# Recommend me a cheap headphone amp



## amagras (Apr 22, 2015)

I looking to connect 2 headsets to my mobile interface but don't want to spend too much actually. Cheapest one I saw was a Pyle Pro on Walmart with mixed reviews.
Suggestions? Alternatives? Ideas? Experieces? 

@ronmac @Kenmac

Thanks!


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## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

Lexx was.selling a small orange amp that I can't get out of my head. @lexx59

Can't remember his exact handle and I'm on my phone, sorry.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

adcandour said:


> Lexx was.selling a small orange amp that I can't get out of my head. @lexx59
> 
> Can't remember his exact handle and I'm on my phone, sorry.


@LexxM3

He pointed it out to me (quickly) in Elmira and I think it looked like this (IIRC)









@amagras ..Good Luck finding something. 

BTW I am patiently waiting to hear some of your recent jazz "style" recordings..hint, hint.


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## Hammerhands (Dec 19, 2016)

You can't just use a headphone y-splitter? There's usually enough power to go around.
Headphone Splitter Cable | Princess Auto
5 Port Audio Splitter | Princess Auto
Audio Control Extention Cable | Princess Auto

Which headphones are you using? What mobile interface?

There's a Behringer HA400 and an ART HeadAmp4. Also M-Audio.


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## ronmac (Sep 22, 2006)

Headphone Amplifiers for Sale in Canada

I have no direct experience, but I hear good things about the ART Headamp4. They should be in all L&M locations, and if you can't try before you buy they do have a good return policy.


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## amagras (Apr 22, 2015)

ronmac said:


> Headphone Amplifiers for Sale in Canada
> 
> I have no direct experience, but I hear good things about the ART Headamp4. They should be in all L&M locations, and if you can't try before you buy they do have a good return policy.






Hammerhands said:


> You can't just use a headphone y-splitter? There's usually enough power to go around.
> Headphone Splitter Cable | Princess Auto
> 5 Port Audio Splitter | Princess Auto
> Audio Control Extention Cable | Princess Auto
> ...


I have a headphone splitter but even compensating for the volume loss it changes the tone and the stereo image noticeably (is it possible that I'm imagining that?). I want to connect a Sennheiser eh350 and a Sony that I don't remember the model to my Komplete Audio 6. Thanks for the suggestions, I will look for the ART Headamp4 right away!


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## amagras (Apr 22, 2015)

adcandour said:


> Lexx was.selling a small orange amp that I can't get out of my head. @lexx59
> 
> Can't remember his exact handle and I'm on my phone, sorry.





greco said:


> @LexxM3
> 
> He pointed it out to me (quickly) in Elmira and I think it looked like this (IIRC)
> 
> ...


That's a guitar amp, I'm looking to amplify the signal from the headphone out on my soundcard enough to connect 2 or maybe more sets of headphones. Thanks tho 
@greco, I'm still working on that. Thx


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

amagras said:


> That's a guitar amp, I'm looking to amplify the signal from the headphone out on my soundcard enough to connect 2 or maybe more sets of headphones. Thanks tho


That is actually what I suspected, but I just wanted to clarify what @adcandour was posting.


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## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

I really should have read the whole post. Who do I think I am?

Oops


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

adcandour said:


> Who do I think I am?


A gentleman and a scholar!


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## amagras (Apr 22, 2015)

adcandour said:


> I really should have read the whole post. Who do I think I am?
> 
> Oops


That's understandable, I bet you play more guitar than you play headphones


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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

The Apex one is simple, cheap, small and works well. Powers up to 4 sets of cans.

The Behringer one is actually not a complete waste of money. The only piece of B gear I have kept ( at least a decade old now); works great. Much bigger tho ( 1 full rack unit). Also 4 channel but more advanced features ( really handy when tracking a full band) such as stereo or dual mono input mode with balance/mix control. Also 4 channels ( independant mix) but each channel can power up to 3 sets of cans.


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## Kenmac (Jan 24, 2007)

Sorry I can't help out with this but there's some good advice from Hammerhands, Ronmac and Granny Gremlin. Let us know which device you choose.


