Headphone amps,I need help!

R

Rsc17

New member
Hi,I want to know if I need a headphone amp,I got a Focusrite scarlett 2i4 and i want to buy some headphones for mixing (akg k702,701,or sennheiser's)..But according to what I was reading i need a dedicated amp for those..Also,I'm worried if the focusrite
does not have enough output to drive the headphones at good volume.
The problem is,where i live,there's only behringer (amp800 and powerplay) or samson c q8..or other crappy low budget options.
Anyone has experience with samson c q8 or the behringer amps? Or it's a waste of money?
Or maybe i should buy a less amp dependant headphones?
 
The AKG K701 & K702 are shown to be 62 ohm headphones. The headphones I have range from 30 ohms up to about 70 ohms and I haven't had a problem with most anything I plug them into, with the exception of an older Tascam interface I have. I don't believe you would have a problem with the 2i4 driving them, but hopefully someone with one of the Focusrite interfaces will pipe in.

Those AKG's are 'open back' headphones. If your intention is to use them for listening while tracking with a microphone, they may not be the best choice as the open back could allow 'bleed' of the audio back to a microphone.'Closed back' are more suitable for tracking purposes.
 
Headphone outputs on AIs..Ooo! Murcky-Mcmurky this. The voltage/power delivery is about the same for all the small, bus powered USB interfaces and that is...Adequate. That is not to say they won't go loud, just run Sgt Peppers on my NI KA6 and the tracks run close to 0dBFS (Samplitude Silver) and so, even I, a registered deaf person, need the HP pot at just 10'oclock. If I crank the song back to 'tracking' levels, around -18dFS then with the pot flat out I get a jeeust uncomfortably loud signal. This is in a quiet living room so amid a band there would not be enough level. This is also on AKG K92 cans which are some 6dB more sensitive than most.

The H/P output of the 2i4 is comparable to the KA6, that is at about 20mW per channel. Bottom line. For general listening to stuff at -10dBFS and above you will be fine. For monitoring tracking levels at -18dBFS, pushed. Doing the latter in a noisy environment, you need another HP amplifier.

I have the Berry HA400. I find it noise free and clean enough at levels higher than I want to endure. Obviously there are far better specc'ed cans amps but you probably have to put a zero on the HA400 price to notice a difference?

Dave.
 
Cheaper headphone amps could introduce some background noise. That's obviously unwelcome.

Another vote for trying the headphones with the Focusrite, it might be fine. If not, then roll the dice on a headphone amp.
 
I did a noise check on my HA400 a bit ago. Input O/C, pots at max, V out -85dBu A wtd. That figure is hard to correlate to subjective noise and of course headphones vary enormously in impedance an sensitivity. I can only say 'I' can't hear it and it would be a good (but not exceptional) noise level for an AI.

In any event, the amplifier will have an input load in practice and you are very unlikely to need to run it flat out.

Dave.
 
ecc83 said:
I have the Berry HA400. I find it noise free and clean enough at levels higher than I want to endure. Obviously there are far better specc'ed cans amps but you probably have to put a zero on the HA400 price to notice a difference?

Dave.
Click to expand...
I also have an HA-400 for a Tascam interface that has a weak headphone output. OK amp for the money.
 
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