[brooklyn]

Hi everyone, it’s been awhile since I posted on the headphone circle. I’m looking for suggestions for a headphone amp that has an analog/phono input for a turntable so I can listen to some vinyl for a change in my small apartment.

The headphone amp doesn’t have to have a phono circuit, I have a Graham Slee ERA V phono amp so all I would need is a headphone amp with an input to connect it. I will still need a low cost but decent turntable/cartridge so I’m looking for the best bang for the buck.

I was looking at the Schiit Valhalla 2 as a possibility but I’m not sure if this is my best option but it is within my price range for the unit.

[G Georgopoulos]

Hi Brooklyn look for a high s/n ratio in a headphone amp it's the most important thing...

[Guy 13]

Hi Brooklyn look for a high s/n ratio in a headphone amp it's the most important thing...

Hi Georgopoulos.
Can you post a few examples/links for the benefice of the members.
Thanks.

Guy 13

[G Georgopoulos]

Hi Georgopoulos.
Can you post a few examples/links for the benefice of the members.
Thanks.

Guy 13

No But I can say this
since s/n ration for vinyl is lets say 60db,a 100db amp will sound best 

[Guy 13]

No But I can say this
since s/n ration for vinyl is lets say 60db,a 100db amp will sound best 

Hi (Again) Georgopoulos.
I don't think this is very useful for Brooklyn, but I don't want to speak for him, therefore, I will let him state his opinion on your statement.

Guy 13

[brooklyn]

I was looking for suggestions on a something more specific that will work for me with being able to use a headphone amp with a turntable but I do appreciate that info.

In the case of the Schiit Valhalla 2, the s/n ratio is 97db, I would think it would be fine but I'm not sure. I will see what other headphone amp s/n ratings are. In the mean time, if anyone else knows of a specific model that would do the job it would be appreciated.

Thanks to Georgopoulos and Guy 13

[joessportster]

I have used the Schiit Valhalla, It is a good amp. a little bloated on bass, and a little rolled off up top..............not your average tube amp as it is felt to be a bit bright

I never used it with vinyl although with Senn. HD650, and HiFiMan he500 it was dead quiet at max volume with no music playing............My amp recommendation is likely out of your price range as you state valhalla is in your range.

the link below is a much better amp


http://ampsandsound.com/products/amps/se-84/

[brooklyn]

That headphone amp looks like a hum dinger but your right, out of my price range and I still need a turntable.. In that price range is the new VPI Nomad Turntable, it has a built in phono pre, a headphone jack, volume control and a Ortofon 2M Red Cartridge. I have no idea what it sounds like but owning a VPI Scout which is at my home in another state...... VPI does make a very nice turntable. Link below...


http://www.musicdirect.com/p-213934-vpi-nomad-turntable.aspx

[Quiet Earth]

I’m looking for suggestions for a headphone amp that has an analog/phono input for a turntable so I can listen to some vinyl.....

The headphone amp doesn’t have to have a phono circuit, I have a Graham Slee ERA V phono amp

Hi brooklyn,

I think you might be creating a problem where none exists. You can buy any headphone amplifier in your price range right now and enjoy your records through headphones with no problem. You will only need an additional pair of analog RCA/RCA interconnects.

Almost all dedicated headphone amps already have a pair of analog RCA input connectors. Your PrimaLuna 3 preamplifier has a pair of Tape Out connectors. Hook up one end of the RCA interconnect cables to the Tape Out of the preamp, and the other end to the inputs of the headphone amp. You probably don't even need to turn the PrimaLuna preamplifier on. Just set the preamp's source selector to the input where the ERA GOLD is connected and drop the needle on the record. Enjoy!

That ERA Gold is a very nice phono stage and since it is already plugged in and ready to play anyway, you should definitely enjoy it for headphone listening. Don't worry about the S/N ratio numbers of the headphone amp. The phono stage will probably be noisier than the headphone amp anyway, so it's sort of a moot point. It's certainly not important enough to derail you from enjoying records thru headphones. Stay focused and have fun.

 

[brooklyn]

Hi Quiet Earth, thank you for clearing that up. I couldn’t find much about the subject of a turntable and headphone amps on the internet so I thought I would ask in case I missed something. This vinyl/headphone amp setup would be for my apartment and not my home where my audio system is. I’m on the fence about bringing it to my apartment because I don’t have much room but I do miss listening to my albums..