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## shoretyus (Jan 6, 2007)

ronmac said:


> Headphone Amplifiers for Sale in Canada
> 
> I have no direct experience, but I hear good things about the ART Headamp4. They should be in all L&M locations, and if you can't try before you buy they do have a good return policy.


Yup they work well


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## Chito (Feb 17, 2006)

I have a Behringer which I have had for almost 10 years now. Check out the Behringer HA400 4-Channel Compact Headphone Amplifier. It's like $40.


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## Hammerhands (Dec 19, 2016)

What's the latency like on the computer's headphone jack?


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## BGood (Feb 20, 2015)

If you only want to play headphones and have no future plan to go through a speaker, why not look into a multi pedal like a Vox Tonelab. You can get one of these for $100 and they sound incredible through a goo pair of headphones.


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## amagras (Apr 22, 2015)

Hammerhands said:


> What's the latency like on the computer's headphone jack?


On the KA6 I get less than 5 ms with 256 and I can


BGood said:


> If you only want to play headphones and have no future plan to go through a speaker, why not look into a multi pedal like a Vox Tonelab. You can get one of these for $100 and they sound incredible through a goo pair of headphones.


I just need to expand my headphone count for reference and recording purposes, say an extra pair to record a singer or have one or 2 extra references for mixing (since everything now has to be mixed for iPods). 
___

I was hoping someone had tried this but I don't think they sell it in Canada so no biggie, the price is terrific 
Pyle Pro PHA40 4-Channel Stereo Headphone Amplifier PHA40 B&H


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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

Glad I'm not the only one recommending the Behringer (I never recommend anything by them, there's an exception to every rule). I was talking about a diff model though (Powerplay Pro-XL HA4700) more fully featured than the HA400 which seems to be equivalent to the Apex I was talking about). They should be easy/cheap used. Not sure if still in production.



Granny Gremlin said:


> The Apex one is simple, cheap, small and works well. Powers up to 4 sets of cans.
> 
> The Behringer one is actually not a complete waste of money. The only piece of B gear I have kept ( at least a decade old now); works great. Much bigger tho ( 1 full rack unit). Also 4 channel but more advanced features ( really handy when tracking a full band) such as stereo or dual mono input mode with balance/mix control. Also 4 channels ( independant mix) but each channel can power up to 3 sets of cans.


So the Apex one is the AHA4:










Just using a splitter can cause issues (especially if the 2 pairs of cans are different - 1 will be louder than the other and/or the folks wearing them like things not at the same level or relative level of both cans at the given output vol setting on your sound card). Dirt cheap, no frills and small.


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## BGood (Feb 20, 2015)

amagras said:


> I was hoping someone had tried this but I don't think they sell it in Canada so no biggie, the price is terrific
> Pyle Pro PHA40 4-Channel Stereo Headphone Amplifier PHA40 B&H


That sounds like what you need. It's not rocket science. It's got free shipping to Canada.
I say get it.

EDIT: Hmmm ... free shipping for orders over $99. You'll have to invest $82.61 more to get your free shipping


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

ART has one called HeadAmp4 or something like that. No first hand experience except ART stuff has been good for me in the past. Just ordered one for myself.


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## gtrguy (Jul 6, 2006)

I've got the older ART HeadAMP V and it works great. Hard to go wrong with the ART (Yorkville) stuff.


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## amagras (Apr 22, 2015)

I just found this too, could be an option 

SODIAL(R) HA400 4 Channels Mini Audio Stereo Headphone AMP Amplifer+US Adapter G6H9 SODIAL(R) HA400 4 Channels Mini Audio Stereo Headphone AMP Amplifer+US Adapter G6H9: Amazon.ca: Electronics


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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

The Art, (small) Behringer and Sodial are all the same product with a different paint job. The Apex is probably the same too just oriented differently (previous version; discontinued apparently, but I've seen them used pretty often).

Get whichever is cheapest.


