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Thread: Phonostage to headphone amp: RCA Y-splitters OR RCA swithbox OR IntAmp pre-out loop?

  1. #11
    Join Date: Dec 2017

    Location: Lincolnshire

    Posts: 342
    I'm Martin.

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    If you’re using the pre-out from the amp to headphone amp then surely that will present every input to the headphones?

    Unless I’m missing something it’s not much of a pre-out

    As it happens I have a passive in front of my integrated for this very purpose. It has two direct outs as well as volume controlled outputs so one of the directs goes to my headphone amp.

  2. #12
    Join Date: Aug 2018

    Location: Santa Barbara

    Posts: 86
    I'm Daniel.

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    Correct, the pre-out will get any input into the integrated amp over to headphone amp. As I now have a separate phono amp, I would like to be able to listen to phono with headphones without going through integrated amp, so that I do not have to turn the sub on/off every time.

    Something just clicked! I guess that is an advantage of having separate pre-amp and power amp. Then I can have power amp off, but pre-amp on with all input sources going every which way and no need to fiddle with sub. Unfortunately, I'll have to wait a bit with looking into a dedicated pre-amp. Just shelled out a bundle for the TT set-up.

  3. #13
    Join Date: Dec 2017

    Location: Lincolnshire

    Posts: 342
    I'm Martin.

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    Yeah I had a look at the manual, that pre out isn’t going to do what you want is it....

  4. #14
    Join Date: Jan 2020

    Location: South Yorkshire

    Posts: 2,683
    I'm Andre.

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    Daniel do you think it might be better if you considered dumping the Rotel amp? Having no tape loop is a pain

  5. #15
    Join Date: Aug 2018

    Location: Santa Barbara

    Posts: 86
    I'm Daniel.

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    Hi Andre, now that I finally get why having separate pre and power amp can be of value, I consider changing the amp configuration. I guess I could use the existing Rotel as a poweramp for a new, dedicated pre-amp. Or trade in the Rotel for a pre/power combo. Hmm, lots of questions. Will take a while to sort that out, and I just shelled out a bunch for the TT rig. For the time being, I think the RCA passive pre-amp/switch will be the least painful. Not sure which route I would want to go re SS vs tubes, and digital in/out/DAC/ADC considerations. I might lean towards something tuby, needs to have some digital capabilities, and I certainly will want to listen to them, won't buy them from specs.

  6. #16
    Join Date: Nov 2011

    Location: Seaton, Devon, UK

    Posts: 13,240
    I'm Adrian.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Exophile View Post
    Hi Andre, now that I finally get why having separate pre and power amp can be of value, I consider changing the amp configuration. I guess I could use the existing Rotel as a poweramp for a new, dedicated pre-amp. Or trade in the Rotel for a pre/power combo. Hmm, lots of questions. Will take a while to sort that out, and I just shelled out a bunch for the TT rig. For the time being, I think the RCA passive pre-amp/switch will be the least painful. Not sure which route I would want to go re SS vs tubes, and digital in/out/DAC/ADC considerations. I might lean towards something tuby, needs to have some digital capabilities, and I certainly will want to listen to them, won't buy them from specs.
    Daniel, having owned a Tisbury which I just used as a pure passive into a pair of mono blocks it should work for your with the Turntable.

    If I recall correctly there are 3 inputs and 2 outs, one output is the switchable one and the second is the bypass/loop.

    So if you connect the turntable to one of the switchable inputs and the switchable output to the appropriate input on the amplifier this will be for normal speaker listening. If you configure the Tisbury so the other output is permanently on then from there you go to your head phone amp.

    It should work. You can obviously connect two other devices to the other 2 inputs on the Tisbury, you just need to ensure their output voltage is not too high for the inputs on either amplifier(main amp or headphone amp).

    I hope that makes some sense.
    Listening is the act of aural discrimination and dissemination of sound, and accepting you get it wrong sometimes.

    Analog Inputs: Pro-Ject Signature 10 TT & arm, Benz Micro LP-S, Michel Cusis MC, Goldring 2500 and Ortofon Rondo Blue cartridges, Hitachi FT5500 mk2 Tuner

    Digital:- Marantz SA-KI Pearl CD player, RaspberryPi/HifiBerry Digi+ Pro, Buffalo NAS Drive

    Amplification:- AudioValve Sunilda phono stage, Krell KSP-7B pre-amp, Krell KSA-80 power amp

    Output: Wilson Benesch Vector speakers, KLH Ultimate One Headphones

    Cables: Tellurium Q Ultra Black II RCA & Chord Epic 2 RCA, various speaker leads, & links


    I think I am nearing audio nirvana, but don’t tell anyone.

  7. #17
    Join Date: Aug 2018

    Location: Santa Barbara

    Posts: 86
    I'm Daniel.

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    Adrian, thanks for the explanations. I think I will rather reverse it, so use the Tisbury tape out as my in from the phono stage, then plug the headphone amp into Tisbury input 1, the Rotel into Tisbury input 2. That way I can actively switch the output (with the Tisbury input selector) to where I want the signal to go. According to Tisbury, that should work. Soon enough I'll know. Recabling is really no big deal. Most likely I will try all sorts of combos to see what works best.

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