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John Richards
 
Posts: n/a
Default Driving headphones from amplifier speaker terminals

I would like to drive Sennheiser HD 580 headphone from the speaker terminals
of a 120 watt amp. The headphones have a nominal impedance of 300 ohms,
power handling of .2 watts and sensitivity is 97dB (at 1 mW?). My intention
is to wire resistors in series across the outputs of the amp to limit the
voltage to the headphones thereby assuring that the headphones will not be
over driven and the volume control will operate in a reasonable range.

The output voltage of the amp should be about 31 volts (120 W into 8 ohms).
If I wire 4 10 ohm, 10 watt resistors in series for a load of 40 ohms across
the speaker terminals, the total output power of the amp would be about 24
watts into 40 ohms and should be low enough for the 4 10 watt resistors (40
watts) to dissipate the power and would provide about 6 volts across each
resistor. Connecting the headphones across one of the resistors would
provide a maximum of about 6 volts to drive the headphones. This
configuration would result in a maximum power of about 120 mW (6 volts into
300 ohms) which should be plenty of power without the likelihood of
destroying the headphones. The reason I chose 4 10 ohm resistors is that
this value and power rating is easy to find and cheap (Radio Shack). I
could have used 4 2 ohm resistors to provide an 8 ohm load for the amp but
the power rating of each resistor would have to be at least 30 watts
(preferably 40 or 50) which would probably be expensive and require heat
sinks. I'm assuming that the amp will perform as well into 40 ohms (or any
load as long as the power output is adequate - how about 1 watt into 1
kohm?) as it will into 8 ohms (?).

I know this project is trivial to most of the people on this group but I
would just like some confirmation that my plan is reasonable.

Thanks
John


  #2   Report Post  
citronzx
 
Posts: n/a
Default Driving headphones from amplifier speaker terminals


"John Richards" wrote in message
news
I would like to drive Sennheiser HD 580 headphone from the speaker

terminals
of a 120 watt amp. The headphones have a nominal impedance of 300 ohms,
power handling of .2 watts and sensitivity is 97dB (at 1 mW?). My

intention
is to wire resistors in series across the outputs of the amp to limit the
voltage to the headphones thereby assuring that the headphones will not be
over driven and the volume control will operate in a reasonable range.

The output voltage of the amp should be about 31 volts (120 W into 8

ohms).

120W is probably an RMS value. This is the amount of power that the
amplifier is able to put out continously. The actual power that the
amplifier puts out with a speaker load is usually far less, perhaps only a
watt or so. I think that you are making this too complicated. Here is what
I would do: go to radio shack and get an audio taper (i.e. logrithmic)
potentiomiter and put it in SERIES with the headphones. Turn the volume all
the way down on both the pot and the amp and then adjust both until you get
the level you want. The pot should let you adjust the volume over a usable
range. Just be careful! You might also try adding a current limiting
resistor, say, starting with 10k ohms, in serise with the pot just to be
safe when you first try this. Maybe you could try this first with a $2 pair
of head phones and then use your Sennheisers.


If I wire 4 10 ohm, 10 watt resistors in series for a load of 40 ohms

across
the speaker terminals, the total output power of the amp would be about 24
watts into 40 ohms and should be low enough for the 4 10 watt resistors

(40
watts) to dissipate the power and would provide about 6 volts across each
resistor. Connecting the headphones across one of the resistors would
provide a maximum of about 6 volts to drive the headphones. This
configuration would result in a maximum power of about 120 mW (6 volts

into
300 ohms) which should be plenty of power without the likelihood of
destroying the headphones. The reason I chose 4 10 ohm resistors is that
this value and power rating is easy to find and cheap (Radio Shack). I
could have used 4 2 ohm resistors to provide an 8 ohm load for the amp but
the power rating of each resistor would have to be at least 30 watts
(preferably 40 or 50) which would probably be expensive and require heat
sinks. I'm assuming that the amp will perform as well into 40 ohms (or

any
load as long as the power output is adequate - how about 1 watt into 1
kohm?) as it will into 8 ohms (?).

I know this project is trivial to most of the people on this group but I
would just like some confirmation that my plan is reasonable.

Thanks
John




  #3   Report Post  
citronzx
 
Posts: n/a
Default Driving headphones from amplifier speaker terminals


"John Richards" wrote in message
news
I would like to drive Sennheiser HD 580 headphone from the speaker

terminals
of a 120 watt amp. The headphones have a nominal impedance of 300 ohms,
power handling of .2 watts and sensitivity is 97dB (at 1 mW?). My

intention
is to wire resistors in series across the outputs of the amp to limit the
voltage to the headphones thereby assuring that the headphones will not be
over driven and the volume control will operate in a reasonable range.

The output voltage of the amp should be about 31 volts (120 W into 8

ohms).

120W is probably an RMS value. This is the amount of power that the
amplifier is able to put out continously. The actual power that the
amplifier puts out with a speaker load is usually far less, perhaps only a
watt or so. I think that you are making this too complicated. Here is what
I would do: go to radio shack and get an audio taper (i.e. logrithmic)
potentiomiter and put it in SERIES with the headphones. Turn the volume all
the way down on both the pot and the amp and then adjust both until you get
the level you want. The pot should let you adjust the volume over a usable
range. Just be careful! You might also try adding a current limiting
resistor, say, starting with 10k ohms, in serise with the pot just to be
safe when you first try this. Maybe you could try this first with a $2 pair
of head phones and then use your Sennheisers.


