Plugging headphones directly into a DAC line-out

[Veniogenesis]

Just a quick question I've been wondering about. What happens if you plug your headphones directly into the line-out of a DAC?

Does it matter if the cans are low or high imped? I read somewhere that it's pretty harmful on the cans even if the volume is low/medium.

Cheers,
Venio

 

[ferraro]

Works fine for me. Unless the output volume of the dac is very high, it shouldn't be a problem. I can control the volume since my computer is the primary source. Default spdif volume with my av710 was wayyy too loud, however - at a volume that could easily damage headphones and perhaps even ears. It was not fun to hear blaring, ear-killing sound when I first tried out my av710.

Update: Maybe I misunderstood this - do you mean the standard rca to mini stuff, or something else? I am still a noob, so I don't know what balanced out uses, or if there are dacs out there with mini plugs.

 

[Don Quichotte]

The Apogee Mini-Dac has a mini line out. I tried it with the AKG K501 and, while the built in amp was a little bit prefferable IMO, I think it was more a matter of sinergy than actual "better sound quality". I also used the headphones directly from the line out of a CD player (tried both the K501 and the HD600), using an adapter of course, and it's not bad at all. I have never heard a very good dedicated headphone amp, so I cannot compare the direct line out to such a solution, but for a thin wallet I think it's more than acceptable.

 

[MASantos]

I did some listening tests with my hd650, er4p and GUzllers usb DAC.

I could get good listening levels with both cans.

The mids and highs improved, with more detail and less background noise, but the problem was with the bass.

The bass was weak and distorted, and lacked tightness. This was expecially heard with the senns. I know that this dac is not a highend source, but nevertheless is is always another opinion.

My 0,02 €

Manuel

 

[halcyon]

If you have a set of headphones with very unlinear impedance response (as a function of frequency) and relatively high output impedance on the RCA outs (>100Ohm), this can colour the sound.

It may be pleasant coloration (like in the case of DT831 for example).

If you control the volume digitally from your computer you are truncating the bits. This may not be perhaps the best way to control volume (depending on playback volumes achieved).