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Are the vintage a good option for headphones!

jFF_Bulbo

jFF_Bulbo

Active Member
Hello AKérs

I´m really curious about using a vintage unit ONLY to listen it with headphones.

Is it a good idea?
Could the long term use of headphones damage a vintage unit?
A friend on mine (not suscribed to this forum) asked about this.

what i know: headphones in the unit are only for monitoring and only for a short time ( a few minutes if so...)
an old technician told me that some years ago.

I dont use my vintage with headphones... but my friend wants to. only with headphones.

Would you recomend to do it? avoid it? doesn´t matter?

thank you for your help.
 
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I have never heard this before. If the unit was made with a headphone output, it was meant to be used with headphones as well as speakers. There is simply a small milliwatt amp in there like any other component. Yes, like any other vintage set of parts it may need restoration due to the effects of time but that has nothing to do with headphones damaging it. I'm no expert for sure but I've never seen or heard that in 50 years of audio obsession.

Anyone else feel differently?
 
Supercool! said:
I have never heard this before. If the unit was made with a headphone output, it was meant to be used with headphones as well as speakers. There is simply a small milliwatt amp in there like any other component. Yes, like any other vintage set of parts it may need restoration due to the effects of time but that has nothing to do with headphones damaging it. I'm no expert for sure but I've never seen or heard that in 50 years of audio obsession.

Anyone else feel differently?
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I don't have idea about. I Heard the problem with this (a large period of time using only headphones) is that outout transistores needs the speakers works to canalize the power they produce, if don't, they overheat, oscilate and may be damaged.
That is what i Heard.
I never use My vintage to use headphones.

My friend has a good question, i think.
Regards
 
In most of the amplifiers the headphone output is just a resistor taking the signal from the same speakers output.

Whoever thinks the SS (Solid State, transistors) amps need the speakers connected to avoid oscillations is wrong. If an amplifier is overheating without a speaker load, it has a problem causing that. Output transistors don't "produce " any power that needs to be sent to a speaker.

A headphone is less stress to the amp than a pair of speakers.

EDITED: Different story is a Tube amplifier. You shouldn't run a tube amp without speakers or a dummy load (a resistor in place of each speaker)
 
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jFF_Bulbo said:
Hello. Thank you.
It is a 2225 unit, wich is in recap/upgrade process.
And a marantz 2245, fully upgraded.
Regards
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I sold hi-fi back in the 70's and early 80's. Those receivers and all the consumer hi-fi stuff in general had headphone plugs that were meant to be used. I used them all the time on all my systems. They're designed for it, just like they are designed to be used with speakers.
 
By the way, most of my systems were separates. That is, I had a separate amplifier and pre-amplifier. In some cases there was no headphone jack in the pre-amp. But when there was one, it would function. And it used a small headphone amplifier built into the pre-amp. I still use it to this day and it works great. I bought it in 1977.
 
I think that each headphone would really need to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. There are certain models like the Sony MDR-V6 which are built like a tank and it's totally possible to still have a pair from the 80's fully functional and still being used.

But headphones do have a certain "disposable" aspect to them, as they are going to be more susceptible to damage and dirt/sweat compared to a component always sitting safely on the shelf. Pads will generally need to be replaced at a minimum, as otherwise that's like wearing someone else's dirty socks.
 
I've been using the same pair of Koss Pro-4A's since I bought them in 1969. Late wife bought me another pair of 4AA's in 2016 which are still boxed. The 4A's have been and are used on Tube and Solid state regularly since then. There's times when I leave them on overnight while sleeping (yes they can be uncomfortable at times because they are so large and heavy). The receiver was designed with headphones in mind, use them. Time isn't a factor unless he's got the volume up and it's over 80db. Then he's doing some serious flirting with Hearing loss.
 
larryderouin said:
I've been using the same pair of Koss Pro-4A's since I bought them in 1969. Late wife bought me another pair of 4AA's in 2016 which are still boxed. The 4A's have been and are used on Tube and Solid state regularly since then. There's times when I leave them on overnight while sleeping (yes they can be uncomfortable at times because they are so large and heavy). The receiver was designed with headphones in mind, use them. Time isn't a factor unless he's got the volume up and it's over 80db. Then he's doing some serious flirting with Hearing loss.
Click to expand...
Thank you!!!!
 
RobRoy said:
By the way, most of my systems were separates. That is, I had a separate amplifier and pre-amplifier. In some cases there was no headphone jack in the pre-amp. But when there was one, it would function. And it used a small headphone amplifier built into the pre-amp. I still use it to this day and it works great. I bought it in 1977.
Click to expand...
thank you!!!
 
My favourite headphone amp for the Sennheiser HD-250 Linear 600 Ohm is my recapped Pioneer SX-550. Its ouput impedance is 150 Ohm. It fits!
 
Just a thought... If your buddy is only using headphones, why would he use a full amplifier?

Just a headphone amp would do. Or if either the source or the headphones have volume control he could just plug it in directly. Kind of a less=more thing. Saves out space, heat, energy consumption and distortion to the sound.
 
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