[rl359]

I recently purchased the dac9 and am very pleased with the performance and quality. I am using the balanced outputs to my emotiva
powered speakers. I want to add a headphone amp using the rca outputs. Both balanced and unbalanced outputs are always active.
There is not a switch from one to the other ( that I am aware of). Will this work if when using the speakers I can keep the HP amp turned off, and vice versa when using the HP amp I would turn the power switches off on speakers ? Maybe there would be an issue that I am
not aware of? I do not want to get a headphone amp with a built in pre amp as that makes my dac9 preamp redundant. If this cannot
work then I need to return it and get an all in one or find another option. Thank you in advance.

[JackD]

As long as you are going to alternately turn off either the HP amp or the Emotiva's when using the other all should be good.

[rl359]

Thank you. I did not want to buy the headphone amp and find that does not work. I am new at this, I was concerned that since both outputs are active it may cause some type of feedback or distortion.

[JackD]

Should be no different than me running the ST-10 with the XLR and the subs with the RCA's. Have you looked at the Nuprime headphone amp?  Never owned one so not much help on choosing.

[Letitroll98]

I own the NuPrime HPA-9 and it's a great headphone amp.  The tone is slightly to the warm side, but only slightly.  My old amp was the headphone out of a NAD 3020B with the preamp bypassed and it was warmer than the NuPrime, so I may be jaded.  Presentation is a little bit more forward than the NAD, detail is fabulous, headstage is good, dynamics are forceful, bass is tight and deep, treble sweet and clear.  There's three headphone outs, two 1/4" and one 3.5mm, a decent phono stage if you ever add a turntable, a high/low variable gain, and a couple of RCA inputs and outputs if you ever want to use it as a preamp.  My only bitch won't matter to you, when used as a preamp it doesn't mute the RCA out when you plug in a headphone.  I haven't had anything I like better including Woo, ZOTL, or Schitt.