Headphone amp questions

[arwenmark]

I am still totally new and now find I need a headphone amp for expansion because my Tascam FW1082 only has one headphone out.

So in looking at what is available I could probably get by at the moment with a $30 to $50 model. HOWEVER, I tend to like to buy for future possibilities.

So I have been looking at more expensive models with four channels and up to 12 outputs. some have ONE input and some have Two and some have One main one and an auxillary input on each headphone section.

What I would like to know is why at some point I might want more than one main input what exactly are the Auxillary inputs for?

I seem some of these have various EQ etc. knobs, but why would those be needed since I assume the headphone output if you adjusted it to your hearing, has no relation to what you are actually recording or mixing is that correct?

Tweaks site does not cover headphone amps that I can find, so other then the obvious giving you more headphone outlets, I don't understand the other features, could you guys give an old lady some info on how and why you would want these features?

Thanks guys.

 

[Washburn100]

The main reason for several inputs is so that you can set up different monitor mixes. Suppose you have a session with several musicians. Each musician may want to hear different things, vocalist wants more vocal mix, guitar player wants to hear guitars etc.

The eq's reverbs etc are for the same reason. You can monitor with effects while recording dry. Some vocalists especially can't sing without effects applied.

Hope this helps!

 

[gecko zzed]

What I would like to know is why at some point I might want more than one main input what exactly are the Auxillary inputs for?.

The advantage of aux inputs is that you can feed extra information into the headphone mix. For example, you can send some reverb in, even though you are recording without reverb. Or if someone can't hear their instrument loud enough, you can send in more of it via this aux input.

I seem some of these have various EQ etc. knobs, but why would those be needed since I assume the headphone output if you adjusted it to your hearing, has no relation to what you are actually recording or mixing is that correct?

Correct. But not all headphones are made equally, and nor are people's ears. You can use the headphone amp EQ to adjust for how people are hearing things.

 

[arwenmark]

Okay so far that all makes sense. Another question between products.
The Samson S-Phone 4 channel headphone amp and the Beringher HA 4700 appear to be almost identical, only thing I can see is that the 4700 has both TRS and XLR main I/Os on the back and the S-phone has just TRS.

So the question is Is the sound, both over headphones and just running vastly different between these two since there is a $60 price difference between them, $35 if I add in a 3 year replacement warrantee to ther 4700 which only has a 1 year MFG warantee.

Has anyone used either and can voice an oppinion? Are these two companies related because the Beringher site says they designed this and as I say they seem identical.

 

[gecko zzed]

Okay so far that all makes sense. Another question between products.
The Samson S-Phone 4 channel headphone amp and the Beringher HA 4700 appear to be almost identical, only thing I can see is that the 4700 has both TRS and XLR main I/Os on the back and the S-phone has just TRS.

So the question is Is the sound, both over headphones and just running vastly different between these two since there is a $60 price difference between them, $35 if I add in a 3 year replacement warrantee to ther 4700 which only has a 1 year MFG warantee.

Has anyone used either and can voice an oppinion? Are these two companies related because the Beringher site says they designed this and as I say they seem identical.

I have the 4700, and it has worked flawlessly for me.

I expect there is a fair bit of 'rebadging' going on in this industry. a bit like a Ford Laser being the same as Mazda 323.

 

[arwenmark]

I have the 4700, and it has worked flawlessly for me.

I expect there is a fair bit of 'rebadging' going on in this industry. a bit like a Ford Laser being the same as Mazda 323.

My husband works at a major Audio equipment company and the truth of and beyond rebadging, designed and made in China etc. would blow your socks off.

Oh and glad to hear you like the 4700 okay since I ordered it last night. Reviews seem all over the place, Lots of lemons out there by the look of it hope I don't get one.
thanks for the reply.

 

[gecko zzed]

My husband works at a major Audio equipment company and the truth of and beyond rebadging, designed and made in China etc. would blow your socks off.

Oh and glad to hear you like the 4700 okay since I ordered it last night. Reviews seem all over the place, Lots of lemons out there by the look of it hope I don't get one.
thanks for the reply.

There does appear to be a quality control problem with goods made in China, and consequently there is a risk attached to buying very cheap gear. However, that's a risk I've been prepared to take, and by and large, taking tit hasn't let me down. There' stuff I've bought that's been great, and some that have gone kaboom. But even then, just as it is cheap to buy, it is also cheap to replace. I've also had expensive stuff that's gone belly-up, and that's much more distressing!

 

[arwenmark]

There does appear to be a quality control problem with goods made in China, and consequently there is a risk attached to buying very cheap gear. However, that's a risk I've been prepared to take, and by and large, taking tit hasn't let me down. There' stuff I've bought that's been great, and some that have gone kaboom. But even then, just as it is cheap to buy, it is also cheap to replace. I've also had expensive stuff that's gone belly-up, and that's much more distressing!

Ah, what you say is true, however it is no longer the cheap gear only being designed by the Chinese and having major company names and prices. Some of these well known companies are no longer designing stuff at all they just tell them what they want it to do and hope for the best.
Poor consumers if you only really knew.