Headphone Out Questions

a 3W single ended EL84 amp for home, work & school

Headphone Out Questions

Postby Ryans » Fri Jun 05, 2015 7:16 am

Hey guys, I have a couple questions.

First, what is the most ideal impedance rating I should be looking for when I go shopping for headphones to use with the Budgie SE? Has the output impedance of this amp been determined?

Second, can the headphone out be connected to a power amp, essentially used as a preamp? I have seen others use headphone amps as preamps and thought, while I am quite happy with the volume of the Budgie, what if I hooked it up to an ST35 or a gainclone? I have a feeling this is another impedance question.

Any direction or resources would be great. Thanks.

If anyone is interested here is a pic of my finished Budgie SE. Super great design, product and support from Shannon. Love it.

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Re: Headphone Out Questions

Postby Shannon Parks » Wed Jun 17, 2015 6:32 am

Ryans wrote:First, what is the most ideal impedance rating I should be looking for when I go shopping for headphones to use with the Budgie SE? Has the output impedance of this amp been determined?


The 20/20 scheme probably works best with headphones 32 ohms and higher as far as damping. But as far as voltage output and drive, the Budgie SE will work fine with everything except the most difficult 600 ohm Sennheisers. For those, just remove the 20/20 and jumper R22 & R23, and omit R24 & R25. Conversely, extremely efficient headphones may want even more attenuation on the 20/20 circuit.

Ryans wrote:Second, can the headphone out be connected to a power amp, essentially used as a preamp? I have seen others use headphone amps as preamps and thought, while I am quite happy with the volume of the Budgie, what if I hooked it up to an ST35 or a gainclone? I have a feeling this is another impedance question.


The noise floor is low enough that this should be A-OK. Basically if it is adequate noise-wise as a headphone output, it is suitable as a preamp, too.

Ryans wrote:If anyone is interested here is a pic of my finished Budgie SE. Super great design, product and support from Shannon. Love it.


Nice job, and many thanks for the kind words!

Shannon
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Re: Headphone Out Questions

Postby Ryans » Sun Jun 28, 2015 2:54 am

Thanks a bunch! Exactly what I needed.
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Re: Headphone Out Questions

Postby Auricle » Sun Jul 26, 2015 11:26 pm

The 20/20 scheme probably works best with headphones 32 ohms and higher as far as damping. But as far as voltage output and drive, the Budgie SE will work fine with everything except the most difficult 600 ohm Sennheisers. For those, just remove the 20/20 and jumper R22 & R23, and omit R24 & R25.


In that case, how well do the EL84's do with the much higher impedance they see on the primary?

BTW welcome to the Pacific Northwest.
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