If I wire 4 10 ohm, 10 watt resistors in series for a load of 40 ohms

across
the speaker terminals, the total output power of the amp would be about 24
watts into 40 ohms and should be low enough for the 4 10 watt resistors

(40
watts) to dissipate the power and would provide about 6 volts across each
resistor. Connecting the headphones across one of the resistors would
provide a maximum of about 6 volts to drive the headphones. This
configuration would result in a maximum power of about 120 mW (6 volts

into
300 ohms) which should be plenty of power without the likelihood of
destroying the headphones. The reason I chose 4 10 ohm resistors is that
this value and power rating is easy to find and cheap (Radio Shack). I
could have used 4 2 ohm resistors to provide an 8 ohm load for the amp but
the power rating of each resistor would have to be at least 30 watts
(preferably 40 or 50) which would probably be expensive and require heat
sinks. I'm assuming that the amp will perform as well into 40 ohms (or

any
load as long as the power output is adequate - how about 1 watt into 1
kohm?) as it will into 8 ohms (?).

I know this project is trivial to most of the people on this group but I
would just like some confirmation that my plan is reasonable.

Thanks
John




  #4   Report Post  
citronzx
 
Posts: n/a
Default Driving headphones from amplifier speaker terminals


"John Richards" wrote in message
news
I would like to drive Sennheiser HD 580 headphone from the speaker

terminals
of a 120 watt amp. The headphones have a nominal impedance of 300 ohms,
power handling of .2 watts and sensitivity is 97dB (at 1 mW?). My

intention
is to wire resistors in series across the outputs of the amp to limit the
voltage to the headphones thereby assuring that the headphones will not be
over driven and the volume control will operate in a reasonable range.

The output voltage of the amp should be about 31 volts (120 W into 8

ohms).

120W is probably an RMS value. This is the amount of power that the
amplifier is able to put out continously. The actual power that the
amplifier puts out with a speaker load is usually far less, perhaps only a
watt or so. I think that you are making this too complicated. Here is what
I would do: go to radio shack and get an audio taper (i.e. logrithmic)
potentiomiter and put it in SERIES with the headphones. Turn the volume all
the way down on both the pot and the amp and then adjust both until you get
the level you want. The pot should let you adjust the volume over a usable
range. Just be careful! You might also try adding a current limiting
resistor, say, starting with 10k ohms, in serise with the pot just to be
safe when you first try this. Maybe you could try this first with a $2 pair
of head phones and then use your Sennheisers.


If I wire 4 10 ohm, 10 watt resistors in series for a load of 40 ohms

across
the speaker terminals, the total output power of the amp would be about 24
watts into 40 ohms and should be low enough for the 4 10 watt resistors

(40
watts) to dissipate the power and would provide about 6 volts across each
resistor. Connecting the headphones across one of the resistors would
provide a maximum of about 6 volts to drive the headphones. This
configuration would result in a maximum power of about 120 mW (6 volts

into
300 ohms) which should be plenty of power without the likelihood of
destroying the headphones. The reason I chose 4 10 ohm resistors is that
this value and power rating is easy to find and cheap (Radio Shack). I
could have used 4 2 ohm resistors to provide an 8 ohm load for the amp but
the power rating of each resistor would have to be at least 30 watts
(preferably 40 or 50) which would probably be expensive and require heat
sinks. I'm assuming that the amp will perform as well into 40 ohms (or

any
load as long as the power output is adequate - how about 1 watt into 1
kohm?) as it will into 8 ohms (?).

I know this project is trivial to most of the people on this group but I
would just like some confirmation that my plan is reasonable.

Thanks
John




  #5   Report Post  
citronzx
 
Posts: n/a
Default Driving headphones from amplifier speaker terminals


"John Richards" wrote in message
news
I would like to drive Sennheiser HD 580 headphone from the speaker

terminals
of a 120 watt amp. The headphones have a nominal impedance of 300 ohms,
power handling of .2 watts and sensitivity is 97dB (at 1 mW?). My

intention
is to wire resistors in series across the outputs of the amp to limit the
voltage to the headphones thereby assuring that the headphones will not be
over driven and the volume control will operate in a reasonable range.

The output voltage of the amp should be about 31 volts (120 W into 8

ohms).

120W is probably an RMS value. This is the amount of power that the
amplifier is able to put out continously. The actual power that the
amplifier puts out with a speaker load is usually far less, perhaps only a
watt or so. I think that you are making this too complicated. Here is what
I would do: go to radio shack and get an audio taper (i.e. logrithmic)
potentiomiter and put it in SERIES with the headphones. Turn the volume all
the way down on both the pot and the amp and then adjust both until you get
the level you want. The pot should let you adjust the volume over a usable
range. Just be careful! You might also try adding a current limiting
resistor, say, starting with 10k ohms, in serise with the pot just to be
safe when you first try this. Maybe you could try this first with a $2 pair
of head phones and then use your Sennheisers.


If I wire 4 10 ohm, 10 watt resistors in series for a load of 40 ohms

across
the speaker terminals, the total output power of the amp would be about 24
watts into 40 ohms and should be low enough for the 4 10 watt resistors

(40
watts) to dissipate the power and would provide about 6 volts across each
resistor. Connecting the headphones across one of the resistors would
provide a maximum of about 6 volts to drive the headphones. This
configuration would result in a maximum power of about 120 mW (6 volts

into
300 ohms) which should be plenty of power without the likelihood of
destroying the headphones. The reason I chose 4 10 ohm resistors is that
this value and power rating is easy to find and cheap (Radio Shack). I
could have used 4 2 ohm resistors to provide an 8 ohm load for the amp but
the power rating of each resistor would have to be at least 30 watts
(preferably 40 or 50) which would probably be expensive and require heat
sinks. I'm assuming that the amp will perform as well into 40 ohms (or

any
load as long as the power output is adequate - how about 1 watt into 1
kohm?) as it will into 8 ohms (?).

