3X into a pair of Sextetts and I am diggin' the sound. Not too gooey as I had feared.

The one thing I didn't foresee, however, is that using the TAPE OUT, I bypass the preamp tone controls, volume, etc. This has actually been a good thing as it has forced me to listen to the music minus bass/treble adjustments and I've discovered that I like this just fine. So much so that I am moving on from the PAS onto something else hand built.