I was thinking of using a stand alone headphone amp with a analog input and I would still need a turntable/cartridge into the Graham Slee. I’m thinking $400 for the TT (Project Carbon with Ortophon 2M Red) and around the same amount for the headphone amp, cheaper would be better but I want to be happy with my purchase as far as sound quality. I normally listen to music or watch movies late in the evening so a headphone system is the way for me to go.

Regards,
Brooklyn

[Quiet Earth]

Oh, I see now. You are building a different system. Well, the Graham Slee will sound even better plugged directly into the headphone amp without the preamp selector switch and second cable in the way. I think it's probably more important that you select the best amplifier for your particular headphones than worry about which amplifier sounds better when best playing vinyl records. Was that the main concern? I guess I didn't understand the original question. Sorry about that.

I was thinking of using a stand alone headphone amp with a analog input and I would still need a turntable/cartridge into the Graham Slee. I’m thinking $400 for the TT (Project Carbon with Ortophon 2M Red) and around the same amount for the headphone amp

Ok, so this is a clear plan and it sounds like a good idea to me.  I don't see why you would run into any problems doing this. I suppose the only other feature you might need is a second analog input on the headphone amp to switch between the Era Gold and the movie.

[brooklyn]

Right now, I listen to movies/music on my Mac Mini computer with some cheap skull candy headphones through the audio out. it’s not bad but a headphone amp would be helpful. I’m going back to my home next week for a visit and I will decide what equipment I will be returning with, two small crates of albums and the Graham Slee is a definite. If I bring the VPI Scout, that will save me some money I could use towards the headphone amp.

A little over a year ago I bought the PS Audio GCHA headphone amp but didn’t like it, I found it to be a little to laid back for my ears so I sold it. So yes, my main concern is which HP amp will sound good with my AKG Q701’s. I’m thinking I will need something that has a pair of balls, an extra input would also help. My experience with headphones and amps over the years is extremely limited.

I do have a rather naive question to ask, I know it’s not good to run an amp without the load from speakers but can my Prima Luna or any preamp be ran without an amp connected to it? I believe it can but never tried doing it.

Thanks again for all your help.
Brooklyn.

[Quiet Earth]

Why would you want to run the preamp without a load connected to it? Just to use it as a source selector? If that's the case, just don't turn the preamp on. The input source selector to tape out pathway is usually all passive. You can also buy (or build) a passive source selector if that is the goal.

Anyway, the answer to your question is yes, no, and it depends. There are some preamps that don't care whether or not they see a load, either because they already have an internal load built in or it just doesn't matter. And there are probably some preamps that wouldn't like to be run that way for more than a few minutes because they would become unstable. As a general rule, you should always give it a load. You can solder a 47K resistor on a cheap RCA plug and bingo, you have a load that you can plug into the output of the pre.

[joessportster]

Schiit has a great cheap passive pre that works in both directions, 2 in 1 out, or 1 in and 2 out and at 49.00 it is quiet and seems to not add or take away anything from the audio quality (I have one in my set up)

Not completely sure I would agree with not worrying about the noise level on an amp,  Things can add up, also if you are like everyone else in audio I am sure you would find other source to use with the amp eventually

It is never a good idea to introduce noise under any conditions in my experience

Links to 2 good passive input selectors

http://www.amazon.com/Niles-Black-FG00002-Auxiliary-Selector/dp/B00006I5J0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1403547463&sr=8-1&keywords=input+selector+audio


http://schiit.com/products/sys-passive-preamp

[brooklyn]

Yes, I was thinking of using it as a source selector and if I decide to go that route I will use it passively so there’s no problems.
I don’t have enough room in my apartment to set up my Maggies and then there’s the neighbors to consider. I never thought about the resistor on the RCA plugs…. good idea. The truth is, I’m not that electronic savvy, I was just curious about if it would work or not.

The Schiit passive pre sounds like it would also work but I would rather use just one box to connect the headphones and turntable so there’s less clutter and cables. I would like to keep things as simple as possible going into this project but when I do something it’s rarely simple for me. Joe……. I’m not sure what you mean by the noise level on the amp..

I don’t see this project going further then listening to vinyl. I will be looking for my own place to live in the near future then I will setup my whole audio system again. The headphone amp will then be used for my computer only, no vinyl.

When I get some of my audio gear next week I will see what direction I will take to get the job done.

