2 Headphone Amps & 1 Integrated Amp - best solution?

[Cycleman]

I have 2 headphone amps that I'd like to connect to my integrated amp.

The headphone amps: Woo Audio WA7 Fireflies and Burson Soloist, the different but equal pleasures of tubes and solid state.

 

The end result I want is for my wife and I to listen using the separate headphone amps at the same time, using each headphone amp's separate volume controls, yet listening to the same music, same source.

And with the highest sound quality possible.

 

Here are the two solutions I've come up with:

(1) Connect one headphone amp to the integrated amp's Tape Out, and other headphone amp to the integrated's Pre Out.

The downside of this is that the connection to the Pre Out is not as good sound quality as the Tape Out connection.

 

(2) Use AudioQuest adapters to double up on the integrated's Tape Out, so that both headphone amps can be connected there at the same time.

My concern is that when the two headphone amps draw on the same signal through the same output at the same time, that will degrade the sound quality for both of them.

Another concern is that any adapter, by itself, will lessen sound quality.

Is either concern accurate?

 

Are there other solutions you can suggest, that have worked well for you?

 

I thought I could connect the Burson to the integrated's Tape Out, and then connect the Woo Audio to the Burson's Pre Amp output, but that output is inactive when a headphone is plugged into the Burson.

 

Anyway, what are your responses and ideas here?

 

Dave, who is very happy with both headphone amps all by themselves

[robbbby]

Both the firefly and soloist have built in DACs, are you using something entirely different up the chain before the integrated? My gut response was to hook both the firefly and soloist up to the computer using usb, but it appears you're trying to use the chord?

[Cycleman]

Both the firefly and soloist have built in DACs, are you using something entirely different up the chain before the integrated? My gut response was to hook both the firefly and soloist up to the computer using usb, but it appears you're trying to use the chord?

 

Hi Robbbby, thanks for your reply.

 

A few things here: While the Fireflies has a DAC, the Soloist does not.

 

But more so, in order to have the same music playing at the same time, I need to go through only one DAC at a time, and that's the Chord feeding the Luxman integrated. If I go through the Fireflies DAC, that's the only device getting the music.

 

With the Mac as the music server, and with Audirvana Plus as the music player, you must choose which output device you're using before the music starts playing. In my case, that's the Chord. I do have the Fireflies currently hooked up to the Mac with a second USB cable, and that's a different choice.

 

So, my ultimate goal of same music, same time, out to 2 separate headphone amps may not work with these amps, other than through the more kludgy solutions I mentioned in my original post.

 

Dave, who wishes the Soloist's pre-amp output was active when a headphone is plugged in but that output shuts off with the insertion of a headphone connector

P.S. It's mildly odd that the Fireflies DAC identifies itself in the Mac system as "Speaker" which is both generic and seems off-topic in contrast say to the Bel Canto uLink converter which identifies itself as "Bel Canto uLinkUSB 2.0 Audio Out"

[dalethorn]

P.S. It's mildly odd that the Fireflies DAC identifies itself in the Mac system as "Speaker" which is both generic and seems off-topic in contrast say to the Bel Canto uLink converter which identifies itself as "Bel Canto uLinkUSB 2.0 Audio Out.

 

Is this because the Fireflies is using a generic driver? Would there be a driver available that gives it a more specific ID for configuration?

[AudioDoctor]

Do either of those devices have a pass through in it? My thought is that you could go source, head amp and pass through, to the Luxman integrated which also has a headphone amp, right?

[AudioDoctor]

Is this because the Fireflies is using a generic driver? Would there be a driver available that gives it a more specific ID for configuration?

 

No driver needed, that is how the Fireflies identify themselves to the computer. My guess it is hard coded into whatever USB receiver they are using.

[One and a half]

General info:

 

Headphone amps very often specify their input impedance, usually for RCA inputs are "high" around the 100k mark.

If your amplifier has low output impedance on the tape outputs, say around 20k on the line out, connecting a parallel RCA (Y connector) will work, since the combined load of 50k of the two amplifiers (100/2 or 1/Zt = 1/Z amp 1 + 1/Z amp 2) is higher than the 20k output impedance. So the two amps won't load the circuit down.

 

If JRMC for MAC was advanced enough like for Windows, you could setup two zones, one for each DAC. You can play the same music at the same time or different tracks entirely to each DAC. Of course the sound will be different, cause you use the two DACs....and two different HP amps.

 

That's a big shame about the pre-out disconnecting when a headphone is plugged in. That would have worked nicely!