[Linyanti]

I have had this nice headphone amplifier for a couple of years. Over time the headphone jack has become touchier.
 
I use a 3 mm headphone plug and put this into a 3mm to 1/4 inch stereo plug adapter. I have to fine tune it to get good stereo sound out of it. I have used both the 3 mm headphone plug and the 1/4 inch adapter in other devices and other devices in this amp and it all works in different products but this amp continues to have problems.
 
I took the bottom cover off of the amp and pushed the contacts closer in to the center of the jack but it did not do anything.
 
Has anyone installed another jack in this amp? Is it pretty easy? It looks like about 3 solder joints and that should do it.
 
Alternatively, I am not using the "speaker jacks" in the back. Is there an easy way to connect the four cables together to get three connections for a stand alone jack? That would be easy to do without much risk of hurting the insides of the amp.
 
Any ideas? It is not a pressing issue since I can get a good connection by adjusting the plug slightly while it is being connected but I would like to have a solid feel.

 

[Linyanti]

Can I use the stereo speaker out for the headphones?
 
To keep from opening up the amp there are two ways that I see to connect the speaker out terminals for the headphones.
 
I could get a Neutrik 1/4" stereo phone jack and then mount it in a small plastic box. Then feed to speaker cable from the amp out to the box and hook it up.
 
http://www.neutrik.com/us/en/audio/210_205371/NJ3FP6C-B_detail.aspx 
 
Alternatively, I could make the speaker cables out terminate in two (a right and left) rca connectors and then connect the two rca connectors to a TRSF to Dual RCA breakout cable. This looks very easy to do.
 
http://www.comprehensivecable.com/connectors/7358-comprehensive-rca-jack-audio-connector.html 
 
 http://www.hosatech.com/product/339826/YMR-197/_/Stereo_Breakout%2C_3.5_mm_TRSF_to_Dual_RCA 
 
 
 
Will this work? I am using a Beyerdynamic MMX 300 headset.

 

[Linyanti]

I went ahead and used "Field Expediant" items. I cut an old stero rca patch cord in the middle. Stripped the wire ends and connected them to the speaker out posts. Then I found an old stereo combiner rca to 3 mm stereo adapter. Connected it together with RCA barrel connectors. Then I used a female 3 mm to female 3 mm connector. And plugged the male 3 mm stereo jack of the headset.
 
Two things. The headset 3 mm connector still seems in need of a tweaking twist to get good right and left signal.
 
The second is that the sound seems lots better. I do not know if this is a function of using the stereo speaker out instead of the earphone out or just getting a better connection. It has a much larger sound stage. The original audio source is a right and left rca cable set from a 3 mm stereo adapter from a Creative Fatality sound card using Windows Media Player for 320 kbps mp3 (not the best source). The sound directly from the standard headphone output jack of the soundcard sounds "smaller" but actually more tube like than the tube amplifier.
 
My next experiment is going to be a trs extension cord plugged into the headphone out and see if that improves things. Then maybe mount a Neutric jack in the amp.
 
One peculiarity is that the 3 mm stereo jack from the headset works perfectly (no tweaking twist required) in a cables-to-go extension cable so I am not certain it is the headset jack. But I may replace that with a standard trs 1/4 inch jack. (solder splice.)
 
It is so hot outside that it is nice to get an excuse to stay here in the air conditioning and work on this. Though Rise of the Planet of Apes is calling. Some friends want to make it an authentic screening by throwing feces (or reasonable facsimile). Definitely sit a few rows away from them. 
 
Question: Has anyone done this (not throwing the feces) but using the different outputs of this amp for headphones? Any difference? One the one hand it may be better for audio reasons or it may just be better because the connection is better.
 
Thanks for reading this.