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Headphones + Subwoofer

C

cesium666

Supreme [H]ardness
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Mar 19, 2006
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Is it possible to use a sub with headphones? While my cans produce a decent amount of bass, there's still nothing like having a real subwoofer shaking your entire body lol.

My current headphone setup is in my sig
 
Sure, why not. Work better if they're open and you'll have volume matching issues as a result of source distance.
 
Any idea how? Based on looking at the backs of some subwoofers I'd wager that I need a receiver or something.
 
][V][AGIC;1035053602 said:
Is it a powered sub?
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I'd imagine that it would make things far easier to get a powered sub.

tisb0b said:
The audioengine AS8 should plug straight into your soundcard.
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With my laptop setup all I have is a usb dac that does red/white rca out, so i'd have to use a splitter as ashmedai mentioned. Seems like it would work though.
 
ashmedai said:
Use a splitter, before the signal goes into the headphone amp.
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if the sub has an LPF on its input
and you aren't doing volume control with the soundcard/source device
and you don't mind adjusting the sub's volume on the sub, not anywhere else

as far as connecting it, if you have RCA in/out (some subs do), do that, and just run the amp "after" the sub in the chain, set the xover low

alternately you could use an output from your headphone amp into the sub

the issue with splitters is you only get one channel in or you get crosstalk
 
obobski said:
if the sub has an LPF on its input
and you aren't doing volume control with the soundcard/source device
and you don't mind adjusting the sub's volume on the sub, not anywhere else

as far as connecting it, if you have RCA in/out (some subs do), do that, and just run the amp "after" the sub in the chain, set the xover low

alternately you could use an output from your headphone amp into the sub

the issue with splitters is you only get one channel in or you get crosstalk
Click to expand...

  1. Most cheap subs do.
  2. This is just wrong.
  3. This is also wrong.
  4. The type of input is irrelevant, but RCA is most common since that's pretty standard for consumer-grade line-level audio. Connecting the headphone amp after the sub is electrically identical to using a $0.50 splitter, so if you have a passthrough output on the sub feel free to do this if it makes the wiring easier. Well, I lie - it makes your run to your headphone amp longer, meaning that you can have phase or capacitance issues if the run is long enough - but for headphones you should be using short runs anyway.
  5. Presumably the output of the headphone amp is amplified, and chaining amplifiers is a total noob move that can do lots of Bad Things from screwing with your sound quality to outright frying your equipment. Exception is of course a preamp/power amp scenario where they are intended to work in stages - which should only be done with appropriately designed amps that are expecting to be used in this manner.
  6. This is also just wrong. You have a cable for left and a cable for right, and you put a splitter on each. How you even got this idea is beyond me.
 
ashmedai said:
  1. Most cheap subs do.
  2. This is just wrong.
  3. This is also wrong.
  4. The type of input is irrelevant, but RCA is most common since that's pretty standard for consumer-grade line-level audio. Connecting the headphone amp after the sub is electrically identical to using a $0.50 splitter, so if you have a passthrough output on the sub feel free to do this if it makes the wiring easier. Well, I lie - it makes your run to your headphone amp longer, meaning that you can have phase or capacitance issues if the run is long enough - but for headphones you should be using short runs anyway.
  5. Presumably the output of the headphone amp is amplified, and chaining amplifiers is a total noob move that can do lots of Bad Things from screwing with your sound quality to outright frying your equipment. Exception is of course a preamp/power amp scenario where they are intended to work in stages - which should only be done with appropriately designed amps that are expecting to be used in this manner.
  6. This is also just wrong. You have a cable for left and a cable for right, and you put a splitter on each. How you even got this idea is beyond me.
Click to expand...

1. I've seen some without, especially if you're dealing in older equipment, either way: its just something worth noting

2. If you're doing volume control with the soundcard separate of the headphone amp and sub amp, volume matching will be a pain, and you've got more crap to dial-in

3. If you've connected the sub to the soundcard on a splitter and the soundcard is at 100% output to drive your headphone amp, where else are you gonna be adjusting the volume?

4. Yeah the type of input is irrelevant, it could be Neutrik for all I care, but you can't use speaker high level feeds out of a soundcard, it won't drive them, so its easier to just explain the inputs to look for, not all subs have stereo in/out like this (and it doesn't seem to be limited to any price range, I've seen expensive units with them, and expensive units without, same for cheapies), not gonna even get into cables with you (I'm not going to have a debate over what 3 ft of cable does just so you can whine to me)

5. alright you mis-read what I meant, I meant a THROUGH-OUT, as in a pasthrough on the headphone amplifier, such as the CI and many Little Dot units have, its basically the same thing as 4, except without the xover, I am not implying you should drive the amplifier output from your headphone amp into the sub (although I doubt it'd damage it, most headphone amps only drive 3-5V out, and the input on the sub is gonna be designed for probably a 2V swing, and since its got high enough impedance, it isn't gonna be seeing much current, I still don't suggest it, but I doubt it'd be arcs and sparks)

6. *sigh*
if you're splitting a stereo into 2x stereo, and then combining those to a mono feed for the LPF input on the sub, yeah, there'll be crosstalk

also, if you're doing it the "right way", you'll still be presenting a larger load (ok: different than intended) to the opamp on your soundcard, which can bother with volume control and the like

also, you're adding a lot of weight to the TRS connector on the card, which can lead to mechanical failure

generally speaking, I don't like splitters, for a variety of reasons (some of which are above), the simplest of which:
its just a bad way to do things

passthrough/xover feed would be the best, if that isn't an option you can irk by with splitters, but I still don't like it
 
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