Which headphone pre-amp to buy?
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  1. #1
    Tech Wizard
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    Default Which headphone pre-amp to buy?

    hi everyone, i love my s4 but i don't love the sound quality coming through the headphones when cueing compared to the quality of a DJM-600 mixer. I heard a pre-amp would be my best solution, I'm currently looking at

    [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Behringer-HA400-4-Channel-Stereo-Headphone/dp/B000KIPT30/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1321679108&sr=8-2"]Amazon.com: Behringer HA400 4-Channel Stereo Headphone Amp: Musical Instruments@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/410qbc1ad9L.@@AMEPARAM@@410qbc1ad9L[/ame]

    [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Behringer-MA400-Monitor-Headphone-Amplifier/dp/B000KUCQXY/ref=pd_sim_sbs_MI_1"]Amazon.com: Behringer MA400 Monitor Headphone Amplifier: Musical Instruments@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41xWsDrLKpL.@@AMEPARAM@@41xWsDrLKpL[/ame]

    if anyone has a better solution or pre-amp that would be great, if not, im not sure which of these to get...

    thx

  2. #2
    Tech Guru brian_johnstone's Avatar
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    what is it that you dont like about the sound quality, ive used a friends s4 a few times and think its brilliant quality, like you'd expect with something of that price... what headphones are you using?
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  3. #3
    Tech Guru deevey's Avatar
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    Only thing headphone amp will add to your setup is VOLUME .. the input signal will technically be the same as your s4's output, you just may not have to drive it as hard depending on the headphones into the mixer :-S

    I'm thinking of picking up one of these to go with my DJIO (which has crappy headphone volume in Ableton) [ame="http://www.amazon.com/FiiO-E5-Headphone-Amplifier/dp/B001P9EQH8"]Amazon.com: FiiO E5 Headphone Amplifier: Electronics@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31NW4rRZr0L.@@AMEPARAM@@31NW4rRZr0L[/ame]

    or one of these (new version).

    http://www.google.com/products/catal...Q&ved=0CBAQrhI

    They are apparently pretty decent for increasing the volume without compromising on Sound quality .. earlier models not so good.

    I reckon would prob sound better than the behringer ... but to be honest you might be better off just going with an Audio2 or different sound card if you aren't using the inputs, but supposedly the audio2 is same card as the s4.

    +1 what headphones are you using.

  4. #4
    Tech Wizard
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    The songs arent clear when im beatmatching in the headphones.....

    im using these and they sound fine when hooked up to an analogue mixer

    [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDR7506-Professional-Diaphragm-Headphone/dp/B000AJIF4E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1321738600&sr=8-1"]Amazon.com: Sony MDR7506 Professional Large Diaphragm Headphone: Electronics@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41YPVE2TWNL.@@AMEPARAM@@41YPVE2TWNL[/ame]

  5. #5
    Tech Guru deevey's Avatar
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    Hmmm....one of the s4 peeps I'm sure will tell you for sure, but are you using the S4 USB bus powered or power adaptor ?

    Sure I read that the headphone volume reduces if used without an adaptor?

    On a sidenote, does everything sound "unclear" even at lower levels ? ... Another idea might be to run the headphone socket to a powered speaker or amplifier to see if it still sounds bad.

    ... maybe you have a dodgy unit.

  6. #6
    Tech Wizard
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    yeah im definetly using it with the adapter because ive tried it without it and the volume was extremely low...

    i dont think its a dodgy unit, because ive seen other people talked about it before

  7. #7

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    Man I think what you got going on is a impedance issue which the MD7506 is a rated at 63 Ohms.

    Most DJ headphones I think are below 50 Ohms. The MD-V700's are rated at 24 Ohms and the Pioneer HDJ-1000 is rated at 40 Ohms.

    I also might add the Freq Response on yours are from 10Hz - 20Khz. Most "DJ" ones are from 5Hz - 30Khz. That being said before you get a headphone amp... try out some different headphones. I personally think its the S4 not liking such a high impedance load on it so it doesn't get driven properly.

    Here is the technical explanation of what I think is going on.... saves me a ton of typing now.

    http://www.head-fi.org/a/headphone-impedance
    Last edited by djlightning; 11-19-2011 at 10:10 PM.
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  8. #8
    Tech Wizard
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    damn i love these headphones.......lol

    so the s4 doesnt like my headphones cuz of the ohms?

    what do u guys recommend for headphones then

  9. #9

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    All I can say the lower the impedance the louder they will be. I'm still using a set V700's I bought about 9 years ago. The pads have lost their vinyl covering and they feel like felt cloth now.... good and broke in!!

    Best advice I can give is go to your local music store and take a mp3 player or a good CD and try some out but make sure they are 50 ohms or lower and wear them for 10+ mins to make sure nothing hurts or gets too hot.
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  10. #10
    Tech Wizard
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    I used to use some extremely high impedence headphones. Generally speaking, the nicer the headphones, the higher the impedance. (Mine are around 300 ohms)

    Unfortunately, most "audiophile" headphone amps are AT LEAST $150.

    I ended up buying a mackie 802-vlz3. It also allowed me to have a separate booth output with adjustable volume and when I was by myself mixing tracks I would just run my headphones through there.

    Selling all my stuff so give me a pm if you want mine (I do have it in a f-s thread)... willing to work on price

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