senn directly on rca ?
May 31, 2005 at 3:19 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 7

joelnepper

New Head-Fier
Joined
May 31, 2005
Posts
5
Likes
0
Is it possible to connect a headphone directly to CD' s rca with an adapter ?
What will be the results ?
icon10.gif
 
May 31, 2005 at 3:24 PM Post #2 of 7
Quote:

Originally Posted by joelnepper
Is it possible to connect a headphone directly to CD' s rca with an adapter ?
What will be the results ?
icon10.gif



hmm yes it's possible - you'd get the line out signal. it would just be the signal powered by the tiny (or not so tiny) internal amp of the source the strength of the signal depends on the source. you'll only get one volume. results? depends on your source. recommended? well, if you like that one volume level you'll be getting, and you like the sound, why not. you can always add a volume slider to your headphone cable chain. but odds are against a satisfactory listening.
 
May 31, 2005 at 3:32 PM Post #3 of 7
Yep there's a fixed volume problem, plus the signal may (or may not) be too weak in current, plus the output impedance may (or may not) be too high, plus the bass may (or may not) be cut off. Not too much hope is allowed, it would seem.
tongue.gif
 
May 31, 2005 at 3:40 PM Post #4 of 7
Quote:

Originally Posted by joelnepper
Is it possible to connect a headphone directly to CD' s rca with an adapter ?
What will be the results ?
icon10.gif



Yes, it is possible...
tongue.gif


However, line out wasn't ment to drive headphones.

You'll get some sound, but it won't be satisfactionary in both volume and SQ terms...

Get an headpone amp instead...

Cheers...
 
May 31, 2005 at 3:48 PM Post #5 of 7
Actually, without additional attenuation it would probably be very very loud, because the line-level voltage is fairly high (2+ Volts). However, quality would be very poor because line level signals are meant to drive much higher impedence loads; 10K-100K ohms (very low current demands), versus a headphone's 32-600 ohms (much higher current demands).

I sure wouldn't want to test this with the headphones on my head. I think there may also be a possibility of damaging the source and/or headphones.
 
May 31, 2005 at 3:59 PM Post #6 of 7
Yesterday i tried with my senn for 2 hours, the fixed volume was low medium and quality was good ( source is rega planet ) is it really bad for the senn ?
confused.gif
confused.gif
 
May 31, 2005 at 7:06 PM Post #7 of 7
I have used some Senns (HD600) for a few months and some AKGs (K500 and then K501) for some years connected directly to the RCA outs. The sound was better (definition, prat...) than from the headphone out of a Marantz PM17Mk2 integrated (= not cheap gear) and much much better than from the built-in headphone amp of the CD player. I found it really satisfying. However, I also heard some horrible sound (absolute lack of bass, as if I was listening only to a tweeter!) from a Thule player connected this way. I cannot compare to a good quality dedicated headphone amp as I have not heard one. It's a try and see, I guess.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top