I do. And I know it lol.
The decware amps pique my interest but I have plenty of toobed amplification. Need some SS.
1 Like
Here’s a 200+ page thread on headfi on this very subject… I normally wouldn’t just say go to another forum but there is a ton of knowledge there.
Driving my 1266 phi tc via speaker taps is part of my '21 financial goals… These two items will be part of my setup so I can switch the amp between speakers and headphones.
3 Likes
More resources and choices…
1 Like
Converter/adapter is not an issue. It’s a very simple little box that I’ve already done. Depending on the amp I settle on, I’ll change resistances for the appropriate attenuation based on power. Currently at 18db based on Stereophile measurements of my amp (NAD C370) doing ~170watts @8 Ohms.
2 Likes
Been using a tube amp for headphones for awhile and it works very well. Be careful with IEMS and sensitive headphones and use a resistor voltage divider in needed.
High Impedance cans “CAN” be safely connected to a speaker amp directly…but please DO NOT do this without knowing or understanding what your really doing…
I drive the tube amp from the pre-amp in the Pass Labs HPA-1
Some folks ask me how does the pre to hpa1 sound vs the direct output from the HPA1.
Well its very similar IMO…the HPA-1 is a tad on the warm side and honestly either one are just fine.
The tube amp has 4/8/16 ohm taps and I have tried them all…
The resistive voltage divider network is easy to throw together.
Alex
1 Like
The Chord TToby has a reputation in some circles as an excellent match for the headphones mentioned so far- HE6, Susvara, etc.
Anyone have any experience with it as a headphone amp?
Anyone ever try class A amplifiers from the car audio world? I used to run Masconi class A’s and man they made everything sound so smooth and lush.
Mosconi ?
They also have A/B class amps but yes, they very good.
I used A/B amps when competing. They still seem to use them for a good reason.
They just sound better than pure Digital amps. Subs can be D-class mainly but sub’s used with A/B amps… Full A. They like sweet sweet candy gold.
Mosconi!! Damn typos lol. I played with their AS series as well!!
I haven’t heard many amps that could do what they could. Maybe the higher end Brax and Sinfoni amps but even then the vehicles they were setup in were tuned very neutral so they didn’t have that lush sound to me.
1 Like
This article nixes the idea of car audio amps except in certain situations. Seems like an unnecessary stretch anyway, considering how many high quality stereo amps can be had. That is unless you happen to have a very high quality car amp sitting around.
Huh? Why?
From the article, you can’t wire a single ended connection to them, because the grounds on the speaker connectors aren’t common, so you short the amp.
This is true of some hifi power amps as well, and I’d always suggest if your going to create an adapter you use a balanced connector on the headphone side unless you know that ground is actually common on the speaker terminals.
its a bad idea in general to use anything car audio anywhere but a car. for a multitude of reasons. the biggest being value performance. cars are loud, driving is loud. car audio equipment is cheaper because it IS cheaper. not as detailed and all high power to overwhelm the sounds of the road. ever try to hear fine detail treble in a car? not easy without going def. manufactures know this, so they dont bother with as good of drivers, or amps, and rely more on brute force.
edit: that being said. old cars amps can make for good garage amps. so its not all bad!
2 Likes
I would disagree. Even some stock audio packages sound really good and you can really hear detailed treble as well. Even with low volumes. Something like a Bowers & Wilkins system is pretty nice, even in stock form.
But specially after upgrading drivers, heavy isolation and proper installation + good settings and good amps. Big Merc’s with double windows and heavy isolation + good audio. Very nice.
The topic was speaker amps to power headphones. It would be cool if there was a hidden gem in car audio amps that was suitable for headphones. But until someone gets lucky and finds one, I’ll stick to investigating home audio gear. I think it’s more likely to be a good match.
Oh yeah for TRS tips that’s correct. Sorry I haven’t used a TRS in forever (I only use “proper” cables and terminations) so it didn’t even cross my mind.
1 Like
I apologize for getting it off topic a bit I was just thinking about it because I had those high end amps just a few years ago.
1 Like
Oh, not chastising you!! Haha! Just clarifying my statement! 
No worries, I wasn’t offended. I’ve just seen a couple of threads get a little out of hand lately lol.
1 Like