[katzer1]

I am trying to find an elegant solution to the scenario where I want to listen to a recording/movie at night with my wife. We both have nice headphones (Senn 580, Grado SR 80).
We tried our pimeta with a Y split cable and it was obviously lacking since the 580 are much harder to drive than the SR80.

I was thinking of getting a Zero and have the 580 plugged to the phone jack, and the output RCA feed the pimeta for the Grados, but I couldn't understand from the Zero review if the phones plugged in would cut off the RCA output.

The source btw is our DVD player, actually it is an old mac powebook which we use as a DVD player+ a USB soundcard that has a digital output.

Another more expensive option is 2 amps with a digital input and a splitter. I am not aware of a Coaxial splitter, but I did see an optical splitter (are those any good) and of course 2 amps...

Another option that I saw was one of the usb amps that are sold on ebay for $60 from HK that have both headphone and coaxial output.. and another dac-amp. one was SM-29 another was HLLY another called LILO... anyone tried those?

Comments and suggestion are most appreciated!

Cheers,

Erez

 

[HippieTom]

Will just add this cause it works wonders for me.
I use nad integrated amp that has 2 tape out were i connects my 2 ams and i have a pre out that i can connect active speakers or active sub and still enjoy the passive speakers and the wonderful HP-out on the nad.

So i can listen to 3 HPs at the same time with this setup. (4 if i buy another amp to put in preout LOOOOL)

So an USB DAC and an used nad or another integrated with tape out is my tip of the day...

 

[Uncle Erik]

How about picking up a PreSonus HP4? They run about $100 are are pro gear, which is why you don't hear much about them here. It can drive four sets of headphones at the same time, so you'd be covered. I believe the HP4 has the same amp circuit as the PreSonus Central Station - which sounds very good. You should be able to find several reviews of it here. The Central Station is a nice option, too, but it runs $400-$500. It'll give you an excellent DAC with it.

 

[billybob_jcv]

For a cheap solution, perhaps add a couple of Shure attenuator cables to let each of you set your own volume level.
Shure PA235 Level Attenuator @ HeadRoom - Right Between Your Ears

 

[intoart]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Erik /img/forum/go_quote.gif They run about $100 are are pro gear, which is why you don't hear much about them here.

Why don't you hear much about pro gear here? Does it just not sound good? I have often been curious about the headphone amps at places like Zzounds, but have never tried any of them.

 

[katzer1]

An update:

I moved the Behringer 2496 to the bedroom as a DAC.
It has 2 audio outs (xlr and 1/4") and I have adapting cables. So for now it feeds 2 amps. A rockhopper portable pimeta I have had for almost 3 years and a HP4.
The pimeta is pretty good. Works well with the grados. I compared it a while ago to MisterX mini^3 and IMO the pimeta was much better on all accounts.

The HP4 is an interesting beast. I think it was designed for 600ohm headphones. I wasn't thrilled with at first at all. It was "blasting" the headphones.

I have an etymotic er4p/er4s converter plug. It is basically 2 75ohm resistors. I tried it with the HD580 and to my surprise things got a lot better. A lot.

There was no more of the splashy highs and the everything was "put under control". The mids separation came out big time. It is very detailed combo (I give a big nod to the Behringer as a DAC here). Very little distortion I can hear.
In fact, the last time I was so impressed with audio gear was a visit to a store in palo alto where I auditioned a very nice Krell setup that had amazing detail and clarity which made me feel I was in the concert hall. I would have bought that setup if it wasn't that it was a little too bulky for my living room, the silver finish didn't got with my couch ...and the 50K price tag...

For the hd580's it is much better than the pimeta. With the grados I think they are too easy to drive for HP4 output. I ordered a shure attenuator so I could see if more resistance would improve things.

I always liked the hd580s but now it is a different story.

So Presonus know what they are doing, and the central station is on my mind... I need to find a store that has it in stock and the time to check it out.

I have too many wires and power supplies in the bedroom now. The behringer would need to go back to the living room. I have a hotusb mark IV on the way. Dave was kind enough to add a second lineout jack. I am also waiting for the Corda Move I bought from secretasianman (should be in today or Monday).
The markIV-move-pimeta has an advantage of small form factor (my source is a powerbook that doubles as a DVD player). I hope it will fit the bill.

If not... then the central station is might be the one.

Will keep you posted.

Erez

 

[katzer1]

The corda move arrived and I compared it to the HP4.

With the HD580:
IMO they are close. Very close. The Corda is brighter, the HP4 darker, I think a bit more neutral. Separation on the Corda is a little better. The HP4 makes you feel like a sound engineer monitoring a recording (that was the intent I suppose). I actually like it.The Corda has it's own character.
The HD580 has a pretty huge soundstage, and the corda's crossfeed did not make a huge difference.
Note that as mentioned above, I used the HP4 with the 75ohm resistor between the amp and the phones. Without it I don't like that much.

With SR-80's the corda is superb. The crossfeed does wonders to the SR-80 soundstage. There is a small price at the high's when the cross-feed is engaged, I like it, my wife who listens to the SR-80 doesn't.

As a usb dac, the corda is pretty good, but the behringer deq2496 was better. It is a dedicated equalizer rather a dac so now I am intrigued how a dedicated dac would perform.

Bottom line: I like the HP4. A lot. Bare, it is less than impressive but with the etymotic resistor it is very good. Experimenting with heavier resistors might yield more pleasant surprises. In some departments I actually prefer it over the corda move. It is neutral and darker which suites me just fine.
The corda nonetheless is more refined and more detailed.

For my intended use 2 portable amps and compact usb-dac make more sense (I can't have all those wires in the bedroom, I mean *I* can but my wife feels strongly about wires). Having seen what a good usb dac can do, I eagerly awaits the Mark-IV.

Erez