Headphone Amp?
 

My 2.1 channel system is made up of some McIntosh vintage stuff, a Sonos connect, two SS amps and a DAC.

Everything passes through the DAC, then the DAC sends out the electrons to the amps. Unfortunately, there is no provision for headphones on the DAC.

I am thinking about adding a headphone amp. Just not sure how this would wire in to my system as I have no more outputs available on the DAC. The XLR's go to the amps and the single RCA L/R is used for the subwoofer out to the wireless subcast system.

I suppose I could hook into the McIntosh preamp and listen to FM only on the headphones (the only input to that pre-amp is the tuner) but I'd be missing out on a lot of other music that way.

What if I were to split the RCA out that the subcast system uses into two streams of L/R with one going to the headphone amp?

Thoughts?

Of course I could always sell this DAC and get one with a built in headphone amp...that might be a better solution?

I have a nice Yarland Head Amp and Rotel CD player for sale. PM me if you are interested.

If you can afford a new DAC/headphone amp, and you plan to listen often, that's what I'd recommend. Splitting the signal the way you propose will result in some degradation in the quality of the sound, but it's hard to say whether it will bother you.

Or you could think about a new preamp with more outputs. I guess it depends on whether you think the DAC or preamp is a weak link, whether you'd like to upgrade either.

Thanks for the heads up!

I was worried about degrading the signal and I suspect I would hear it.

The DAC is a good one and I like it, having picked it over quite a few others three years ago. It just doesn't have enough outputs to allow me to use a headphone amp in addition to the other components. The DAC manufacturer recently upgraded their line with one that has a headphone amp inside it so I may take that route.

Thanks for the input!

Just buy a Schiit Asgard headphone amp and use it with your DAC.

Good idea...if I had an output to use from the DAC.

It sounds like your options are
1. Use a Y and split the signal.
2. Buy a new Dac w/headphone capability
3. Buy a standalone headphone setup, new everything :)
4. If you have analog out (I assume you are using digital out to your Dac) on the sonos you could use that to go into the headphone amp as they all have volume control.

aha...let me check that Sonos connect.

That would work as I have it connected to the DAC from the digital out.

So the analog out on the Sonos goes to the analog in on the headphone amp? Then I'd manage volume on the Sonos controller?

Then I turn down the DAC volume? It is the central volume control for the whole system.

hmmm....it would work until I get a new DAC with a headphone amp in it.

Yes the digital out would continue to go to your dac while the analog out would go to the input on the headphone amp. This would at least allow you to use your digital music collection.
Most headphone amps have volume control built in. If you preferred to use your sonos as the volume control that would work, just set your headphone amp volume at full. If you normally control your volume on your stereo with your dac then I would probably leave the Sonos at its regular output and control the volume for stereo via dac and headphones volume via headphone amp.