Home |
Search |
Today's Posts |
#1
Posted to rec.audio.pro
|
|||
|
|||
Desktop speakers as headphone amp?
I'm sure anything would work. My concern is about the sound quality of
whatever circuitry I'm introducing into the signal path between the soundcard and the headphones - both of which are high quality. I don't want to introduce any distortion beyond what is there already. Would using, for example, a really cheap $15 set of desktop speakers with a headphone jack introduce distortion to the signal? Or is the distortion in those cheap speakers coming from the speakers themselves and not the amplifier circuit connected to the headphones jack? I'm considering getting one of those powered speaker systems like Creative Inspire T3000 $50 or more the expensive Logitech Z-2300 $150. Because they have nice remote (wired) volume controls with headphone jacks that you can place right next to your keyboard or where ever it's handy. Another option would be a small headphone mixer like from Artcessories or Rolls. Anyone use those? I only need a single headphone out. Or just getting a smaller, more compact stereo integrated amp than the one I'm currently using for this purpose which is a full-size home audio Technics unit which is taking up valuable space on my desk. Any suggestions? |
#2
Posted to rec.audio.pro
|
|||
|
|||
Desktop speakers as headphone amp?
toronado455 wrote: I'm sure anything would work. My concern is about the sound quality of whatever circuitry I'm introducing into the signal path between the soundcard and the headphones - both of which are high quality. I don't want to introduce any distortion beyond what is there already. Would using, for example, a really cheap $15 set of desktop speakers with a headphone jack introduce distortion to the signal? Yes. If you have a high quality sound card and high quality headphones, get a high quality headphone amplifier. If you can only spend $15, your money would be better spent on a yard sale or thrift shop stereo receiver with a headphone jack. |
#3
Posted to rec.audio.pro
|
|||
|
|||
Desktop speakers as headphone amp?
"toronado455" wrote in message
ups.com I'm sure anything would work. My concern is about the sound quality of whatever circuitry I'm introducing into the signal path between the soundcard and the headphones - both of which are high quality. I don't want to introduce any distortion beyond what is there already. Would using, for example, a really cheap $15 set of desktop speakers with a headphone jack introduce distortion to the signal? Most likely. Or is the distortion in those cheap speakers coming from the speakers themselves and not the amplifier circuit connected to the headphones jack? It's probably both. I'm considering getting one of those powered speaker systems like Creative Inspire T3000 $50 or more the expensive Logitech Z-2300 $150. Because they have nice remote (wired) volume controls with headphone jacks that you can place right next to your keyboard or where ever it's handy. Seems like you're buying a lot of speaker to get a headphone jack. Another option would be a small headphone mixer like from Artcessories or Rolls. Anyone use those? I only need a single headphone out. Last time I needed a headphone amp for audio production purposes, I hit up eBay and scored a 4-output Rane headphone amp for way under $100, if memory serves. Overkill for your purposes, but it would do the job for you and the price is in your range. The ultimate cheapie headphone amp may be the "Boostaroo", also sold by Radio Shack. It is battery operated, has about 6 dB of gain, no volume control, and 3 individually buffered outputs. About $25. On the bench, it measures very well (about CD quality), and in practice it sounds great if you can live with the limited feature set. I have a number of other headphone amps including a Rane, but to boost the output of a consumer sound card to drive a pair of MDR 7506 headphones, it has been just what I needed. Since the computer is line-powered I converted my Boostaroo to AC power with a couple of 1/2" dowels that simulate the form factor of AA cells, brass wood screws for contacts, and a surplus switchmode power supply from one the old Comcast cable modems. The Comcast power supply turns out to have highly regulated +5 and +12, with the +5 being exactly what I needed for the Boostaroo. 5 volt DC wall warts are pretty easy to find for low prices. |
#4
Posted to rec.audio.pro
|
|||
|
|||
Desktop speakers as headphone amp?
I'm using a component size stereo amp now. I want to get something
smaller but with equivalent sound quality. |
#5
Posted to rec.audio.pro
|
|||
|
|||
Desktop speakers as headphone amp?
toronado455 wrote: I'm using a component size stereo amp now. I want to get something smaller but with equivalent sound quality. I'd be surprised if the sound card didn't have enough level and a low enough source impedance to drive a pair of cans directly. You may only need a passive pad to control the level. rd |
#6
Posted to rec.audio.pro
|
|||
|
|||
Desktop speakers as headphone amp?