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## amagras (Apr 22, 2015)

Found this on Kijiji with adapter $15








Thanks everybody for the help!


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

Congrats! 

Seems like an excellent price, especially given that it comes with an adaptor.


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## Terrence (Nov 30, 2017)

There really isn’t one right answer, especially without knowing the budget, the headphones, and the intended usage (e.g, mobile vs. stationary).

Others have already mentioned some great products:


iFI and Chord Mojo are both under $500.
Audeze Deckard - ~$600
Benchmark 1 - helped make the market for this product range. About $1k and potentially cheaper used.
Mytek DSD-192 - one of the first, if not the first, to support DSD. Should be under $1,200 used.
Simaudio 230HAD - about $1,600
Ayre Codex - about $1,600
Benchmark 2 - about $2k.
Chord Hugo - about $2k and totally portable
Simaudio 430 HAD - about $4,500, desktop
Chord Hugo TT - about $4,700
Some of the less expensive models above are available online for 30-day trials. And if you have the budget for a higher-end model, appropriate retailers will usually let you put a deposit on the product and try it at home.

You could also consider combining a DAC and a good headphone amp, such as one of Schiit’s very innovative DACs and one of the headphone amps right here Raspberry Pi in Canada – Raspberry Pi and accessories in Canada


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## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

I saw something made by skb for $25 at princess Auto. 

Edit: it's the amplifier portion of the skb footnote ($350). TONS of features. I should have bought one.

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk


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## marcos (Jan 13, 2009)

Very interesting. I have been shopping for a good set of headphones for our band when practicing. So many types and models to chose from. Off to L+M this morning to check them out.


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## amagras (Apr 22, 2015)

Terrence said:


> There really isn’t one right answer, especially without knowing the budget, the headphones, and the intended usage (e.g, mobile vs. stationary).
> 
> Others have already mentioned some great products:
> 
> ...


Thanks for the advice but all those cost about the same or in some cases double the price of the rest of my rig. I only needed to expand the headphones out of my USB audio interface to use different references like headphones, home stereo, etc in addition to my studio monitors and the Behringer did the job.


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## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

This is $300.00 off and now $99.00 from L&M. Would this be suitable?

Roland - Pro Mobile USB Audio Interface


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## traynor_garnet (Feb 22, 2006)

If somebody is looking for a cheap headphone amp, I will make sure to recommend you to them.


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## Hammerhands (Dec 19, 2016)

adcandour said:


> I saw something made by skb for $25 at princess Auto.
> 
> Edit: it's the amplifier portion of the skb footnote ($350). TONS of features. I should have bought one.
> 
> Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk


Very interesting thing. 

Footnote Electric Guitar Amp/Pedal Board Module | Princess Auto

You would need to give it a home, 9v power, how many amps?

It has bass, treble, volume, cable tester, 8 x 9v 1/8” power outlets.

They also seem to have a 6 1/2 Eminence speaker, maybe from the same pedal board?


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## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

It is pretty cool:

Here it is in the pedalboard:










Here it is on its own (as sold at PA for $25):










And here is what one guy has done with it:


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## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

Here are some of the features:


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## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

And here's the NAMM demo:


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## bzrkrage (Mar 20, 2011)

amagras said:


> I looking to connect 2 headsets to my mobile interface but don't want to spend too much actually. .........
> Suggestions? Alternatives? Ideas? Experieces?
> 
> 
> Thanks!














Sent from my other brain.


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## amagras (Apr 22, 2015)

bzrkrage said:


> Sent from my other brain.


Thanks but unless someone managed to squeeze a tiny amplifier inside that cable this will cause signal loss, the Behringer box I found a few posts above require a ac adapter but it powers up to 4 sets of headphones without changing the tone a bit, it even adds more power to the original signal if necessary, pretty handy and cheap.


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## Guest (Dec 2, 2017)

1SweetRide said:


> This is $300.00 off and now $99.00 from L&M. Would this be suitable?
> 
> Roland - Pro Mobile USB Audio Interface


I am wondering what this is as well...


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