Headphones/hp amps revisited

[snared]

So, I got the AKG 240 S headphones, and the Rolls HA43 headphone amp. The 240 S has an impedance level of 55 ohms, and a frequency response of 15hz to 25Khz. Now that I have the amp I try to play with 2 or 3 headphones plugged in at the same time and I get distortion at relatively low levels. What the hell!!?? The 240's should be able to handle high levels without distortion. I can't tell if its my amp or the headphones. I have tried plugging the headphones in my TD-10 and in the amp and I seem to get the same distortion. The headphones I used before were AKG K-55's. They didn't seem to have a problem like this untill I got the amp. Now it seems as though nothing works right anymore. HELP!

[Algee]

Whoa.

Sound's like your amp sent a freak amount of electricity toy uo phones and blew them out. Here's what I suggest. Call up AKG and tell them "what the hell!" And if you can, call up Rolls as well. I've used both brands together with various models of products and I've never heard of something like that. If they don't fix it, go back to where you bought it from and demand working products. Then, if they don't help you out, you give me a call and I'll work out the rest, aight? But it'll cost ya, son.

[snared]

Damn! I knew it was something like that. I was just hoping it wasn't. That really sucks.

So, are you saying it was a faulty amp that blew my HPs, or the HPs were messed up to begin with? If it was the amp, does that mean that all my HPs that I have used with the amp are ruined?

[Algee]

In this case, it's really hard to tell. I can't say anything for sure without actually checking it out myself. Sorry dude.

[snared]

Do you have any suggestions about what I should do?

[Algee]

contact AKG first. if they don't know, then go ahead and contact rolls. dont make any final moves, like shippment for "repairs", until you've contacted both of them.

[Boingo]

Let's start over.

"So, I got the AKG 240 S headphones, and the Rolls HA43 headphone amp. The 240 S has an impedance level of 55 ohms, and a frequency response of 15hz to 25Khz. Now that I have the amp I try to play with 2 or 3 headphones plugged in at the same time and I get distortion at relatively low levels. What the hell!!?? The 240's should be able to handle high levels without distortion. I can't tell if its my amp or the headphones. I have tried plugging the headphones in my TD-10 and in the amp and I seem to get the same distortion. The headphones I used before were AKG K-55's. They didn't seem to have a problem like this untill I got the amp. Now it seems as though nothing works right anymore."

I'm not clear on how many phones have the problem. It sounds like all 3 phones were distorting when you used the amp and all three are ruined, but I'm having doubts. I guess I'd have real strong words if I ruined 2 or 3 pairs of phones (maybe you should have turned on the caps lock ).

• Did you try all 3 in the TD-10 and get distortion on all?
• Did you plug them into some other piece of stereo equipment (w/o the amp) and get distortion?
• Is the problem just with the one pair of K-55's?
• Does the amp plug into AC or is there a battery involved somewhere?

[snared]

Yes the amp uses AC power, no batteries. I have tried the HPs in the TD-10 w/o the amp. I haven't tried all of them in other equipment though. I have tried the K240s with my CD player w/o the amp. The thing that confuses me is that the HPs seem fine when it is just a CD even with the amp and the TD-10 untill i start playing the drums. I haven't tried all possible combinations, though. One pair of HPs was my bro's, he is in CA and I am in WA. So, that won't make this any easier.

[Shep2112]

Is it possible you're driving the input of the Rolls amp too hard? Like are you plugging a 'headphone output' into this unit? The CD sounds fine most likely because it's heavily compressed, whereas the drums are not generally and need to be turned up a lot louder to appear the same level. By the time you reach that level, you could be introducing distortion into the phones. A CD should be the best test of whether your gear is working or not. The drums are a little bit questionable due to the extreme dynamic range, etc.

Do you have a home stereo with a headphone out you could plug your remaining (I guess it's 2 pairs now?) phones into?

[snared]

I guess that is possible. Thats why I didn't return the HPs and the amp right away. If that is the problem then how do I make the drums sound loud enough without distortion? I like to play, and I wanted to be able to get the most out of my drum module without the need of major upgrades in the future, so that is why i got the TD-10. I just don't know what all the stuff is for or how to use it, ie: compression, EQ, etc.

[Boingo]

Originally posted by snared
I just don't know what all the stuff is for or how to use it, ie: compression, EQ, etc.

Now, don't take this the wrong way.... I'm just asking. Do you have a manual? Last time I looked, cyberjam still had a PDF file posted.

[snared]

Yeah, I have a manual. Does the manual explain what it is for, or just how to make the adjustments and change settings? I don't like spending time reading the manual, I like playing. I know there are plenty of people who feel the same. I intend to read that stuff and figure it out eventually. The newness of the drums is wearing off and I don't have the need to play every chance I get. So, I guess I could start reading more of the technical stuff. I just wasn't sure if that would help my problem. If it would I will start reading asap.

[Shep2112]

I'm thinking your Rolls amp only likes line level outputs.. But if you've tried your phones directly on the td-10's phones output and they sound like dookie, you may have damaged them. The Rolls should work fine on the line outputs of the TD-10, but using a headphone output into it may overdrive your preamp stage in, creating a lot of distortion.. 1 watt of distortion will destroy speakers a lot more efficiently than running 1,000 watts of clean power through them.. But if it's preamp distortion, and not power amp distortion (the input of the Rolls overloading, not the output), it shouldn't be as bad.. That's why guitar amps don't die instantly, because the preamp is overloaded but the power section is running smoothly and cleanly..

[snared]

Are you talking about the direct outputs, like the Master output? I did try that one, too. Of course it was after I had already tried the phones output and got distortion. I'm just trying to figure out if I made a the mistake (due to ignorance) or if it was an equipment defect.

[Shep2112]

Right, the master outs.. Those are line level, not speaker level (headphones are small speakers and use a much higher signal than line level).. Still though, I don't think preamp overload should cause output stage overload and kill your phones.. But if you can, try good phones (if you have any left, even $1 crappy ones) with the Rolls on the master outs, and see how it sounds.. then try them on a stereo to verify they're good..

Was it LOUD when it was distorted coming from the Rolls, or just distorted?