I've seen the boostaroo. I really want a volume control. And only need
one output. The reason I'm considering the $100 (est) powered speaker route is that if a stand alone headphone amp is going to cost me that much anyway, it would be nice to have the speakers as a bonus to upgrade/replace my current elcheapo speakers. Plus, the design of the wired remote volume control w/headphone jacks on those are nice and compact. But I have no idea how my headphones (Sony MDR-V6) would sound though it. |
#7
Posted to rec.audio.pro
|
|||
|
|||
Desktop speakers as headphone amp?
toronado455 wrote:
I'm sure anything would work. My concern is about the sound quality of whatever circuitry I'm introducing into the signal path between the soundcard and the headphones - both of which are high quality. I don't want to introduce any distortion beyond what is there already. Would using, for example, a really cheap $15 set of desktop speakers with a headphone jack introduce distortion to the signal? Or is the distortion in those cheap speakers coming from the speakers themselves and not the amplifier circuit connected to the headphones jack? I'm considering getting one of those powered speaker systems like Creative Inspire T3000 $50 or more the expensive Logitech Z-2300 $150. Because they have nice remote (wired) volume controls with headphone jacks that you can place right next to your keyboard or where ever it's handy. Another option would be a small headphone mixer like from Artcessories or Rolls. Anyone use those? I only need a single headphone out. Or just getting a smaller, more compact stereo integrated amp than the one I'm currently using for this purpose which is a full-size home audio Technics unit which is taking up valuable space on my desk. Any suggestions? If this is a "regular" soundcard, just plug your phones in to the speaker-out and use the master volume control in windows. I do this when I bring a machine to a friend's house all the time. If it's a "pro" card that happens to not be able to drive a pair of phones (I know my delta wouldn't) I would go with a dedicated headphone amp, rackmount or otherwise. Here are some small(ish) amps, first hit on google when searching for "desktop headphone amplifier" http://www.headphone.com/products/headphone-amps/ Good luck, Des |
#8
Posted to rec.audio.pro
|
|||
|
|||
Desktop speakers as headphone amp?
"toronado455" wrote in message
oups.com I've seen the boostaroo. I really want a volume control. Then go with a legitimate headphone amp from ebay. There were 3 Ranes under $100 last time I looked (yesterday). If you are hung up on getting something absolutely new, check out Behringer. And only need one output. You'd be silly to risk sound quality because most headphone amps have more than one output. The reason I'm considering the $100 (est) powered speaker route is that if a stand alone headphone amp is going to cost me that much anyway, it would be nice to have the speakers as a bonus to upgrade/replace my current elcheapo speakers. Then drop your pretentions of wanting good quality. Plus, the design of the wired remote volume control w/headphone jacks on those are nice and compact. But I have no idea how my headphones (Sony MDR-V6) would sound though it. Someplace between poor and passible. |
#9
Posted to rec.audio.pro
|
|||
|
|||
Desktop speakers as headphone amp?
toronado455 wrote: I've seen the boostaroo. I really want a volume control. And only need one output. One of the things that you'll discover about this industry is that you rarely can get exactly what you want. You have to either settle for less or accept more. You don't have all the options. Most dedicated headphone amplifiers have more than one output just because it's easy to do and it gains them more customers than it loses. The reason I'm considering the $100 (est) powered speaker route is that if a stand alone headphone amp is going to cost me that much anyway, it would be nice to have the speakers as a bonus to upgrade/replace my current elcheapo speakers. $100 powered speakers are still el-cheapo speakers. Have you identified a set of speakers that have a headphone output that turns off the speaker when you plug in the headphones? I don't follow those things. You seem to have one in mind. I have no idea how my headphones (Sony MDR-V6) would sound though it. Sony headphones are fairly easy to drive, but distortion is distortion. While I can't recommend a new headphone amplifier that I consider worth listening to for the price you want to pay, I'll bet you can find something used through eBay or other second-hand sellers that will be decent, compact, and affordable. You probalby don't want a rack-mount unit so you can skip the Rane and Furman amplifiers (which are quite nice) but there are plenty of Rolls, ART, and Samson small headphone amplifiers going pretty cheap. Samson stuff isn't all that great, but here's one for $60 Buy-It-Now with free shipping in the US headphone amplifier that's almost certainly better than what you'll get with $100 powered speakers with gimmicks like remote voluime controls. http://tinyurl.com/8veq6 |
#10
Posted to rec.audio.pro
|
|||
|
|||
Desktop speakers as headphone amp?
In article .com,
toronado455 wrote: I've seen the boostaroo. I really want a volume control. And only need one output. The reason I'm considering the $100 (est) powered speaker route is that if a stand alone headphone amp is going to cost me that much anyway, it would be nice to have the speakers as a bonus to upgrade/replace my current elcheapo speakers. Plus, the design of the wired remote volume control w/headphone jacks on those are nice and compact. But I have no idea how my headphones (Sony MDR-V6) would sound though it. Umm.... you're talking about a pair of cheese-whiz "multimedia" crapboxes powered by a wall-wart? What would EVER make you think manufacturers would put quality electronics in such things? --scott -- "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis." |
#11
Posted to rec.audio.pro
|
|||
|
|||
Desktop speakers as headphone amp?
