[BigBig5]

My dad has an old pair of Stax electrostatic headphones with the pass through. He has a big amp that he use to use with them. Also, he wants to connect them to his computer. What are some cheap dac's and amps that would work?

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigBig5 /img/forum/go_quote.gif

My dad has an old pair of Stax electrostatic headphones with the pass through. He has a big amp that he use to use with them. Also, he wants to connect them to his computer. What are some cheap dac's and amps that would work?

 

What "pass through"? Just check the inputs on the Stax amplifier (the one with the volume control, not necessarily the "big amp"). If it has speaker cable inputs and the "big amp" has no volume control on it, what he has is the kind that works only with speaker amplifiers. If this is the case, you can get practically any DAC, and then:

 

1) Retain the "big (presumably speaker) amp" and the Stax output converter

 

2) Replace the "big (presumably speaker) amp" with another maybe smaller power amp. This can be expensive if you want a pure power amp in desktop size, or you look for someone who can make a custom high output Class D power amp with no preamp stage/potentiometer or a Gaincloe.

 

3) Get a DAC and an electrostat headphone amp. Prepare to get your socks knocked off as headphone amps designed to drive electrostats, barring clones of the SAC amp for the AKG K1000, do not typically sell for less than $2,000 (any wonder why Stax converter units are useful?). This is not going to be cheap - even the SAC clones on eBay go for as much as $300 last I checked.

 

[BigBig5]

 

 

What "pass through"? Just check the inputs on the Stax amplifier (the one with the volume control, not necessarily the "big amp"). If it has speaker cable inputs and the "big amp" has no volume control on it, what he has is the kind that works only with speaker amplifiers. If this is the case, you can get practically any DAC, and then:

 

1) Retain the "big (presumably speaker) amp" and the Stax output converter

 

2) Replace the "big (presumably speaker) amp" with another maybe smaller power amp. This can be expensive if you want a pure power amp in desktop size, or you look for someone who can make a custom high output Class D power amp with no preamp stage/potentiometer or a Gaincloe.

 

3) Get a DAC and an electrostat headphone amp. Prepare to get your socks knocked off as headphone amps designed to drive electrostats, barring clones of the SAC amp for the AKG K1000, do not typically sell for less than $2,000 (any wonder why Stax converter units are useful?). This is not going to be cheap - even the SAC clones on eBay go for as much as $300 last I checked.

If he uses the headphone pass through to an amp then to his Sound Blaster dac. What watts does the power amp need to be for the headphones?

 

[jazzerdave]

Do you think you could find out the model number or post a picture of the headset and adapter?  Also, how cheap are you looking to go?  

 

[BigBig5]

  Do you think you could find out the model number or post a picture of the headset and adapter?  Also, how cheap are you looking to go?  

I posted them over here.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Quote:

I posted them over here.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigBig5 /img/forum/go_quote.gif

If he uses the headphone pass through to an amp then to his Sound Blaster dac.

 

I'm still not sure what you mean, the SRD-4 doesn't have a "pass through," all it has is a straight connection from a high level input to its headphone output. There is no passive output from any input, ie, what a "pass through" is. What it has is a "headphone output," not a "pass through," ie one that literally just lets a signal go back out unmodified, like a Tape/Rec output on an integrated amp or a preamp.

 

Here's how it will all be wired up:

 

1. Without speakers

SB DAC >RCA> Power amp >speaker cable> SRD-4 >> SR-34

 

2. With speakers, integrated amp

SB DAC >RCA> Integrated amp, Spkr A >speaker cable> Speakers

                                                     Spkr B >speaker cable> SRD-4 >> SR-34