I know this project is trivial to most of the people on this group but I
would just like some confirmation that my plan is reasonable.

Thanks
John






  #6   Report Post  
Sofie
 
Posts: n/a
Default Driving headphones from amplifier speaker terminals

John Richards....
Your assumption about the value of the resistors is a little low but OK but
you do not need the big 40 Watt power rating in the headphone series
resistors.
Generally, all you would require is one 220 ohm @ 1 or 2 watt series
resistor in each channel. In addition, the value of the resistor can be
juggled quite a bit too...... I just pulled schematics from a half dozen
Stereo Receivers here at my shop.... Yamahas, Kenwood, Denon, etc......
values from 68 to 360 ohms were found, most were usually @ 1 Watt except for
one older Sony 75 watt per channel unit which used a 2 watt resistor
rating. The 220 ohm @ 1 Watt resistor value was found in a 100 watt per
channel Yamaha.
The head phones at 300 ohms in series with a 220 ohm resistor will provide
an amplifier load of about 520 ohms per channel..... this won't allow the
amp output stages to work very hard and the relatively high resistance
holds down the current to low levels.....unlike driving full power into 8
ohm speaker loads where higher current will be required and heat will be
produced in the power output stages.
The max instantaneous power rating just in the headphones series resistors
is less than 1 watt each.... and that's at your 120 Watt output..... which
you would never be anywhere near that high level, especially with headphones
on .
Watch your wiring and be careful that you do not accidentally short the
speaker terminals..... solid state amps will try to deliver the maximum
amount of current into a load..... and a low ohm or dead short will allow
destructive currents in the power output stages.
--
Best Regards,
Daniel Sofie
Electronics Supply & Repair
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


"John Richards" wrote in message
news
I would like to drive Sennheiser HD 580 headphone from the speaker

terminals
of a 120 watt amp. The headphones have a nominal impedance of 300 ohms,
power handling of .2 watts and sensitivity is 97dB (at 1 mW?). My

intention
is to wire resistors in series across the outputs of the amp to limit the
voltage to the headphones thereby assuring that the headphones will not be
over driven and the volume control will operate in a reasonable range.

The output voltage of the amp should be about 31 volts (120 W into 8

ohms).
If I wire 4 10 ohm, 10 watt resistors in series for a load of 40 ohms

across
the speaker terminals, the total output power of the amp would be about 24
watts into 40 ohms and should be low enough for the 4 10 watt resistors

(40
watts) to dissipate the power and would provide about 6 volts across each
resistor. Connecting the headphones across one of the resistors would
provide a maximum of about 6 volts to drive the headphones. This
configuration would result in a maximum power of about 120 mW (6 volts

into
300 ohms) which should be plenty of power without the likelihood of
destroying the headphones. The reason I chose 4 10 ohm resistors is that
this value and power rating is easy to find and cheap (Radio Shack). I
could have used 4 2 ohm resistors to provide an 8 ohm load for the amp but
the power rating of each resistor would have to be at least 30 watts
(preferably 40 or 50) which would probably be expensive and require heat
sinks. I'm assuming that the amp will perform as well into 40 ohms (or

any
load as long as the power output is adequate - how about 1 watt into 1
kohm?) as it will into 8 ohms (?).

I know this project is trivial to most of the people on this group but I
would just like some confirmation that my plan is reasonable.

Thanks
John




  #7   Report Post  
Sofie
 
Posts: n/a
Default Driving headphones from amplifier speaker terminals

John Richards....
Your assumption about the value of the resistors is a little low but OK but
you do not need the big 40 Watt power rating in the headphone series
resistors.
Generally, all you would require is one 220 ohm @ 1 or 2 watt series
resistor in each channel. In addition, the value of the resistor can be
juggled quite a bit too...... I just pulled schematics from a half dozen
Stereo Receivers here at my shop.... Yamahas, Kenwood, Denon, etc......
values from 68 to 360 ohms were found, most were usually @ 1 Watt except for
one older Sony 75 watt per channel unit which used a 2 watt resistor
rating. The 220 ohm @ 1 Watt resistor value was found in a 100 watt per
channel Yamaha.
The head phones at 300 ohms in series with a 220 ohm resistor will provide
an amplifier load of about 520 ohms per channel..... this won't allow the
amp output stages to work very hard and the relatively high resistance
holds down the current to low levels.....unlike driving full power into 8
ohm speaker loads where higher current will be required and heat will be
produced in the power output stages.
The max instantaneous power rating just in the headphones series resistors
is less than 1 watt each.... and that's at your 120 Watt output..... which
you would never be anywhere near that high level, especially with headphones
on .
Watch your wiring and be careful that you do not accidentally short the
speaker terminals..... solid state amps will try to deliver the maximum
amount of current into a load..... and a low ohm or dead short will allow
destructive currents in the power output stages.
--
Best Regards,
Daniel Sofie
Electronics Supply & Repair
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


"John Richards" wrote in message
news
I would like to drive Sennheiser HD 580 headphone from the speaker

terminals
of a 120 watt amp. The headphones have a nominal impedance of 300 ohms,
power handling of .2 watts and sensitivity is 97dB (at 1 mW?). My

intention
is to wire resistors in series across the outputs of the amp to limit the
voltage to the headphones thereby assuring that the headphones will not be
over driven and the volume control will operate in a reasonable range.

