[Fltguy]

If I buy the GR Research headphone amp, I am unsure how to include it in my setup.

My system is simple, a CD transport and a streamer connected to a DAC. The DAC has RCA and balanced outputs. Presently, I utilize the RCA's to the integrated. 

Thanks for helping me see the forest through all these trees.

[Early B.]

If I buy the GR Research headphone amp, I am unsure how to include it in my setup.

My system is simple, a CD transport and a streamer connected to a DAC. The DAC has RCA and balanced outputs. Presently, I utilize the RCA's to the integrated. 

Thanks for helping me see the forest through all these trees.

Connect the headphone amp to your DAC. That's it. You may need a pair of RCA splitters on your DAC outputs.   

[Solarflares]

If I buy the GR Research headphone amp, I am unsure how to include it in my setup.

My system is simple, a CD transport and a streamer connected to a DAC. The DAC has RCA and balanced outputs. Presently, I utilize the RCA's to the integrated. 

Thanks for helping me see the forest through all these trees.

Using a splitter cable will lower the impedance drastically of your load on the DAC,s output. Then you will have less level available from the DAC. This can lead to a raised noise-floor overall, and also a potentially ‘weedy’ sound, compared to how it should be, as the reduced load simple won’t draw the current.

If your ‘integrated’ has tape-monitor outs, use those to the headphone amp.

[nlitworld]

If your ‘integrated’ has tape-monitor outs, use those to the headphone amp.

Solid advice depending on the circuitry, or could be similar to splitter just inside the chassis after the input selector. Definitely worth checking out. 

[Early B.]

Using a splitter cable will lower the impedance drastically of your load on the DAC,s output. Then you will have less level available from the DAC. This can lead to a raised noise-floor overall, and also a potentially ‘weedy’ sound, compared to how it should be, as the reduced load simple won’t draw the current.

If your ‘integrated’ has tape-monitor outs, use those to the headphone amp.

If he connects his headphone amp to an integrated amp, why add another component to the chain if he doesn't need to? Since there's no cable, will these RCA splitters drastically lower the impedance on the DAC?


 

[Solarflares]

Solid advice depending on the circuitry, or could be similar to splitter just inside the chassis after the input selector. Definitely worth checking out. 

Very true. It could be.  Any passive input splitter will present two paralleled loads to the DAC’s output, and is also an easy way to earth-loops too.
In this case, one of those runs should at least have a tiny audio-transformer in-line to isolate one feed from the other. Very cheap. A D.I. box even, with ground lift. The transformer might rob 2dB of signal, but it will allow the DAC to produce expected levels.

If he connects his headphone amp to an integrated amp, why add another component to the chain if he doesn't need to? Since there's no cable, will these RCA splitters drastically lower the impedance on the DAC?
 

Yes. You’ll still have paralleled loads of combined lower impedance. 
And you’re now putting a physical load on that poor circuit-board mounted RCA socket.
Something like this at least, is needed for each channel, to achieve proper separation from dual-loading…

[Solarflares]

If I buy the GR Research headphone amp, I am unsure how to include it in my setup.

My system is simple, a CD transport and a streamer connected to a DAC. The DAC has RCA and balanced outputs. Presently, I utilize the RCA's to the integrated. 

Thanks for helping me see the forest through all these trees.

Starting again, and bearing in mind the cost/quality of your components - If your Integrated has balanced-ins, then it’s time to use them, and this frees up the preamp’s RCA’s for single-ended headphone amp duty.
The op-amp buffered balanced outs will be effectively isolated from the RCA’s.
A quick manual check to ascertain you can use both sets of outputs simultaneously.

[AK-Grwn_v2]

One of my preamps has just one RCA and one XLR out but my amp and sub on that set-up only have RCA ins. For my sub I run it through the XLR out with a balanced to RCA adaptor then attach regular RCA cables to that. Purchased from Guitar Center for <$15.

Whether it degrades the signal or not it might be a low cost alternative worth testing out.

[Early B.]

Yes. You’ll still have paralleled loads of combined lower impedance. 
And you’re now putting a physical load on that poor circuit-board mounted RCA socket.
Something like this at least, is needed for each channel, to achieve proper separation from dual-loading…

The DAC is only outputting a signal to a single source at a time, so no parallel load is occurring (I think???) since his integrated amp will be turned off. The splitter is there for convenience -- so he doesn't have to keep swapping out cables every time he wants to use his headphone amp. Is that OK or is there still an issue? I'm asking because this is what I do and it works great so far, but I want to make sure.