On 12/5/2005 5:10 AM Mike Rivers wrote:
toronado455 wrote: I've seen the boostaroo. I really want a volume control. And only need one output. One of the things that you'll discover about this industry is that you rarely can get exactly what you want. You have to either settle for less or accept more. You don't have all the options. Most dedicated headphone amplifiers have more than one output just because it's easy to do and it gains them more customers than it loses. The reason I'm considering the $100 (est) powered speaker route is that if a stand alone headphone amp is going to cost me that much anyway, it would be nice to have the speakers as a bonus to upgrade/replace my current elcheapo speakers. $100 powered speakers are still el-cheapo speakers. Have you identified a set of speakers that have a headphone output that turns off the speaker when you plug in the headphones? I don't follow those things. You seem to have one in mind. You know, I was originally going to ask that very question. But then I thought what would be the purpose of including a headphone jack if it *didn't* turn off the speakers automatically when in use? So I thought it was safe to assume they all did. But now you have me wondering again. (The two I had in mind were Creative Inspire T3000 $50 and Logitech Z-2300 $150.) I have no idea how my headphones (Sony MDR-V6) would sound though it. Sony headphones are fairly easy to drive, but distortion is distortion. While I can't recommend a new headphone amplifier that I consider worth listening to for the price you want to pay, I'll bet you can find something used through eBay or other second-hand sellers that will be decent, compact, and affordable. You probalby don't want a rack-mount unit so you can skip the Rane and Furman amplifiers (which are quite nice) but there are plenty of Rolls, ART, and Samson small headphone amplifiers going pretty cheap. Samson stuff isn't all that great, but here's one for $60 Buy-It-Now with free shipping in the US headphone amplifier that's almost certainly better than what you'll get with $100 powered speakers with gimmicks like remote voluime controls. http://tinyurl.com/8veq6 That looks nice. So does the AirHead. http://tinyurl.com/d2brw Though it's more money than the $60 Samson. Wondering how the Rolls and ART stuff compares. There is also a third option, which is just getting a smaller, more "desktop friendly" integrated amp than the one I'm currently using for this purpose (Technics SU-8011 - sounds okay but takes up space and generates heat). Nice thing about an integrated is I could use it to drive a set of studio monitors if, later on, I decide to add those to my setup. |
#12
Posted to rec.audio.pro
|
|||
|
|||
Desktop speakers as headphone amp?
Richy wrote: That looks nice. So does the AirHead. http://tinyurl.com/d2brw Though it's more money than the $60 Samson. Wondering how the Rolls and ART stuff compares. There really isn't a lot of value to comparing anything but price and features on these things. They're all about the same, none of them really suck, but none are as good as using a nice clean power amp. None of them will sound worse than the receiver you're using now, none will sound significantly better, but it's likely that any of them will sound better than the amplifiers that are designed to drive "beside the computer" speakers. There is also a third option, which is just getting a smaller, more "desktop friendly" integrated amp than the one I'm currently using for this purpose (Technics SU-8011 I'm not sure what that would be. How about putting the amplifier under your desk, or up on a shelf with the volume control at arm's length. Surely you can't be that cramped for space. If you are, it must be mighty uncomfortable working there. g |
#13
Posted to rec.audio.pro
|
|||
|
|||
Desktop speakers as headphone amp?
On 12/5/2005 12:48 PM Mike Rivers wrote:
Richy wrote: That looks nice. So does the AirHead. http://tinyurl.com/d2brw Though it's more money than the $60 Samson. Wondering how the Rolls and ART stuff compares. There really isn't a lot of value to comparing anything but price and features on these things. They're all about the same, none of them really suck, but none are as good as using a nice clean power amp. None of them will sound worse than the receiver you're using now, none will sound significantly better, but it's likely that any of them will sound better than the amplifiers that are designed to drive "beside the computer" speakers. There is also a third option, which is just getting a smaller, more "desktop friendly" integrated amp than the one I'm currently using for this purpose (Technics SU-8011 I'm not sure what that would be. Something like this? http://tinyurl.com/8r57u How about putting the amplifier under your desk, or up on a shelf with the volume control at arm's length. Surely you can't be that cramped for space. If you are, it must be mighty uncomfortable working there. g I could make a small shelf and put my SU-8011 on it next to my monitor. It wouldn't be as convenient as having the volume control right next to my keyboard but it would be cheaper than buying something new. There isn't any problem (electromagnetically) with having the amp next to the monitor is there? I held the amp right up to the monitor to check to see if it caused any screen distortion and wasn't able to cause any. OT: I've had that amp since new (late 70's). It usually just sits in the closet and I wouldn't mind getting some use out of it again. But somehow during my move to a new home this past summer something bad must have happened to it because the volume control is slightly loose. Just wondering if there is any practical way to fix that? |
#14
Posted to rec.audio.pro
|
|||
|
|||
Desktop speakers as headphone amp?
Richy wrote: I could make a small shelf and put my SU-8011 on it next to my monitor. It wouldn't be as convenient as having the volume control right next to my keyboard but it would be cheaper than buying something new. There isn't any problem (electromagnetically) with having the amp next to the monitor is there? No. Or how about putting it underneath your computer monitor? Or just above? That's almost always in easy reach. I have a small Technics receiver on top of a file cabinet out of arm's reach and I have no problem getting off my fat butt now and then to adjust the volume control or switch the input source. Some days, that's all the exercise I get. g |
Reply |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Forum | |||
BOSE speaker help needed please | Audio Opinions | |||
Surround speakers the same size - question | Audio Opinions | |||
rec.audio.car FAQ (Part 4/5) | Car Audio | |||
Are there in-line amplifiers for speakers? | Tech | |||
Remote speakers? L-pads? Totally confused! | General |