dachay2tnr
One Hit Wonder
Not sure if this is the right forum... but it looks as good as any. 
Any recommendations for a good 4 to 6 channel headphone amp.
Any recommendations for a good 4 to 6 channel headphone amp.
SouthSIDE Glen
independentrecording.net
Rane RA53.
G.
G.
digmudvayne4lif
New member
The Behringer HA4700 is a really good 4 channel for the price
dachay2tnr
One Hit Wonder
Did you mean Rolls RA53? I can't find a Rane with that model #.SouthSIDE Glen said:
Does anyone have experience with the Presonus HP4?
X
xstatic
New member
The Behringer works well, has good features. It sounds bad though.
SouthSIDE Glen
independentrecording.net
Do'h, yeah, that's what I meant.dachay2tnr said:
The good news is I got the "R" right...
The bad news is I have the Rolls sitting here right in front of me staring me in the face and I still got it wrong
I've only had the damn thing sitting there for 7 years now
G.
Myriad_Rocker
New member
Personally, I really like the Carvin headphone amp. It has connection for two input sources in the back. And on each channel, it has volume knobs for each of those sources and a master volume knob. It ALSO has aux inputs on the front on each channel.
whyseye
Well-known member
I use the HP4 at in the voiceover studio where I work....it does the job, but I've had two knocked over by clueless individuals, and they never worked right again.....my company just replaces 'em at the price, but if they're gonna get bounced around at all, it's something to consider.dachay2tnr said:
SouthSIDE Glen
independentrecording.net
That's actually one of the main things I like about the Rolls. I got it because it was compact and inexpensive, both of which were considerations for me since I was going to be using it both here at the desk and on mobile locations. It's size makes it easy for me to pack right in one of the side pockets of one of my microphone carrying cases, and I figured if it got beat up on location, it was no great loss because it wasn't awfully expensive.whyseye said:
Well, it turned out that it also seems to be pretty solidly built. I've been using it all over the place for 7 yeas now, and yes, it has accidentally gotten knocked of the table a couple of times in the process, and it still works great with nary a scratch on it.
NOTE: I have the RA53, which I believe has been replaced by the RA53b. I have no experience with the "b" model, so I cannot vouch that the above comments still necessarily hold true with the "b" model. But if it is still the iron horse that my original 53 is, then it's definitely a deal.
G.
L
littledog
New member
I've got a few of the Rolls - they work ok.
I've also got the Presonus one. It sounds pretty good, but they have a little problem with being susceptible to static electricity - so watch out when you touch one if you just walked over a rug.
I've also got the Presonus one. It sounds pretty good, but they have a little problem with being susceptible to static electricity - so watch out when you touch one if you just walked over a rug.
Halion
New member
Art HeadAmp V
5 channels
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/HeadAmpV/
Works great, sounds good, and very sturdy! Pretty small too.
5 channels
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/HeadAmpV/
Works great, sounds good, and very sturdy! Pretty small too.
G
Gilliland
New member
I had a Rolls RA53b for a short time. It sounded great as long as you didn't hook up too many pairs of headphones at the same time. It has outputs for five pairs, but I found that if you tried to drive more than two or sometimes three, it would distort severely. At first I thought it must be defective, but I got a second one and it behaved exactly the same way. So I returned it and bought a Behringer 4700. No problems at all with that one.
It seems to be an impedance issue. If you use high impedance headphones, you'll be fine. If you use low impedance headphones (Sony's, for example), you'll have nothing but grief from the RA53.
The 4700, on the other hand, has handled every combination that I've thrown at it. I don't generally buy Behringer gear, but in this case it seems to be an acceptable choice. (Note that the 4700 is specifically rated for low impedance headphones.)
It seems to be an impedance issue. If you use high impedance headphones, you'll be fine. If you use low impedance headphones (Sony's, for example), you'll have nothing but grief from the RA53.
