ART Headamp 6, Samson S-Phone 4 vs Behringer HA4700?

dickiefunk

dickiefunk

New member
Hi,

Does anyone know how either the ART Headamp 6 or Samson S-Phone 4 compare to the Behringer HA4700 in audio quality wise?

I've looked at other models by Presonus, Rane and Mackie and either they don't have the features I need or the Presonus HP60 has the power switch on the back which isn't suitable for racking into a desk.

I've found the Behringer a little noisy generally but the aux inputs have a nasty hum which is the main turn off!!

Which would you recommend out of the Samson S-Phone 4 or ART Headamp 6?

Would either of these have better audio performance + no hum than the HA4700?

Thanks
 
dickiefunk said:
Hi,

Does anyone know how either the ART Headamp 6 or Samson S-Phone 4 compare to the Behringer HA4700 in audio quality wise?

I've looked at other models by Presonus, Rane and Mackie and either they don't have the features I need or the Presonus HP60 has the power switch on the back which isn't suitable for racking into a desk.

I've found the Behringer a little noisy generally but the aux inputs have a nasty hum which is the main turn off!!

Which would you recommend out of the Samson S-Phone 4 or ART Headamp 6?

Would either of these have better audio performance + no hum than the HA4700?

Thanks
Click to expand...
Maybe the Behringer is just amplifying the hum that's already on the aux inputs... I'm always wary about replacing gear to resolve hum issues, more times than not you just wind up with new gear... that hums
 
Thanks for the replies.

I've tried various pres with the Behringer HA4700 and both mono, stereo, balanced and unbalanced leads and still had the same problem.

I'm guessing that this is a problem with the HA4700.

I'm looking to get either the ART or Samson as I don't feel particularly confident buying another Behringer.

Has anyone had any experiences with either of these?
 
Can you tell us a little more about how you have your Ha4700 hooked into your signal chain? I have the older model I think (owned it for almost 7 years) and have had no problems at all. Haven't tried or used the other models you mention.
 
Wireneck said:
Can you tell us a little more about how you have your Ha4700 hooked into your signal chain? I have the older model I think (owned it for almost 7 years) and have had no problems at all. Haven't tried or used the other models you mention.
Click to expand...

I have the outputs 1/2 from my Echo Layla 3G going into an SM Pro Audio M-Patch 2. I then have the second outputs of the M-Patch 2 going into the main inputs of the Behringer HA4700 using balanced TRS leads.

I've then plugged in the second output of my GAP PRE73 (or various other preamps I've used in the past) with a balanced lead into the aux input on the front of the HA4700.

I have tried doing this with various other preamps including the M-Audio Tampa, ART MPA Gold, VTB1 etc and have still had the same problem!?
 
So you are direct monitoring the vocal in the cans? I admit that I have never setup like that. My system is fast enough that the lag is unnoticeable. What happens if you plug the pre into the Behringer without the layla plugged into the inputs and without the pre going to the layla?
 
Can't say anything about the ART model, as I've not used it...but stay away from the Behringer...not because of the "name" ;) but because it has impedance issues.
I can't recall the exact details (it was a few years back) without looking at the specs again, but it's not well designed AFA the load you can apply to it...the impedance of your headphones and the number of headphones. It was not taking into account the variety and general range of headphone impedances that were out there…so you have to be careful what and how many you hook up.
I originally picked one up from MF 'cuz it looked like a nice headphone amp with decent features, it had just come out as a new model from Behringer...but I promptly returned it when I opened the manual and saw the specs. I even spoke with Behringer and they kinda agreed about my interpretation of their specs.

I then bought the Samson instead...which didn't have those same load limitations...and I really like the Samson, it has no issues that I've run into….have had a half-dozen phones hooked up to it...no sweat.

Now....AFA as the "hum"...well, you may want to look beyond the headphone amp, as it may be caused by something you are plugging into the amp. One of your other pieces may be introducing a ground issue...so don't assume it will go away just by swapping headphone amps...but I would do that anyway...the Samson is much better than the Behringer.
Not sure about the ART.
 
Oooooops! :o

That’s what I get for answering posts before my coffee has any effect on my brain! :D
I just looked at the specs on the Behringer website.
I guess my memory is a bit off, and it was actually a few more years back than what I thought.
It wasn’t the Behringer 4700…but the 4400 that had the impedance issues.

