Had a headphone amp all along!

[JonL]

I recently took my little Dynaco SCA-35 (17 WPC) out of service, replaced by a Dynaco PAS-3x and Stereo 70. I had wired a headphone jack into the SCA-35, but the 70 had no provision for 'phones. I knew I could make a resistor box and switch to give me a headphone jack and cut the speakers, but I felt that running the Stereo 70 just for 'phones was overkill. I'd been contemplating buying a headphone amp, but my budget is blown from other purchases and projects and I feel like it's never worth buying something cheap when it isn't what you really want.

Well tonight I solved my problem. I don't know why it didn't occur to me before. My Denon cassette deck has a headphone jack with a volume control. All I need to do is put it on "rec mute" (which runs the record amp but not the cassette drive mechanism) and voila! I've got a headphone amp. No need to run the Stereo 70. Of course it isn't as good as a true headphone amp, but it serves the purpose adequately for now. Just listened to my first LP without the power amp on, and it sounds great.

Problem solved!

 

[33&athird]

:thmbsp: Smart solution, there! My pioneer (sx-525, nothing to brag about) has a headphone amp, but whenever I want to listen to just cds, I plug directly to the player. Once I get it fixed, i'll have a '79 sony tape player with headphones to...i'll have to try your solution and see how it works (for those late-night mix tape sessions).

Seriously, that is a great solution...I suppose on my cassette player it would have to be record & pause...won't make to much difference to the mechanism, since the motor turns whenever the unit is on :scratch2:

Hmm...I will have three headphone jacks in my system, and only two pairs of headphones...I need to buy another set! Then I can play a cd, plug into its headphone jack, out the receivers headphone jack, out the speakers, and out the tape player!...man...your giving me bad ideas here.

 

[samosui]

Best advice, I think....

........and I feel like it's never worth buying something cheap when it isn't what you really want.

......Problem solved!

JonL,

Nice solution but I had to highlight your wise words about not buying cheap. Gets me in trouble (or debt) all the time .

Happy listening to all,
samosui

 

[Shackman55]

I feel like it's never worth buying something cheap when it isn't what you really want.

And here I thought the idea was to buy as much as possible then let the dust settle!! Really I do need to hear that once in a while, cause I have a tendency to see a void and want to buy something to fix it, rather than put to use what I already have. :thmbsp: