Looking for a headphone to speaker wire adapter box
Jun 26, 2017 at 9:56 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 13
Music Alchemist

Music Alchemist

Pokémon trainer of headphones
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I noticed that someone created a DIY box with a 1/4" headphone output on one end and speaker wire on the other so that you can drive headphones from speaker taps without having to rewire them.

Does anyone know if there is something like this available for sale?

(I know of the RobinetteBox, but it seems to be DIY only. And the HIFIMAN HE-Adapter is only for a few headphones.)
 
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Jun 27, 2017 at 1:44 PM Post #3 of 13
Oscar-HiFi said:
Why do you say the HE-Adapter is only for a few headphones?
Click to expand...

From the official page:

HE-Adapter is a device to protect amplifiers and headphones when using a speaker amplifier to drive HE6, HE5LE and HE4 headphones.

HE-Adapter is not for any high or average efficiency headphones, such as HE300 and HE500.
Click to expand...

I've also read about various issues related to it, both in terms of safety and sound quality. Plus it only has an XLR headphone output, so you can't use single-ended headphones anyway.
 
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Jun 27, 2017 at 4:27 PM Post #4 of 13
I tried to buy a "Can Opener" awhile back and the guy who made them told me they were discontinued...thats the only such device I know of other than the HE-Adaptor,which as you said,isnt the best for SQ.

Why are you wanting to drive normal HPs from taps? Your "new" receiver should do pretty good with most single-ended HPs straight from the jack,not to mention most of these devices have a resistor in-line,which essentially makes your taps into a jack.

If youre planning on getting an HE-6 than just bite the bullet and have a tap cable made.You wont want the resistor in there.
 
Jun 27, 2017 at 6:07 PM Post #5 of 13
monsterzero said:
I tried to buy a "Can Opener" awhile back and the guy who made them told me they were discontinued...thats the only such device I know of other than the HE-Adaptor,which as you said,isnt the best for SQ.

Why are you wanting to drive normal HPs from taps? Your "new" receiver should do pretty good with most single-ended HPs straight from the jack,not to mention most of these devices have a resistor in-line,which essentially makes your taps into a jack.

If youre planning on getting an HE-6 than just bite the bullet and have a tap cable made.You wont want the resistor in there.
Click to expand...

They should probably remove that add to cart button, then. haha

Sheer curiosity for the most part. I know I can drive them from the headphone output of the receiver, but apparently its output impedance is 560 ohms, and there could be other factors that interfere with sound quality. If you have any technical info relating to that, I'm all ears.

Yes, at the level of the HE6 I would use a proper headphone to speaker tap cable.
 
Jun 27, 2017 at 7:59 PM Post #6 of 13
The only headphones that dont sound good from the HP jack of any of my receivers is the HE-6,for obvious reasons,and low impedance/high sensitivity HPs,like Grados or my AD2000s.For those I use my Mojo,or my V20.

between a vintage receiver,Mojo,and taps for HE-6 Ive yet to find a HP I cant drive very well,including other planars other than the 6...ive yet to do the STAX box though...
 
Jun 27, 2017 at 8:04 PM Post #7 of 13
monsterzero said:
ive yet to do the STAX box though...
Click to expand...

Yeah, STAX require ridiculous amounts of power when you aren't driving them from a proper electrostatic amp. With a 15 watt amp, the SR-Λ distorts quickly. With a 40 watt amp, it usually doesn't distort, but still does for a small percentage of recordings. But I just bought an SR-L300 and SRM-252S, so I've got that covered.
 
Jun 28, 2017 at 10:20 AM Post #10 of 13
Jun 28, 2017 at 12:10 PM Post #12 of 13
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