The 4700 claims it can go as low as 8 Ohms of load.
The 4400 had a minimum load of 100 Ohms!!!
There are quite a few brands of headphones that INDIVIDUALLY have lower than 100 Ohm impedances…so hooking up 4 of them would really crush the 4400.
I guess they saw the error of their ways (musta’ been the phone call I made to them ;) ) and came out with the 4700 that can go down to 8 Ohms…which is more realistic when you are hooking up a bunch of phones…
...still, some phones have VERY low impedances…so do the math before you hook up.

I would still consider the Samson as a substitute for the 4700 if you are having issues with it…but check your other gear first.
 
miroslav said:
Now....AFA as the "hum"...well, you may want to look beyond the headphone amp, as it may be caused by something you are plugging into the amp. One of your other pieces may be introducing a ground issue...so don't assume it will go away just by swapping headphone amps...but I would do that anyway...the Samson is much better than the Behringer.
Not sure about the ART.
Click to expand...

I've tried plugging in just one preamp at a time but still get the hum!?
 
dickiefunk said:
I've tried plugging in just one preamp at a time but still get the hum!?
Click to expand...
Is everything powered from the same wall outlet? That's the most common source of ground loops, different ground potential from different power sources.

Does the Aux channel still hum with nothing connected and the gain turned up?
 
MOFO Pro said:
Is everything powered from the same wall outlet? That's the most common source of ground loops, different ground potential from different power sources.

Does the Aux channel still hum with nothing connected and the gain turned up?
Click to expand...

There is a small hum coming from the output in general which gets louder when you pan the output towards aux. It gets significantly louder when I plug something into the aux input.

All my gear is powered from the same mains socket.
 
dickiefunk said:
There is a small hum coming from the output in general which gets louder when you pan the output towards aux. It gets significantly louder when I plug something into the aux input.

All my gear is powered from the same mains socket.
Click to expand...

Is the hum in the aux circuit there when nothing is plugged into it, or when you plug something into it?

Like wireneck, I have been using an HA4700 for quite some years, and have found it to be a robust, dependable unit. I concede that it's a bit noisy, but that doesn't worry me when I'm tracking.

I just checked the aux circuit, and there is no perceptible difference in hum when going from main to aux and back.

Note that my HA4700 is connected up with unbalanced cables, which may be contributing to the noise . . . but as I said . . . it's very much in the background and doesn't worry me when tracking.
 
gecko zzed said:
Is the hum in the aux circuit there when nothing is plugged into it, or when you plug something into it?
Click to expand...

There is a small hum and this gets a little louder when I pan the output to aux.
When I plug a preamp into this it gets MUCH louder but it doesn't seem to matter which preamp I use.

I've tried the GAP PRE73, SPL Goldmike, M-Audio Tampa, Focusrite Trakmaster Pro and VTB1.

Same problem no matter which one I use!!!

I find it strange that the HA4700 is the only product I have that has this problem!?
 
If I'm getting ground hum issues, what can I do to solve this?

I was speaking to a dealer who sells and has used both the HA4700 and Samson S-Phone and he said they are very similar but the Samson uses some higher quality components inside.
He also mentioned that neither of them have had this problem that I have?

I'm wondering if a product that uses better components would suffer the same hum problem?
 
I'd look into an SM Pro HP-6. Its only $120 and I love mine. I used to have the Presonus HP4 and I also had the SM Pro HP6e and I hated it even though it's supposed to be an upgrade to the HP-6. The HP6e felt like a really cheap worthless piece of gear as opposed to the HP-6 which feels and sounds nice. Maybe I just got lucky...
 
Ok I've just bought a Behringer MICROHD HD400 Hum Distroyer and I have to say the hum has completely gone!!

I first tried it by putting it between one set of outputs of my Layla 3G and the main inputs of the HA4700 and there was no change, hum was still there!!!

I then placed the HD400 between the second output of the PRE73 and the aux input on the HA4700 and hey presto the hum has gone!

The HA4700 is now working nice and quiet!

I am still confused as to why I would need to do this because it would appear that no matter which preamp I've tried this with and with balanced or unbalanced leads I always get an hum on the auxillary inputs of the HA4700.

I can't help but think that this is a problem with the HA4700 or dodgy wiring inside????
 
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