Add headphone output to preamp

[whitelabrat]

I've currently got a pair of headphones rated for 250ohms. Nothing fancy (Koss Pro4aa). I'm wondering what changes are needed to add a headphone output to my preamp. Output caps such as those using in Morgan Jones' design?

http://headwize.com/projects/showfile.php?file=cmoy5_prj.htm

I've attached a schematic of one channel of the preamp.

 

[ErikdeBest]

Hi

In theory, yes, add a large valued output cap parallel to C4 and you could use a headphone. The problem is distortion: although your headphones have a relatively high impedance, asking a 12AU7, even in CF, to drive it is asking for high distortion figures.

One possibility is to make a WCF of that output stage, just as in the project by Morgan Jones you linked to. But that's not that simple, as you would need another tube, which means another hole in the chassis, higher filament current...

What you could do is get rid of the second 12AX7 stage's that is, IMHO , superfluos anyway, and use the hole and filament current for another 12AU7 to make a WCF. And as you are at it, change the 12AU7's for E88CC's... But that is lot of reworking...

Good luck! Erik

 

[AndreasS]

Hello whitelabrat,

you can use this schematic for a headphone with little modifications:

Take the feedback path from the output of the CF, in the best way connect the cathode of V1B to a tap on R11 and omit C2, R7, R8 and R2 (a "ring of three").

Regards Andreas