The output voltage of the amp should be about 31 volts (120 W into 8

ohms).
If I wire 4 10 ohm, 10 watt resistors in series for a load of 40 ohms

across
the speaker terminals, the total output power of the amp would be about 24
watts into 40 ohms and should be low enough for the 4 10 watt resistors

(40
watts) to dissipate the power and would provide about 6 volts across each
resistor. Connecting the headphones across one of the resistors would
provide a maximum of about 6 volts to drive the headphones. This
configuration would result in a maximum power of about 120 mW (6 volts

into
300 ohms) which should be plenty of power without the likelihood of
destroying the headphones. The reason I chose 4 10 ohm resistors is that
this value and power rating is easy to find and cheap (Radio Shack). I
could have used 4 2 ohm resistors to provide an 8 ohm load for the amp but
the power rating of each resistor would have to be at least 30 watts
(preferably 40 or 50) which would probably be expensive and require heat
sinks. I'm assuming that the amp will perform as well into 40 ohms (or

any
load as long as the power output is adequate - how about 1 watt into 1
kohm?) as it will into 8 ohms (?).

I know this project is trivial to most of the people on this group but I
would just like some confirmation that my plan is reasonable.

Thanks
John




  #8   Report Post  
Sofie
 
Posts: n/a
Default Driving headphones from amplifier speaker terminals

John Richards....
Your assumption about the value of the resistors is a little low but OK but
you do not need the big 40 Watt power rating in the headphone series
resistors.
Generally, all you would require is one 220 ohm @ 1 or 2 watt series
resistor in each channel. In addition, the value of the resistor can be
juggled quite a bit too...... I just pulled schematics from a half dozen
Stereo Receivers here at my shop.... Yamahas, Kenwood, Denon, etc......
values from 68 to 360 ohms were found, most were usually @ 1 Watt except for
one older Sony 75 watt per channel unit which used a 2 watt resistor
rating. The 220 ohm @ 1 Watt resistor value was found in a 100 watt per
channel Yamaha.
The head phones at 300 ohms in series with a 220 ohm resistor will provide
an amplifier load of about 520 ohms per channel..... this won't allow the
amp output stages to work very hard and the relatively high resistance
holds down the current to low levels.....unlike driving full power into 8
ohm speaker loads where higher current will be required and heat will be
produced in the power output stages.
The max instantaneous power rating just in the headphones series resistors
is less than 1 watt each.... and that's at your 120 Watt output..... which
you would never be anywhere near that high level, especially with headphones
on .
Watch your wiring and be careful that you do not accidentally short the
speaker terminals..... solid state amps will try to deliver the maximum
amount of current into a load..... and a low ohm or dead short will allow
destructive currents in the power output stages.
--
Best Regards,
Daniel Sofie
Electronics Supply & Repair
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


"John Richards" wrote in message
news
I would like to drive Sennheiser HD 580 headphone from the speaker

terminals
of a 120 watt amp. The headphones have a nominal impedance of 300 ohms,
power handling of .2 watts and sensitivity is 97dB (at 1 mW?). My

intention
is to wire resistors in series across the outputs of the amp to limit the
voltage to the headphones thereby assuring that the headphones will not be
over driven and the volume control will operate in a reasonable range.

The output voltage of the amp should be about 31 volts (120 W into 8

ohms).
If I wire 4 10 ohm, 10 watt resistors in series for a load of 40 ohms

across
the speaker terminals, the total output power of the amp would be about 24
watts into 40 ohms and should be low enough for the 4 10 watt resistors

(40
watts) to dissipate the power and would provide about 6 volts across each
resistor. Connecting the headphones across one of the resistors would
provide a maximum of about 6 volts to drive the headphones. This
configuration would result in a maximum power of about 120 mW (6 volts

into
300 ohms) which should be plenty of power without the likelihood of
destroying the headphones. The reason I chose 4 10 ohm resistors is that
this value and power rating is easy to find and cheap (Radio Shack). I
could have used 4 2 ohm resistors to provide an 8 ohm load for the amp but
the power rating of each resistor would have to be at least 30 watts
(preferably 40 or 50) which would probably be expensive and require heat
sinks. I'm assuming that the amp will perform as well into 40 ohms (or

any
load as long as the power output is adequate - how about 1 watt into 1
kohm?) as it will into 8 ohms (?).

I know this project is trivial to most of the people on this group but I
would just like some confirmation that my plan is reasonable.

Thanks
John




  #9   Report Post  
Sofie
 
Posts: n/a
Default Driving headphones from amplifier speaker terminals

John Richards....
Your assumption about the value of the resistors is a little low but OK but
you do not need the big 40 Watt power rating in the headphone series
resistors.
Generally, all you would require is one 220 ohm @ 1 or 2 watt series
resistor in each channel. In addition, the value of the resistor can be
juggled quite a bit too...... I just pulled schematics from a half dozen
Stereo Receivers here at my shop.... Yamahas, Kenwood, Denon, etc......
values from 68 to 360 ohms were found, most were usually @ 1 Watt except for
one older Sony 75 watt per channel unit which used a 2 watt resistor
rating. The 220 ohm @ 1 Watt resistor value was found in a 100 watt per
channel Yamaha.
The head phones at 300 ohms in series with a 220 ohm resistor will provide
an amplifier load of about 520 ohms per channel..... this won't allow the
amp output stages to work very hard and the relatively high resistance
holds down the current to low levels.....unlike driving full power into 8
ohm speaker loads where higher current will be required and heat will be
produced in the power output stages.
The max instantaneous power rating just in the headphones series resistors
is less than 1 watt each.... and that's at your 120 Watt output..... which
you would never be anywhere near that high level, especially with headphones
on .
Watch your wiring and be careful that you do not accidentally short the
speaker terminals..... solid state amps will try to deliver the maximum
amount of current into a load..... and a low ohm or dead short will allow
destructive currents in the power output stages.
--
Best Regards,
Daniel Sofie
Electronics Supply & Repair
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


