[dfarina]

I have just ordered a set of Grado SR225's,and was hoping someone could help me on an amp issue.One of the reasons I went with these phones is because they can be driven fine without a headphone amp,but like all phones,they will sound better with an amp.I am going to power these phones with an older NAD receiver that has a headphone jack,which got me thinking........Would there be any advantage to wiring up the phones to the speaker terminals(using proper resistors)???Is this like having a headphone amp,or is there NO advantage to this as opposed to using the phone jack itself???Hope this is not a dumb suggestion,thanks in advance for any response.
Dave

 

[kerelybonto]

Wiring the headphone through the speaker terminals should work. Take a look at this thread for some general information. (Sorry about the disappearing picture in there -- having some problems with my web host.)

But also take a look at your NAD manual. A lot of the old NAD amps and receivers have headphone jacks that use the main amplification circuit, meaning the headphone jack should sound the same as the speaker-outs.

kerely

 

[dfarina]

My manual does not have any info on the headphone jack.The more I think about it,I am thinking it is not worth it.It may increase the output,but amplifying the signal after the pre-amp,only to add resistors after the amp must degrade the signal,so while you gain in one respect,you probably loose in another.Hopefully I can just plug it in and be happy with it

 

[kerelybonto]

It really shouldn't degrade the signal, as long as you use components that are up to the level of what's in your amp.

If you're worried about frying your headphones by setting up the wrong resistance, you may be interested in a couple of the products that were mentioned in the above thread, the the Antique Sound Labs' UHC-Signature cable, and Radii Audio's HAP-04. Both are signal attenuating cables that have spades on one end and a female stereo 1/4" jack on the other.

kerely

 

[dfarina]

Ok that sounds good,but I can't find any info on these products,or where to buy them.Maybe they are not popular for a reason???

 

[mikeg]

Consider Fixup's Super mini headphone amp.

 

[kerelybonto]

The ASL UHC-Signature is actually a transformer, not a cable -- sorry about that. A couple Head-Fi reviews on it are here; both of those reviews are for the older version, though. I believe Hirsch also owns one -- not sure which version.

I couldn't find much information on the Radii HAP-04. Hirsch owns one, though, so maybe ask him about it.

The Fixup Super Mini would not be a good choice for you, in my opinion. First, it only has a 1/8" input, which won't work well with your system. Second, it's designed primarily for portable size. For a home component you don't need a tiny amp; if you're going to buy a dedicated headamp, you should consider other options.

kerely

 

[Hirsch]

I've got the HAP-04, but not the UHC-Sig. So far, I've only used the HAP-04 as an outboard transformer to allow an OTL amp to drive headphones lower than its impedance. I haven't used it with speaker amps...yet.