headphones

[Geek99]

on a hartke hydrive 210c, there is a 6.5mm plug at the back for the speakers. If i unplug the speaker plug, can I connect headphones instead without destroying something? Obviously I dont want to turn it up to high volume like this.

[Stewart]

Not a good idea
For a start you'll only have sound from one side (unless you have mono phones)
Secondly the potential to destroy the phones and/or your hearing is great

Best bet would be to get a headphone amp and drive it from the DI output or effects send

Alternatively you *could* try a bunch of resistors in this kind of arrangement (connect the non-ground 'phones'end to tip and ring on a stereo jack socket, mono jack plug for the speaker end)

[attachment=55387:phones_drop.PNG]

[basshead56]

Just don´t try it would be my advice, best not risk your health and the health of your equipment.

Invest in a headphone amp (samson or behringer have offerings in the 30quid bracket) and take a line out from your DI output (one of the reasons it´s there in the first place)

You should only use headphones in dedicated headphone outputs.

[derrenleepoole]

Very bad idea! There is a good reason why sockets are labeled speaker and some headphones! Amps, speakers and headphones are easy commodities to replace, your hearing is not!

[fdavidso]

[quote name='derrenleepoole' post='911094' date='Jul 31 2010, 11:44 AM']Very bad idea! There is a good reason why sockets are labeled speaker and some headphones! Amps, speakers and headphones are easy commodities to replace, your hearing is not![/quote]

Just seen this
[url="http://www.studiospares.com/headphone-amps+splitters/art-headtap-headphone-controller/invt/325100/"]http://www.studiospares.com/headphone-amps...er/invt/325100/[/url]

seems to take speaker out and calm it down to headphone level - no batteries/dc input wires either! Do you think this can amp up line out though?

BassManiac

[flyfisher]

That's an interesting box of tricks and I'd guess it's based on some kind of variable attentuator, a bit similar to Stewarts suggestion but with better impedance matching perhaps? Not much info on the website, but it does say it [i]The HeadTAP is designed to connect headphones to a speaker output or a line level signal source[/i], and I'm not sure how a passive unit can work when connecting headphones to a line output. Might be worth talking to someone at StudioSpares - I've found them helpful in the past.

The problem with speaker outputs is that they can be so variable in terms of power and, to a lesser extent, impedance characteristics, so a passive solution can never be universally ideal.

A DI output will be far more consistent across all amps and will safely drive a dedicated headphone amp to give a universal and, more importantly, safe solution.

But the bottom line is not to plug headphones directly into an amp's speaker outputs.

[fdavidso]

[quote name='flyfisher' post='911157' date='Jul 31 2010, 12:45 PM']But the bottom line is not to plug headphones directly into an amp's speaker outputs.[/quote]

- thanks for the advice, like the original poster, I am looking at headphone solutions to units without dedicated phones out. I am probably about to buy an Asdown T15 250S from Thomman. This has lineout/tuner and effects send. I will wait and see what happens when I plug my Audio Technica phones into either of these. I guess they don't mute the speaker, but the speaker can be unplugged in any case.

All a bit of a botch, which I don't like.


BassManiac

[flyfisher]

I can understand why that StudioSpares unit looks so attractive for combos without headphone outputs and I wouldn't dismiss it out of hand, but I would ask them some detailed questions before trying it.

The problem with plugging headphones directly into line-level outputs is that they are high-impedance (usually about 10k ohms upwards) and plugging in an 8 ohm load such as headphones is not going to result in much of a signal. Also, unplugging speakers is not a great way to run an amp, although modern designs are generally more tolerant about such things.

So, yes, all a bit of a bodge (though some bodges can do the job) and, for practice purposes a separate headphone amp might be a better solution.

[Geek99]

Thx for the pointer to the ART gizmo. I have a small baby and the amp is thus underused, I really like the tube emulator on it but can't use it at any volume above a whisper.
That's why a headphone amp is not ideal

[tauzero]

What about getting a cheap mixer with headphone output (eg a Behringer UB802 or Xenyx 502/802) and feeding that from the line out or DI out?

[Geek99]

Interesting idea thx

[Geek99]

Newbie question alert ...
Does using Di out defeat the speakers ?

[bumnote]

isthere a reason why you particularly want to use the hartke?
why dont you buy a small cheap mixer and you can then plug in a cd player or mini disc as well as your bass.

[Geek99]

See post 9 ?

[Stewart]

[quote]Does using Di out defeat the speakers ?[/quote]

No
Using the effects send (without supplying a return) might achieve that effect - check your manual...

[tauzero]

[quote name='Geek99' post='912480' date='Aug 2 2010, 08:23 AM']Newbie question alert ...
Does using Di out defeat the speakers ?[/quote]
No, but unplugging them would.

There's a mixer that you could use to run off the DI in the For Sale section [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=97506"]here.[/url]

[Geek99]

Sorry - was being thick

[Lfalex v1.1]

[quote name='tauzero' post='915115' date='Aug 4 2010, 04:36 PM']No, but unplugging them would.

There's a mixer that you could use to run off the DI in the For Sale section [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=97506"]here.[/url][/quote]

The cheapo mixer I use for practice has enough gain to be able to plug even passive basses straight into its (channel) line inputs. I've not used a "real" amp at home for ages.