"John Richards" wrote in message
news
I would like to drive Sennheiser HD 580 headphone from the speaker

terminals
of a 120 watt amp. The headphones have a nominal impedance of 300 ohms,
power handling of .2 watts and sensitivity is 97dB (at 1 mW?). My

intention
is to wire resistors in series across the outputs of the amp to limit the
voltage to the headphones thereby assuring that the headphones will not be
over driven and the volume control will operate in a reasonable range.

The output voltage of the amp should be about 31 volts (120 W into 8

ohms).
If I wire 4 10 ohm, 10 watt resistors in series for a load of 40 ohms

across
the speaker terminals, the total output power of the amp would be about 24
watts into 40 ohms and should be low enough for the 4 10 watt resistors

(40
watts) to dissipate the power and would provide about 6 volts across each
resistor. Connecting the headphones across one of the resistors would
provide a maximum of about 6 volts to drive the headphones. This
configuration would result in a maximum power of about 120 mW (6 volts

into
300 ohms) which should be plenty of power without the likelihood of
destroying the headphones. The reason I chose 4 10 ohm resistors is that
this value and power rating is easy to find and cheap (Radio Shack). I
could have used 4 2 ohm resistors to provide an 8 ohm load for the amp but
the power rating of each resistor would have to be at least 30 watts
(preferably 40 or 50) which would probably be expensive and require heat
sinks. I'm assuming that the amp will perform as well into 40 ohms (or

any
load as long as the power output is adequate - how about 1 watt into 1
kohm?) as it will into 8 ohms (?).

I know this project is trivial to most of the people on this group but I
would just like some confirmation that my plan is reasonable.

Thanks
John




  #10   Report Post  
Jerry G.
 
Posts: n/a
Default Driving headphones from amplifier speaker terminals

A common practice is to use for each channel in series with the headphones
are a pair of 120 ohm 2 Watt resistors. Each one is for each side of the
headphones. The ground is common.

--

Greetings,

Jerry Greenberg GLG Technologies GLG
=========================================
WebPage http://www.zoom-one.com
Electronics http://www.zoom-one.com/electron.htm
=========================================


"John Richards" wrote in message
news I would like to drive Sennheiser HD 580 headphone from the speaker terminals
of a 120 watt amp. The headphones have a nominal impedance of 300 ohms,
power handling of .2 watts and sensitivity is 97dB (at 1 mW?). My intention
is to wire resistors in series across the outputs of the amp to limit the
voltage to the headphones thereby assuring that the headphones will not be
over driven and the volume control will operate in a reasonable range.

The output voltage of the amp should be about 31 volts (120 W into 8 ohms).
If I wire 4 10 ohm, 10 watt resistors in series for a load of 40 ohms across
the speaker terminals, the total output power of the amp would be about 24
watts into 40 ohms and should be low enough for the 4 10 watt resistors (40
watts) to dissipate the power and would provide about 6 volts across each
resistor. Connecting the headphones across one of the resistors would
provide a maximum of about 6 volts to drive the headphones. This
configuration would result in a maximum power of about 120 mW (6 volts into
300 ohms) which should be plenty of power without the likelihood of
destroying the headphones. The reason I chose 4 10 ohm resistors is that
this value and power rating is easy to find and cheap (Radio Shack). I
could have used 4 2 ohm resistors to provide an 8 ohm load for the amp but
the power rating of each resistor would have to be at least 30 watts
(preferably 40 or 50) which would probably be expensive and require heat
sinks. I'm assuming that the amp will perform as well into 40 ohms (or any
load as long as the power output is adequate - how about 1 watt into 1
kohm?) as it will into 8 ohms (?).

I know this project is trivial to most of the people on this group but I
would just like some confirmation that my plan is reasonable.

Thanks
John





  #11   Report Post  
Jerry G.
 
Posts: n/a
Default Driving headphones from amplifier speaker terminals

A common practice is to use for each channel in series with the headphones
are a pair of 120 ohm 2 Watt resistors. Each one is for each side of the
headphones. The ground is common.

--

Greetings,

Jerry Greenberg GLG Technologies GLG
=========================================
WebPage http://www.zoom-one.com
Electronics http://www.zoom-one.com/electron.htm
=========================================


"John Richards" wrote in message
news I would like to drive Sennheiser HD 580 headphone from the speaker terminals
of a 120 watt amp. The headphones have a nominal impedance of 300 ohms,
power handling of .2 watts and sensitivity is 97dB (at 1 mW?). My intention
is to wire resistors in series across the outputs of the amp to limit the
voltage to the headphones thereby assuring that the headphones will not be
over driven and the volume control will operate in a reasonable range.

