Turn integrated amp into headphone amp?

[gpkoo]

Hi

Due to moving house and losing my dedicated room, I have decided to start looking seriously into making headphone listening my default music solution.

But what should I do about my amplifier?

I have a great amplifier, and it would seem a waste for me just to sell it.

Is it possible to add a headphone output to the amp and make it into a headphone amp or is more involved?

Secondly, is it worth it? Am I better off getting a dedicated headphone amp?

Thanks for your advice

 

[M0T0XGUY]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gpkoo /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hi Due to moving house and losing my dedicated room, I have decided to start looking seriously into making headphone listening my default music solution. But what should I do about my amplifier? I have a great amplifier, and it would seem a waste for me just to sell it. Is it possible to add a headphone output to the amp and make it into a headphone amp or is more involved? Secondly, is it worth it? Am I better off getting a dedicated headphone amp? Thanks for your advice

I've never heard of anyone trying to mod a speaker amplifier into a headphone amp; the time and effort involved is just too much to make it worth it. I'm sure the amount of money your amp can fetch will be more than enough to cover the purchase of a decent headphone amp, anyway.

 

[Veniogenesis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by M0T0XGUY /img/forum/go_quote.gif the time and effort involved is just too much to make it worth it. I'm sure the amount of money your amp can fetch will be more than enough to cover the purchase of a decent headphone amp, anyway.

Are you assuming this or do you know it's true?

Just as a note for the OP, there are many ways to hook up a headphone to the speaker outputs on an integrated amplifier via some sort of buffer. I know of a number of people here on the boards that have DIY cables loaded with resistance that will present an appropriate load to the power/integrated amp when hooked up with headphones. The resistance required depends on the specs of your amplifier. But it's quite simple actually.

 

[Dimitris]

I am very interested in this!I have a Pathos Classic One that sounds great with speakers and I wonder how it could sound with my Senns!

 

[M0T0XGUY]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Veniogenesis /img/forum/go_quote.gif Are you assuming this or do you know it's true? Just as a note for the OP, there are many ways to hook up a headphone to the speaker outputs on an integrated amplifier via some sort of buffer. I know of a number of people here on the boards that have DIY cables loaded with resistance that will present an appropriate load to the power/integrated amp when hooked up with headphones. The resistance required depends on the specs of your amplifier. But it's quite simple actually.

Well, I was technically assuming, but I don't think I'm wrong to believe that a sound from an integrated amplifier can not match that of a dedicated headphone amplifier, even if you are able to get it to work. Speaker amplifiers are designed to be used with speakers, just as headphone amplifiers are designed with headphones in mind. I'm not saying that it wouldn't work or sound good, I'm only implying that you'd be better off getting yourself something that is specifically made for your application, in this case headphones.

 

[Gatticus]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Veniogenesis /img/forum/go_quote.gif Just as a note for the OP, there are many ways to hook up a headphone to the speaker outputs on an integrated amplifier via some sort of buffer. I know of a number of people here on the boards that have DIY cables loaded with resistance that will present an appropriate load to the power/integrated amp when hooked up with headphones. The resistance required depends on the specs of your amplifier. But it's quite simple actually.

Why would you bother to do that when an *integrated* amp already has a headphone output? Never seen an integrated amp without headphone output and most integrated amps use resistors coupled to the speaker out with resisitors to feed the headphones the correct load. This is an inferrior method anyway and integrated amps that are actually good with headphones use their own transformer directly off the power stage and not speaker out with resistors coupled to headphone out, like Audiolab 8000A.

 

[Veniogenesis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gatticus /img/forum/go_quote.gif Why would you bother to do that when an *integrated* amp already has a headphone output? Never seen an integrated amp without headphone output and most integrated amps use resistors coupled to the speaker out with resisitors to feed the headphones the correct load.

Most integrated amplifiers do not headphone outputs.
Quote:

This is an inferrior method anyway and integrated amps that are actually good with headphones use their own transformer directly off the power stage and not speaker out with resistors coupled to headphone out, like Audiolab 8000A.

True, it is not technically the ideal to go. But it can't hurt if you're on a limited budget.

 

[gpkoo]

Thanks for your feedback.

My amp doesn't have a headphone out and I think that the sound is really top notch.

But it seems that it might be more trouble than it's worth. Might have to look at a dedicated amp.

 

[mikkelbreiler]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gpkoo /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks for your feedback. My amp doesn't have a headphone out and I think that the sound is really top notch. But it seems that it might be more trouble than it's worth. Might have to look at a dedicated amp.

Most amps that do offer a headphone out do this the simple way: a 1/4'' jack is fed the output like the speakers only there a resistors to drop the load so you can have a sound in the cans that is moderate even if the you disconnect them and switch to speakers alone and the sound from them would be deafening.

What you want to do is make a small box with a female 1/4'' jack, two resistors to drop the load, and four wires to go to the speaker out terminals on the back of your amp. (Left+Ground and Right+Ground).
You can add a double action switch on the front panel of your box to disconnect the headphones from the output or try this clever bit:
if you amp offers two outputs to drive two sets of speakers, set A and set B. Then you can attach your box to set B, and select on the amp to play sound through A - which is your normal speakers, and B - which is your headphones, or both A and B which is speakers and headphones.

The small box need not be more than a plastic box with a nice front plate and perhaps a strip of glue-on soundisolation to give the box some weight, also you can fit some rubber feet so it won't slip easily. If made small enough you can fit the box on the side of your amp and press the amp up against the shelf side sequeezing in your box to hold it in place. Then you just insert and remove the headphone jack without having to hold the box in place.

The total cost of makign this is less than 3 ft wiring, one female 1/4'' jack, two resistors and any box that will fit those things. It needs no input voltage and is totally passive. Just make the resistors large enough to handle the load. I cannot offer a schematic for you but the net shoudl provide with plenty of schematics of intergrated amps which feature a headphone out and through their schematics you can see how the sound is dropped to the level of a headphone and just copy the design for an amp in the same leage.

Mikkel

 

[JadeEast]

Here is a great little project to do this.
http://sound.westhost.com/project100.htm

 

[wualta]

Thanks for that link, JE.

Additionally, Headwize offers a pageful of DIY, including the pad circuit used to adapt headphones to speaker amps, here.

 

[krmathis]

Buy an AKG K1000, or a Stax headphone with and SRD-7 (Pro) and drive them directly from the integrated amplifiers speaker outputs.
There you have headphones directly driven from the integrated amplifier...

 

[jpelg]

Some integrated amps can be modified to include a good headphone-out tapped from the speaker output section. Whether it is worth it depends on your amp & finances.

As others have said, a DIY cable (ala, the Joe Grado one) or box (as shown above) to connect to the speaker outs, can work as well. If you are not so DIY-inclined, then the UHC-Signature device from Antique Sound Labs works great. I believe there is a old review here on Head-Fi somewhere.