[neobop]

Yes, I was thinking of using it as a source selector and if I decide to go that route I will use it passively so there’s no problems.
I don’t have enough room in my apartment to set up my Maggies and then there’s the neighbors to consider. I never thought about the resistor on the RCA plugs…. good idea. The truth is, I’m not that electronic savvy, I was just curious about if it would work or not.

The Schiit passive pre sounds like it would also work but I would rather use just one box to connect the headphones and turntable so there’s less clutter and cables. I would like to keep things as simple as possible going into this project but when I do something it’s rarely simple for me. Joe……. I’m not sure what you mean by the noise level on the amp..

I don’t see this project going further then listening to vinyl. I will be looking for my own place to live in the near future then I will setup my whole audio system again. The headphone amp will then be used for my computer only, no vinyl.

When I get some of my audio gear next week I will see what direction I will take to get the job done.

I can certainly understand going through vinyl withdrawal, but maybe you should figure this out a little more or get a plan?  Why would you want some crap selector switch when you don't need it, and why would you use a nice tube preamp for the same function?  Would it be that much trouble to plug the headphone amp directly into the source?  Maybe you want to watch a video and listen to a record at the same time and switch back and forth?

You have a Scout you're thinking of moving to a small apt then moving again in the near future.  I don't know what that entails or any possible risk in damaging the VPI, but maybe that should be reassessed?  I also don't know how small your apt is in Brooklyn, but I've seen some closets in Manhattan they called apts where a table would probably be broken in a week. 

I'm just trying to give you some perspective.  I really don't know what's appropriate.  I bought a little Fiio E11 for $60 and it works great.  Maybe my old TOTL Mitsubishi tuner/preamp sounds a little better, but the E11 drives my T50rp to adequate levels and with no complaints from me.  If you want a high quality selector or probably the best passive preamp made, it's here:
http://www.goldpt.com/prices.html

I've never heard their headphone amps so I can't comment, but I know some of the smaller companies (Bottlehead) have some poorly designed stuff.  It always costs more money when you have to buy the same item multiple times.  Good luck with your moves.
http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=126885.msg1339402;boardseen#new

neo

[brooklyn]

Hi Neobop, thank you for your much needed insight. I actually live in Oklahoma but I was born in Brooklyn NY in the mid 1950’s. My vinyl and audio rig are at my home Kansas City MO. where I lived and worked for eight years but the last five years I’ve lived in a small apartment in Oklahoma. I only get to play with my audio system when I visit KC a few weeks out of the year.

I did want to listen to my vinyl and tried to think of a way to do it while spending a minimal amount of money but that’s not a good idea so I thought about bringing a part of my rig to my small apartment but that isn’t a great idea either. Your right, I wouldn’t want to see anything happen to my rig, I would rather walk on hot coals. I waited this long to listen to my records so I think it would be better to wait a little longer until I get my own place which will hopefully be by years end.

I do have my CD collection hear with me and I do listen through my computer/iTunes direct from my Mac Mini. No doubt, I could benefit from a headphone amp and I will probably go that route until I get my own place. The two USB headphone amps I tried so far didn’t work out well for me. I tried the Audio Engine D1 with a built in Dac and didn’t hear much of a difference if any, even though it was well received in the audio press so I returned it. A few months later I bought a used PS Audio GCHA, it sounded soft with my AKG Q701’s and sold that. I got discouraged and haven’t tried anything since.

I have been looking for another headphone amp since my last post and I will pick one to try within a couple of weeks. The good news is I’m going home to KC for a visit in the morning so the next few nights I will be listening to vinyl...... yeah baby….

Regards,
Brooklyn

[brooklyn]

I narrowed my choices down to two headphone amps, both have a analog input for a turntable.
The Schiit Asgard 2 (no Dac) $249 and the Musical Fidelity V90-HPA Headphone Amp with Dac $199

I’m leaning towards the MF V90-HPA because it’s one box with dac.
Any opinions out there.

[G Georgopoulos]

I’m leaning towards the MF V90-HPA because it’s one box with dac.
Any opinions out there.

both cheap,but can you audition them to see what suits you!

[pbui44]

I think you need a phono pre-amp first for vinyl, unless your record player has a card in it.  Here are some high performing ones:

http://www.creekaudio.com/phono-pre-amplifiers/

Funny Schiit does not have one.  I tried my Technics QD22 with my Asgard 1 and heard very little at max volume.