The output voltage of the amp should be about 31 volts (120 W into 8 ohms).
If I wire 4 10 ohm, 10 watt resistors in series for a load of 40 ohms across
the speaker terminals, the total output power of the amp would be about 24
watts into 40 ohms and should be low enough for the 4 10 watt resistors (40
watts) to dissipate the power and would provide about 6 volts across each
resistor. Connecting the headphones across one of the resistors would
provide a maximum of about 6 volts to drive the headphones. This
configuration would result in a maximum power of about 120 mW (6 volts into
300 ohms) which should be plenty of power without the likelihood of
destroying the headphones. The reason I chose 4 10 ohm resistors is that
this value and power rating is easy to find and cheap (Radio Shack). I
could have used 4 2 ohm resistors to provide an 8 ohm load for the amp but
the power rating of each resistor would have to be at least 30 watts
(preferably 40 or 50) which would probably be expensive and require heat
sinks. I'm assuming that the amp will perform as well into 40 ohms (or any
load as long as the power output is adequate - how about 1 watt into 1
kohm?) as it will into 8 ohms (?).

I know this project is trivial to most of the people on this group but I
would just like some confirmation that my plan is reasonable.

Thanks
John



  #12   Report Post  
Jerry G.
 
Posts: n/a
Default Driving headphones from amplifier speaker terminals

A common practice is to use for each channel in series with the headphones
are a pair of 120 ohm 2 Watt resistors. Each one is for each side of the
headphones. The ground is common.

--

Greetings,

Jerry Greenberg GLG Technologies GLG
=========================================
WebPage http://www.zoom-one.com
Electronics http://www.zoom-one.com/electron.htm
=========================================


"John Richards" wrote in message
news I would like to drive Sennheiser HD 580 headphone from the speaker terminals
of a 120 watt amp. The headphones have a nominal impedance of 300 ohms,
power handling of .2 watts and sensitivity is 97dB (at 1 mW?). My intention
is to wire resistors in series across the outputs of the amp to limit the
voltage to the headphones thereby assuring that the headphones will not be
over driven and the volume control will operate in a reasonable range.

The output voltage of the amp should be about 31 volts (120 W into 8 ohms).
If I wire 4 10 ohm, 10 watt resistors in series for a load of 40 ohms across
the speaker terminals, the total output power of the amp would be about 24
watts into 40 ohms and should be low enough for the 4 10 watt resistors (40
watts) to dissipate the power and would provide about 6 volts across each
resistor. Connecting the headphones across one of the resistors would
provide a maximum of about 6 volts to drive the headphones. This
configuration would result in a maximum power of about 120 mW (6 volts into
300 ohms) which should be plenty of power without the likelihood of
destroying the headphones. The reason I chose 4 10 ohm resistors is that
this value and power rating is easy to find and cheap (Radio Shack). I
could have used 4 2 ohm resistors to provide an 8 ohm load for the amp but
the power rating of each resistor would have to be at least 30 watts
(preferably 40 or 50) which would probably be expensive and require heat
sinks. I'm assuming that the amp will perform as well into 40 ohms (or any
load as long as the power output is adequate - how about 1 watt into 1
kohm?) as it will into 8 ohms (?).

I know this project is trivial to most of the people on this group but I
would just like some confirmation that my plan is reasonable.

Thanks
John



  #13   Report Post  
Jerry G.
 
Posts: n/a
Default Driving headphones from amplifier speaker terminals

A common practice is to use for each channel in series with the headphones
are a pair of 120 ohm 2 Watt resistors. Each one is for each side of the
headphones. The ground is common.

--

Greetings,

Jerry Greenberg GLG Technologies GLG
=========================================
WebPage http://www.zoom-one.com
Electronics http://www.zoom-one.com/electron.htm
=========================================


"John Richards" wrote in message
news I would like to drive Sennheiser HD 580 headphone from the speaker terminals
of a 120 watt amp. The headphones have a nominal impedance of 300 ohms,
power handling of .2 watts and sensitivity is 97dB (at 1 mW?). My intention
is to wire resistors in series across the outputs of the amp to limit the
voltage to the headphones thereby assuring that the headphones will not be
over driven and the volume control will operate in a reasonable range.

The output voltage of the amp should be about 31 volts (120 W into 8 ohms).
If I wire 4 10 ohm, 10 watt resistors in series for a load of 40 ohms across
the speaker terminals, the total output power of the amp would be about 24
watts into 40 ohms and should be low enough for the 4 10 watt resistors (40
watts) to dissipate the power and would provide about 6 volts across each
resistor. Connecting the headphones across one of the resistors would
provide a maximum of about 6 volts to drive the headphones. This
configuration would result in a maximum power of about 120 mW (6 volts into
300 ohms) which should be plenty of power without the likelihood of
destroying the headphones. The reason I chose 4 10 ohm resistors is that
this value and power rating is easy to find and cheap (Radio Shack). I
could have used 4 2 ohm resistors to provide an 8 ohm load for the amp but
the power rating of each resistor would have to be at least 30 watts
(preferably 40 or 50) which would probably be expensive and require heat
sinks. I'm assuming that the amp will perform as well into 40 ohms (or any
load as long as the power output is adequate - how about 1 watt into 1
kohm?) as it will into 8 ohms (?).

I know this project is trivial to most of the people on this group but I
would just like some confirmation that my plan is reasonable.

Thanks
John



  #14   Report Post  
CJT
 
Posts: n/a
Default Driving headphones from amplifier speaker terminals

normanstrong wrote:

"John Richards" wrote in message
news
I would like to drive Sennheiser HD 580 headphone from the speaker


terminals

of a 120 watt amp. The headphones have a nominal impedance of 300


ohms,

power handling of .2 watts and sensitivity is 97dB (at 1 mW?). My


intention

is to wire resistors in series across the outputs of the amp to


limit the

voltage to the headphones thereby assuring that the headphones will


not be

over driven and the volume control will operate in a reasonable


range.

