anyone ever used Alto - headphone amps?

[earworm]

now, the "Alto hpa6 6 channel rack mount headphone amp " seems so sweet ! look at the options

(manual
http://www.directproaudio.com/images/products/altohpa6manual.pdf

seems to offer more options than most other HP amps,
and its not behringer....sorry to say this, but i just had bad expieriences with B-stuff,,,, so i avoid buying it...

anyone got comments on ALTO ... cause i don't know the brand....

thanx

 

[MOFO Pro]

I'm curious too... but most of the Alto gear seems ridiculously low priced... and you usually get just what you pay for... it's almost worth a shot at that price point though...

Anyone hear this thing???

 

[earworm]

thats kinda what i was thinking...
its kinda What I Want,
but its cheap for all the options it has...
i don't know this brand...so real curious about more info... whats the overal reputation of Alto ? ...might be noizy stuff...or might break down after 6 months....who knows...

 

[punkin]

I've been using 5 each of their 4-channel compressors for the last year. Not in a recording/hi-fi environment but rather for the purposes of keeping audio level fluctuations to a minimum. I can't tell you more but it's in a public safety radio communications setting. These units have been on line and never turned off for over a year now without failure. I wish I'd had a chance to test them out in a recording situation.

My feeling is that the controls aren't as precise as I would want them to be and channel to channel there are some slight differences in control positioning. But on the other hand, we swept the responses to ensure each channel could be matched. The stuff works, the price is right for what you get. I've got no complaints.

Compare the head set amp you're looking at to the Behringer unit. The prices are similar...call them up and see if you can demo one. What have you got to loose.

 

[Leeking]

and its not behringer....sorry to say this, but i just had bad expieriences with B-stuff,,,, so i avoid buying it...

I've seen some ALto stuffs around... and judging from their built quality, it looks even crappier than behringer.... the Beh* headphone amp has quite a good reputation, so I won't mind getting that...

If you want a cheap and solid solution, get the Rolls HA43... (<$50) made-in-USA. That's what I'm using....

 

[sproutrecording]

i have the alto 6 channel headphone amp and i am content with it. it says to not use any headphone lower than 100 ohms, but I have been using 64 ohm headphones with no noticable effects, other than maybe slight distortion at higher volumes. I was originally looking at the behringer 4 channel amp, but I found the alto for the same price. It works for what I need it for, but I wouldn't mind getting something a little nicer.

 

[mrface2112]

i have the berry 4700 canamp, and it does what i expected it to. it gets sound to headphones and does so LOUDLY and allows me to mix in individualized mixes to each of the 4 channels.

however, the sound quality is NOT anything to write home about. it's fine for tracking a band in a live room, but for monitoring or critical listening, look somewhere else. it sounds FINE.....it does not sound GOOD.

i would expect the Alto to be in about the same league as the berry.


cheers,
wade

 

[Son of Mixerman]

I have an Alto Micpre and the build quality is better than Behringer stuff by far. Stout, well layed out yadda yadda...
Real machined parts wih machine scews, Sovtek tubes and INA OpAmps.


The problem is how it sounds...

which is ok... sorta... until you try to drive the starved plate tube in it... then it turns just evil. The distortion coming from the tube is.... not like a tube.

You know that sound a nail makes when you vaccum cleaner is trying to pick it up... that's pretty close.

I have never heard a worse sounding pre in my whole life... that doesn't say Radio Shack.

It was so cheap I couldn't resist buying one just to see what was inside.

YMMV... but not likely


SoMm

 

[earworm]

."" it says to not use any headphone lower than 100 ohms""

isn't it like....if your headphones are below 100 ohm, you gotto connect TWO HP's ? so that your total amount of ohms is more than 100 ?
or doesn't this make any sense...

additional question: 160 milliwat output on a HP amp.... is that enough to get a LOUD sound ? any idea how much the Behringer amps give....
or do you have to "calculate" this with how much Ohm your headphones have..... (yeah, i'm still trying to understand more about watts and ohms...)

now, something else cought my eye,
this one seems nice, its more expensive, its a brand that i don't know,
but was revieuwed by SOS and didn't get bad comments...

Oz Audio HM6 Qmix - Headphone Matrix Amp.

6 headphone outputs

look here for some pictures and short information:
http://www.macwestgroup.com/lines/Oza.html

looks like a nice machine, but don't know that company,
tried to find their official website....but always ended up at a place where they make speakers for Cars... ieuw

so has anyone ever seen this HPamp in real life?

thanx

 

[sproutrecording]

it is my understanding that if you connected two headphones to the same jack, then the ohms would be lowered. the amp would see two 64 ohm headphones and a 32 ohm load.

i have read the same review on the matrix amp headphone system, but i think that the behringer and alto amps are pretty much the same thing, but also having the advantage that you can control the headphone mixes from your board. on the q-mix you have to control the headphone mixes from the board they give you.

 

[earworm]

ok,
any knows some decent articles on OHM and milliwat subjects?
not toooooo technical,
did some quick searches but didn't find quite what i'm looking for,
tomorrow i'm gonna google after some more subjects...
just want to understand it a little more

 

[punkin]

P=I x E
I=E/R

A relationship thing.

P = Power
I= Current
E= Volts
R= Resitance

You can manipulate these two formulas to juggle the numbers around.

You'll also want to consider parallel resistances... R = (1/(1/R1+1/R2)). Parallel resistance will eat up an amp pretty quick if it's not rated for the load....bottom line...lower resitance in the load, higher the current demand to and things get hot, then, you get to go shopping for new gear.