The 4700, on the other hand, has handled every combination that I've thrown at it. I don't generally buy Behringer gear, but in this case it seems to be an acceptable choice. (Note that the 4700 is specifically rated for low impedance headphones.)
SouthSIDE Glen
independentrecording.net
That's a shame. On my original 53 I'm using nothing but Sonys, Sennheisers, etc., all of which fall in the 35-50ohm low impedance category, and have not so far (knock wood) had an issue.Gilliland said:
Once again an upgrade that is really a downgrade
G.
X
xstatic
New member
Is this Rolls by chance the little one that has four channels on sliders for outputs? If so, I have had nothing but bad luck with the two that I tried. I blew 6 out of 8 channels on them in 3 weeks That was years ago though, and they were pretty cheap. I can not attest to the other Rolls ones though. It pains me to say it, but I have found the Behringer to be the best of the sub $100 headphone amps. i have had two now that worked perfectly. They get loud, and stay steady. They do sound pretty bad though, but then again so does the ART, the Presonus, the Samson etc....
That was years ago though, and they were pretty cheap. I can not attest to the other Rolls ones though. It pains me to say it, but I have found the Behringer to be the best of the sub $100 headphone amps. i have had two now that worked perfectly. They get loud, and stay steady. They do sound pretty bad though, but then again so does the ART, the Presonus, the Samson etc....
T
travelin travis
New member
xstatic said:Is this Rolls by chance the little one that has four channels on sliders for outputs? If so, I have had nothing but bad luck with the two that I tried. I blew 6 out of 8 channels on them in 3 weeks
The Presonus HP4 that I have sounds pretty decent to me, for the money. It's not spectacular but I've never had any issues with it. Have you tried it?
L
littledog
New member
The only problem with the Presonus is that it is fragile. Among other things, it is really susceptible to static electricity - so if you walk across a rug and touch it that may finish it off.
SouthSIDE Glen
independentrecording.net
No, the 53 (I can only speak to the 53, not th 53b) is a 5-channel with seperate rotary pot knobs that are detented at half volume. On the rear is has both 1/4" and RCA line inputs (not that the RCA are all that necessary, but it is nice for if/when you might want to use it with your stereo gear), as well as a Link jack and intert jacks on channels 1 and 2 (if you have a vocalist who needs to hear themself verbed.) It does have an external wall wart for power, which is not the most fantastic thing inthe world, but at least even that still works fine.xstatic said:
It is small in that it is only 8 1/4" wide by 4 1/2" deep. It is 1U tall and does have pre-drilled holes in the case in case one wanted to mount it to a 1U rack mount shelf, but I like the portability both for location work as well as to be able to set it up conveneint for the band in-studio.
EDIT: Apparently it is still being sold!?! I did a search just to find images and found several places still advertising it for sale. Here's Amazon's/8th Street's picture of it: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002J1JZO/104-6439814-4581527?v=glance&n=11091801
G.
X
xstatic
New member
TravisinFlorida said:
Actually, I have tried it. I guess you would not really notice the difference until you use a better one though. I settled on the Fuhrman system as a compromise between cost and sound quality. The Fuhrman definately sounds better, but still not like your expensive headphone amps.
G
Gilliland
New member
I'd be careful with that. When I was shopping for them, a lot of places still showed the old unit on their website, but actually had the newer one in stock.SouthSIDE Glen said:
I'm surprised to hear that the older unit worked better than the newer one. I didn't think that there was any major change in circuitry, just the jack configuration. But perhaps there is more to it than meets the eye.
Of course, it's always possible that I just got two bad ones in a row - perhaps they had a bad batch of them. In any event, I won't be messing with them further.
SouthSIDE Glen
independentrecording.net
All good points. I don't blame you for not swinging at strike 3Gilliland said:
. Maybe I just got lucky for one time in my life 
. All I can say is I've had no problems with either the reliability or the sound of the unit I have in the years that I have used it. And frankly until now, I'm the only one I've known that had a Rolls so I have nothing other than that to base it on...until now.
G.