Get a 10K pot,


10K seems pretty high; maybe more like 250 -- and wirewound.

preferably with an audio taper, and put it across the
output of the amp. Connect one of the phones from the tap to common.
Set the volume of the amp so that it sounds normally loud when
connected to your speakers. Now disconnect the speakers and set the
pot so that the phones have about the same loudness. Measure the
resistance of the pot from tap to common and from tap to the amplifier
input. Buy a pair of resistors of about these values, a pair for each
phone and connect them permanently.

Another, even better solution would be to copy the divider on a
commercial receiver.

Norm Strong




--
After being targeted with gigabytes of trash by the "SWEN" worm, I have
concluded we must conceal our e-mail address. Our true address is the
mirror image of what you see before the "@" symbol. It's a shame such
steps are necessary. ...Charlie
  #15   Report Post  
CJT
 
Posts: n/a
Default Driving headphones from amplifier speaker terminals

normanstrong wrote:

"John Richards" wrote in message
news
I would like to drive Sennheiser HD 580 headphone from the speaker


terminals

of a 120 watt amp. The headphones have a nominal impedance of 300


ohms,

power handling of .2 watts and sensitivity is 97dB (at 1 mW?). My


intention

is to wire resistors in series across the outputs of the amp to


limit the

voltage to the headphones thereby assuring that the headphones will


not be

over driven and the volume control will operate in a reasonable


range.

Get a 10K pot,


10K seems pretty high; maybe more like 250 -- and wirewound.

preferably with an audio taper, and put it across the
output of the amp. Connect one of the phones from the tap to common.
Set the volume of the amp so that it sounds normally loud when
connected to your speakers. Now disconnect the speakers and set the
pot so that the phones have about the same loudness. Measure the
resistance of the pot from tap to common and from tap to the amplifier
input. Buy a pair of resistors of about these values, a pair for each
phone and connect them permanently.

Another, even better solution would be to copy the divider on a
commercial receiver.

Norm Strong




--
After being targeted with gigabytes of trash by the "SWEN" worm, I have
concluded we must conceal our e-mail address. Our true address is the
mirror image of what you see before the "@" symbol. It's a shame such
steps are necessary. ...Charlie


  #16   Report Post  
CJT
 
Posts: n/a
Default Driving headphones from amplifier speaker terminals

normanstrong wrote:

"John Richards" wrote in message
news
I would like to drive Sennheiser HD 580 headphone from the speaker


terminals

of a 120 watt amp. The headphones have a nominal impedance of 300


ohms,

power handling of .2 watts and sensitivity is 97dB (at 1 mW?). My


intention

is to wire resistors in series across the outputs of the amp to


limit the

voltage to the headphones thereby assuring that the headphones will


not be

over driven and the volume control will operate in a reasonable


range.

Get a 10K pot,


10K seems pretty high; maybe more like 250 -- and wirewound.

preferably with an audio taper, and put it across the
output of the amp. Connect one of the phones from the tap to common.
Set the volume of the amp so that it sounds normally loud when
connected to your speakers. Now disconnect the speakers and set the
pot so that the phones have about the same loudness. Measure the
resistance of the pot from tap to common and from tap to the amplifier
input. Buy a pair of resistors of about these values, a pair for each
phone and connect them permanently.

Another, even better solution would be to copy the divider on a
commercial receiver.

Norm Strong




--
After being targeted with gigabytes of trash by the "SWEN" worm, I have
concluded we must conceal our e-mail address. Our true address is the
mirror image of what you see before the "@" symbol. It's a shame such
steps are necessary. ...Charlie
  #17   Report Post  
CJT
 
Posts: n/a
Default Driving headphones from amplifier speaker terminals

normanstrong wrote:

"John Richards" wrote in message
news
I would like to drive Sennheiser HD 580 headphone from the speaker


terminals

of a 120 watt amp. The headphones have a nominal impedance of 300


ohms,

power handling of .2 watts and sensitivity is 97dB (at 1 mW?). My


intention

is to wire resistors in series across the outputs of the amp to


limit the

voltage to the headphones thereby assuring that the headphones will


not be

over driven and the volume control will operate in a reasonable


range.

Get a 10K pot,


10K seems pretty high; maybe more like 250 -- and wirewound.

preferably with an audio taper, and put it across the
output of the amp. Connect one of the phones from the tap to common.
Set the volume of the amp so that it sounds normally loud when
connected to your speakers. Now disconnect the speakers and set the
pot so that the phones have about the same loudness. Measure the
resistance of the pot from tap to common and from tap to the amplifier
input. Buy a pair of resistors of about these values, a pair for each
phone and connect them permanently.

Another, even better solution would be to copy the divider on a
commercial receiver.

Norm Strong




--
After being targeted with gigabytes of trash by the "SWEN" worm, I have
concluded we must conceal our e-mail address. Our true address is the
mirror image of what you see before the "@" symbol. It's a shame such
steps are necessary. ...Charlie
  #18   Report Post  
John Richards
 
Posts: n/a
Default Driving headphones from amplifier speaker terminals

Thanks to all for your comments. The pot idea to determine resistor ratios
required to keep volume control consistent with that for speakers sounds
good. I will also use larger values than I originally planned.

Thanks again,
John

"CJT" wrote in message
...
normanstrong wrote:

"John Richards" wrote in message
news
I would like to drive Sennheiser HD 580 headphone from the speaker


terminals

of a 120 watt amp. The headphones have a nominal impedance of 300


ohms,

power handling of .2 watts and sensitivity is 97dB (at 1 mW?). My


intention

is to wire resistors in series across the outputs of the amp to


limit the

voltage to the headphones thereby assuring that the headphones will


not be

over driven and the volume control will operate in a reasonable


range.

