Headphone Amp Basic Questions?

cincy_kid

cincy_kid

Active member
Hey all, hopefully basic question here.

Currently I have the Behringer Eurorack UB802:
Behringer Eurorack UB802 Mixer | Musician's Friend

I have the "Main outs" going to my KRK monitors for mixing purposes and the "Phones out" goes to my headphones that are stretched back into my recording room for tracking purposes. When I am tracking, I have the monitors powered off.

Now if I want to record someone else who will be in the tracking room and they are using the headphones, but I want to hear it as well while recording, I am thinking I need a headphone amp and planned on getting this one:

Amazon.com: Behringer HA400 4-Channel Stereo Headphone Amp: Musical Instruments

Now here are my questions:

1) Is that the best solution for me?
2) Can I run the "Phones out" into the input of the headphone am and then just run the headphones from the amp or do I need to go out of the mixer from something else like "Stereo Aux Return" or "Control Room Out"?
3) If I use another output from the mixer, I guess I will need some sort of splitter that takes 2 outs and converts them into a single input?
4) I read where some people are only getting mono signals to their headphone amp and only able to hear out of one ear so is that just the cable they are using and not using a TRS stereo cable or does that have to do with the outs and inputs I will be using?

Before I buy the headphone amp I just wanted to make sure it will work for my setup or if I need to find a different solution.

thanks for any advice all!

~ cincy
 
Get a 6,3mm jack Y cable (or try searching "insert cable") and drag it from Control room out to hp amp input.
116663-d716ae66a8dde5f6a69a3d21960548e7.jpeg
 
Yes, the Behringer will accept a headhone input or a line input (max level +15dBu =about 3Vrms.Input Z 100k. I cheated and dldd the manual!)

You can run headphone signals to virtually any distance because of the relatively high signal level and the very low source resistance. You also don't need shielded cables but it should not hurt if you do.

Dave.
 
You can run the headphones amp off of the headphones output with the cable pictured above, or you could connect it to the control room output, since you aren't using it to run your monitors.

With few exceptions, all of the outputs on a mixer are the same. The only difference is what you have to do to route the signal to it. Son any of the mixers outputs can be used to feed the headphone amp, just choose the one that is the most efficient for your purpose. (control room outputs in your case.)
 
thanks guys, I appreciate the replies!

My only concerns were being able to hear out of both ears (stereo) and the signal not being a mono and also I read somewhere that if you went from the headphones output that you would have impedance issues.

So the cord should be TRS ---> (2) TS connections, but its ok for them all to be TRS I imagine as well.

Ok, headphone amp ordered!

thanks again,

cincy ~
 
No, they can't all be trs if you are splitting from a headphone output to a separate left and right input on a headphone amp. The tip is the left channel and the ring is the right channel. That cable pictured above takes the tip of the TRS and connects it to one TS end and the ring is connected to the other TS end, splitting it into two separate cables. If you just get a TRS 'Y' cable, you will just end up with the left channel in both ears.

The most useful output in your situation (having the monitors connected to the main output) would be the control room out connected to the headphone amp with two separate cables. That way, on most mixers, you can send something different to the headphones than you are sending to the main outputs.
 
thanks Farview, but there is only 1 single input on the headphone amp.

Can I run the Y splitter from the control room Left and Right into the input of the headphone amp with the TRS side?
 
cincy_kid said:
thanks Farview, but there is only 1 single input on the headphone amp.

Can I run the Y splitter from the control room Left and Right into the input of the headphone amp with the TRS side?
Click to expand...
No, you would need the TRS to 2 TS cable pictured above to do that too. You would just use it backwards.
 
This may be already posted above - if so I apologize... I'm not sure what the RCA jacks on the mixer do, but if they're outputs you could _probably_ also just run an pair of RCA to 1/4" to the headphone amp you've shown in the original post. That'd give you up to 4 extra headphones hearing the same thing you hear in your current headphones. I say probably because I'm not familiar with the board and if they're inputs or outputs.
 
smili said:
This may be already posted above - if so I apologize... I'm not sure what the RCA jacks on the mixer do, but if they're outputs you could _probably_ also just run an pair of RCA to 1/4" to the headphone amp you've shown in the original post. That'd give you up to 4 extra headphones hearing the same thing you hear in your current headphones. I say probably because I'm not familiar with the board and if they're inputs or outputs.
Click to expand...

The RCA connectors are outputs,(and two others inputs) probably fed pre the main mix VC and yes, they could be used to feed the H/P amp.

Re a new monitor mix Jay? Not with that wee Bellringer! It is about as basic as you can get. It does however have FX sends, albeit to a mono FX out but this DOES give the promise of a separate balance to the cans. The "one ear" aspect can be avoided by using a mono to two mono jacks splitter lead. It should be mentioned tho' I think that having signal in just one ear can be very useful at times?

Now, at the risk of being a BOF...Again! This is an area where a bit of electronics nonce and a solder iron can reap vast rewards. Small boxes can be made to give each headphone user a choice of one or both ears. I understand the OP's desire to have two ear monitoring but for linking players it need not be "stereo".

Forgot! If anyone HAS such 'tronics nonce and a small "hi fi" amp it is quite easy to make it into a multi-headphone feeder. All that is needed is a feed resistor, 33 to 100 Ohms, depending upon the amp's power (but it is not that critical under about 100watts) per channel and per cans feed, and of course a rake of TRS jacks. Even a fairly feeble 20+20W amp could easily feed 10 sets of cans.
Dave.
 
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