[UserNotFound]

So i normally only use my amp for portable listening, but i tried plugging it into my Kenwood Reciever's headphone port, but even at the LOWEST volume setting, it come out of my amp loud and distorted. I can't even begin to turn up the volume on it to even 10% withtout sounding like i'm going to blow my cans. Without the amp, i listen at 70% volume without distortion. My amp's gain is relatively low (somewhere just under 3) so that shouldn't be the problem. What did they do design-wise that makes the headphone output behave like this??

I guess my next step will be to put my amp on the lineout signal and see if that works, but i need to get an adapter first.

 

[n_maher]

This is just my understanding, which you will want to verify for sure, but I believe that most lower-cost amplifiers/receivers use a form of attenuation with the headphone jacks. That is to say that they just retard the amplified audio signal until it is suitable for headphones. This is definitely not a good thing sonicly. I'm not sure exactly what about this process would upset your amp/headphone setup so much but it may be that the signal is just getting too "worked-over" by going through so many steps.

[edit] check post #4 in this thread for more info here

I think you are much better off using the line-out straight into the amp and avoiding the headphone jack all together.

HTH,

Nate

 

[Sovkiller]

You mean that you are connecting your headphone amp into the heapdhone out of an speaker amp????

No, this is not exactly the right way, but it may work, the right way should be using the line outs or tape out loop.

You are hooking the amp at the output of another amp, so in other words you are double amplifing the signal, your headphone amp probably is not designed for that level input, it probably was designed for high impedance input and low level line out signal (around 150mV) but you are getting more like a high level output, that is why you are getting this distortion....

 

[UserNotFound]

I didn't figure that the headphone jack on my receiver was any different than plugging my amp into my mp3 player's headphone jack. But I guess it is. The reason i tried that before the lineout is that i dont have a volume pot. on my amp, as like i said it was designed for portables.

I think i'll adjust the gain so that i can use the lineout, and if it sounds good, build a home amp with a pot.

Thanks for the input.

 

[Sovkiller]

Quote:

Originally Posted by UserNotFound I didn't figure that the headphone jack on my receiver was any different than plugging my amp into my mp3 player's headphone jack. But I guess it is. The reason i tried that before the lineout is that i dont have a volume pot. on my amp, as like i said it was designed for portables. I think i'll adjust the gain so that i can use the lineout, and if it sounds good, build a home amp with a pot. Thanks for the input.

Well and you say that not even with a very low volume you get the amp to sound right?

Well in theory it should work, the quality of the sound appart of course, unless you are having an impedance issue or unless the amp gives you a lot more than what a portable should be able to give you, usually about 5mW or sometimes less

 

[DanT]

If you don't have a volume pot in your h-amp then you may want to try the pre-out of your receiver that way you can control the volume with the receiver. But then as for quality I'm not sure if it's anygood but worth a try.