Get a 10K pot,


10K seems pretty high; maybe more like 250 -- and wirewound.

preferably with an audio taper, and put it across the
output of the amp. Connect one of the phones from the tap to common.
Set the volume of the amp so that it sounds normally loud when
connected to your speakers. Now disconnect the speakers and set the
pot so that the phones have about the same loudness. Measure the
resistance of the pot from tap to common and from tap to the amplifier
input. Buy a pair of resistors of about these values, a pair for each
phone and connect them permanently.

Another, even better solution would be to copy the divider on a
commercial receiver.

Norm Strong




--
After being targeted with gigabytes of trash by the "SWEN" worm, I have
concluded we must conceal our e-mail address. Our true address is the
mirror image of what you see before the "@" symbol. It's a shame such
steps are necessary. ...Charlie



  #19   Report Post  
John Richards
 
Posts: n/a
Default Driving headphones from amplifier speaker terminals

Thanks to all for your comments. The pot idea to determine resistor ratios
required to keep volume control consistent with that for speakers sounds
good. I will also use larger values than I originally planned.

Thanks again,
John

"CJT" wrote in message
...
normanstrong wrote:

"John Richards" wrote in message
news
I would like to drive Sennheiser HD 580 headphone from the speaker


terminals

of a 120 watt amp. The headphones have a nominal impedance of 300


ohms,

power handling of .2 watts and sensitivity is 97dB (at 1 mW?). My


intention

is to wire resistors in series across the outputs of the amp to


limit the

voltage to the headphones thereby assuring that the headphones will


not be

over driven and the volume control will operate in a reasonable


range.

Get a 10K pot,


10K seems pretty high; maybe more like 250 -- and wirewound.

preferably with an audio taper, and put it across the
output of the amp. Connect one of the phones from the tap to common.
Set the volume of the amp so that it sounds normally loud when
connected to your speakers. Now disconnect the speakers and set the
pot so that the phones have about the same loudness. Measure the
resistance of the pot from tap to common and from tap to the amplifier
input. Buy a pair of resistors of about these values, a pair for each
phone and connect them permanently.

Another, even better solution would be to copy the divider on a
commercial receiver.

Norm Strong




--
After being targeted with gigabytes of trash by the "SWEN" worm, I have
concluded we must conceal our e-mail address. Our true address is the
mirror image of what you see before the "@" symbol. It's a shame such
steps are necessary. ...Charlie



  #20   Report Post  
John Richards
 
Posts: n/a
Default Driving headphones from amplifier speaker terminals

Thanks to all for your comments. The pot idea to determine resistor ratios
required to keep volume control consistent with that for speakers sounds
good. I will also use larger values than I originally planned.

Thanks again,
John

"CJT" wrote in message
...
normanstrong wrote:

"John Richards" wrote in message
news
I would like to drive Sennheiser HD 580 headphone from the speaker


terminals

of a 120 watt amp. The headphones have a nominal impedance of 300


ohms,

power handling of .2 watts and sensitivity is 97dB (at 1 mW?). My


intention

is to wire resistors in series across the outputs of the amp to


limit the

voltage to the headphones thereby assuring that the headphones will


not be

over driven and the volume control will operate in a reasonable


range.

Get a 10K pot,


10K seems pretty high; maybe more like 250 -- and wirewound.

preferably with an audio taper, and put it across the
output of the amp. Connect one of the phones from the tap to common.
Set the volume of the amp so that it sounds normally loud when
connected to your speakers. Now disconnect the speakers and set the
pot so that the phones have about the same loudness. Measure the
resistance of the pot from tap to common and from tap to the amplifier
input. Buy a pair of resistors of about these values, a pair for each
phone and connect them permanently.

Another, even better solution would be to copy the divider on a
commercial receiver.

Norm Strong




--
After being targeted with gigabytes of trash by the "SWEN" worm, I have
concluded we must conceal our e-mail address. Our true address is the
mirror image of what you see before the "@" symbol. It's a shame such
steps are necessary. ...Charlie





  #21   Report Post  
John Richards
 
Posts: n/a
Default Driving headphones from amplifier speaker terminals

Thanks to all for your comments. The pot idea to determine resistor ratios
required to keep volume control consistent with that for speakers sounds
good. I will also use larger values than I originally planned.

Thanks again,
John

"CJT" wrote in message
...
normanstrong wrote:

"John Richards" wrote in message
news
I would like to drive Sennheiser HD 580 headphone from the speaker


terminals

of a 120 watt amp. The headphones have a nominal impedance of 300


ohms,

power handling of .2 watts and sensitivity is 97dB (at 1 mW?). My


intention

is to wire resistors in series across the outputs of the amp to


limit the

voltage to the headphones thereby assuring that the headphones will


not be

over driven and the volume control will operate in a reasonable


range.

Get a 10K pot,


10K seems pretty high; maybe more like 250 -- and wirewound.

preferably with an audio taper, and put it across the
output of the amp. Connect one of the phones from the tap to common.
Set the volume of the amp so that it sounds normally loud when
connected to your speakers. Now disconnect the speakers and set the
pot so that the phones have about the same loudness. Measure the
resistance of the pot from tap to common and from tap to the amplifier
input. Buy a pair of resistors of about these values, a pair for each
phone and connect them permanently.

Another, even better solution would be to copy the divider on a
commercial receiver.

Norm Strong




--
After being targeted with gigabytes of trash by the "SWEN" worm, I have
concluded we must conceal our e-mail address. Our true address is the
mirror image of what you see before the "@" symbol. It's a shame such
steps are necessary. ...Charlie



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