Headphone Heights

Sure, headphone output jacks can be used as a "preamp out"...

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This Post Has Been Edited by the Author

In Reply to: RE: Can headphone-out be routed to RCA Jacks in-Amp? posted by Rapalyea on December 20, 2013 at 09:16:58

All you would need in most cases is a simple (1/8" or 1/4" plug to dual RCA) adapter cable...

However, headphone jacks often have a much higher output impedance rating than dedicated preamps do. It is almost always best when the output impedance of your "preamp" is much, much lower than the input impedance of your power amp. If the ratio of output impedance to input impedance is too low, dynamics and/or flat frequency response can become compromised - at least to some degree.

So (unless the input impedance rating of your power amp is unusually high), the sound quality you will get from a headphone jack (used as a "preamp out") will probably not be as good as the sound quality you will get from a good, dedicated preamp with it's typically low(er) output impedance rating.

That said, I do have a pair of ASL Wave 8 tube monoblocks that have unusually high 100 ohm input impedance ratings. They do sound very good when driven by my DNA Sonett tube headphone amp with it's high-ish output impedance, partly because the aforementioned ratio of output to input impedance is quite acceptable in this case. But remember that many (or most) power amps do not have an input impedance rating as high as those Wave 8 monoblocks do.

But, the basic answer is "YES". A headphone amp can most certainly be used as a makeshift "preamp", in a pinch...

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