Headphone Amp?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Shaz
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Shaz

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Hello all,

I need to expand my Yamaha 01V96's single headphone output to multiple outputs so that more than one person in the studio can listen to the mix via headphones. What exactly do I need to achieve this?

I was looking at different sites and found some headphone amps with multiple headphone jacks. It that what I need? Here is one from Mackie that I am looking into:

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/HM54/

Can I connect the headphone out form 01V96 into the input of this unit and then connect four headphones and listen to the mix?

Any other products I should consider?

Thanks

Shaz
 
Yeah, a headphone distribution amp is exactly what you want/need. And yes, the unit will hook up and work just as you describe, including the ability to seperately adjust the volume for each headphone.

You just need to talk to your Sweetwater guy or gal and make sure you get the right kind of cable to hook up to it. An insert cable is often the one to use, but I'm not sure if that's how the Mackie is jacked or not.

Because these devices are used for monitoring purposes only, they do not need to be the absolute highest quality. I'm sure the Mackie is very nice - I like Mackie products in general - but if you're on a budget, you can get something perfectly acceptable for a lot less than $149 bucks.

I personally use the Rolls RA-53, which is an older version of their current RA-53b(http://www.rolls.com/new/ra53b.html). This is not a rack mount unit, but I find that kind of nice actually, because it allows me to move the unit to a place convenient for the band. The unit is a 5-channel (vs. the 4-channel Mackie), sounds just fine, is built like a tank and only cost me $79 (back in 1999) from Guitar Center. The only drawback is that the AC power transformer is a wall wart, but that's a minor issue for most situations for me.

G.
 
hookiefree said:
Save $50 and get this http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/fg=102/g=home/search/detail/base_pid/240107/
Behringer good sometime.
Click to expand...

All of these things are WAY overpriced. Save $148.47 and buy a $1.50 splitter cable, then just crank up the output to compensate, then use headphones that have a built-in volume control....

Or if you -really- need a headphone amp, build it yourself. You can get the LA4446 (5W dual-channel amp chip) for $.71 in quantities of 35. You should be able to find comparable chips at Fry's or Radio Shack for... probably $1.99 in quantities of 1. Add a power supply (<$10), breadboard ($2), case ($6), and a few wires and you're done. Total cost should be under $25 including the case.

This stuff isn't rocket science.
 
Thanks for your help guys! I will do some research about which unit to buy. I definately want something that sounds nice.
 
dgatwood said:
All of these things are WAY overpriced. Save $148.47 and buy a $1.50 splitter cable, then just crank up the output to compensate, then use headphones that have a built-in volume control....
Click to expand...
If you do that you'd be running the headphones in parallel without any balancing curcuitry. This reduces the impedance load of the circuit by half for every headphone you plug in, which can in turn damage the headphone preamp stage on the mixer. Best to use a distribution amp, either a homemade one like you suggest, or a premade one.

Personally, considering I get $45/hr for my studio or location recording time, the extra $54 it would cost for a Rolls over a $25 homemade one is a bargain in time saved. And at only the cost of an SM57, the Rolls is not all that expensive. Plus it comes with a warranty for when Joe Meathead comes in and plugs his Gibson into it by mistake or pours his beer all over it when I'm not looking.

But you're right, in a pinch when money is very tight, a build-it-yourself project may be what the doctor ordered. Just build it one evening while sitting in front of the TV and watching the White Sox pitch and hit their way right into the World Series :D

G.
 
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