[nofacemonster]

Hi everybody. Few months back i bought this thing from Amazon just to power up two my headphones. Which are SONY MDR-XD150 / Koss UR-20 / Occasionally Philips SBS-HP200 (Super old)
 
Primary reason for me to buy this is, when i watch movies and stuff on my tv, me an my wife both use headphones and they arn't loud enough. Now my issue is, still it's not loud enough on some occasions. When i plug it with my computer, it's pretty good, but with TV it's still not that good. ( LG LED Smart TV 32' ).
 
Do you think i need to buy some DAC or better amplifier than this?
 
Here's the product i bought.
 
http://www.amazon.com/Pyle-Pro-PHA40-4-Channel-Headphone-Amplifier/dp/B003M8NVFS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1429202181&sr=8-1&keywords=headphone+amplifier
 

 

[Music Alchemist]

Replying a little late here, but I just got this amp today. It's the cheapest (as in most affordable) desktop amp I've ever seen! Doesn't have a whole lot of power, but still plenty for most headphones. If you don't get enough volume, then naturally you'll want a stronger amp.

 

[nofacemonster]

Thanks for the reply.. finally someon else also has it. It's pretty good for what i paid for... i realized that the most of the time problem is with the contents. If i need a louder sound i better get it through a DAC. LG Television sets have low sound problem even when watching with speakers on. Voice can't be heard properly.

 

[Music Alchemist]

  Thanks for the reply.. finally someon else also has it. It's pretty good for what i paid for... i realized that the most of the time problem is with the contents. If i need a louder sound i better get it through a DAC. LG Television sets have low sound problem even when watching with speakers on. Voice can't be heard properly.

 
DACs do not provide louder sound; they just convert digital to analog. You need an amp for louder volume. And speaking of that, the Pyle PHA40 is nowhere near powerful enough for basshead purposes. Under normal use with the two headphones I have now (I went from high-end headphones to much lower-end ones at the moment, because I'm upgrading to ultra-high-end soon), I use most of the volume knob to reach my desired loudness. The amp normally only distorts at max volume. But boosting the bass with EQ requires a TON of extra power, so I can't do that with the PHA40. It distorts when I boost the bass by only a little bit, and one of the headphones is designed to handle lots of bass.
 
Anyway, the four headphone outputs on the back and four volume knobs on the top is a nifty feature for anyone who wants to share music with others on headphones, though personally I have no use for that, since I listen alone in my room. haha

 

[nofacemonster]

Thanks for the info.... then i think buying a CMOY and trying to figure out how to power it using a DC adaptor will do?

 

[Music Alchemist]

  Thanks for the info.... then i think buying a CMOY and trying to figure out how to power it using a DC adaptor will do?

 
Probably not a good idea. If your budget can go up to $79, I would recommend the Schiit Fulla amp/DAC. I used it with all sorts of headphones, including harder to drive ones. However, it's USB powered, so still perhaps not the best budget solution.

 

[nofacemonster]

USB power won't be much of a issue since the availability of all these USB power adaptors. lemme check that out, thanks for all the help.

 

[Music Alchemist]

Just wanted to stop by and share the specs for the Pyle PHA40, copied from the manual.
 
Input Impedance ..............................................100k-Ohm, Unbalanced
Max Input Level ............................................... +15 dBu
Input Connector ............................................... Stereo 1/4" TRS Jack
Output Impedance ........................................... 80-Ohm Each
Max Output Level ............................................. 40mW in 100-Ohm
Max Gain ......................................................... 20dB/Channel
S/N Ratio ......................................................... More than 90dB
THD ................................................................. Less than 0.03%
Power Requirement ......................................... 12V DC/150mA
Dimensions, WxHxD:.......... 4.07" x 1.18" x 2.24" (103.5 x 30 x 57 mm)
Weight, lbs (kg) ................................................ 0.42 (0.19)
 
The output impedance is 80 ohms!?!

No wonder I'm hearing distortion so often. XD
 
Edit: Apparently it's just the low output power that is causing the distortion.