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RME User Forum → FireWire & USB series → Newbie question: How to connect a second headphone to the UCX?
I just want to connect a second pair of headphones to the UCX. How do I do this? Do I use a splitter able to a 1/4" socket for the headphones, or do I need some time of headphone amplifier? If so, can you suggest a couple for me to look at?
Short answer: a Y-cord will work, but has issues with listening levels; a headphone amp can address the level inequity, while at the same time open up many more possibilities for monitoring during recording sessions.
I don't have a UCX but faced the same issue with my FF800. I've used a "Y-cord" plugged into the headphone socket to run two sets of headphones. The problem with doing this comes when you have two sets of headphones with different impedance - one pair will be louder than the other at all times since there is no way to control them individually.
I finally broke down and purchased a headphone amplifier - the ART HeadAmp4Pro - which can accept a normal 1/4" TRS headphone signal (such as that output from the front panel of your UCX), OR stereo input coming from two separate line level outputs, such as those the back of the UCX - which can be supplying a dedicated headphone mix that can be different from your main control room mix. (i.e., your CR mix can be sent to the front headphone jack and/or Outputs 1 and 2 on the back of the unit, whereas you could route an Aux. send with a dedicated "performer's" mix through Outputs 3 and 4.) I may just have to get one or two more of these things.
No problem with two beyerdynamics with 250Ohm both.
Just get a good Y cable
Just a big thank you to Fl and Marcobarbaro for your wonderful and helpful reply.
I will look into the ART HeadAmp4Pro, but first will try a Y Cable. Can either of you suggest (or show a link) to an appropriate cable? I would rather buy one rather than have to make one up. Please let me know.
Should be that, cross check
https://www.thomann.de/de/cordial_cfy_03_vkk.htm
@ramses, thanks for the link, but I thought that I need a cable with: two male mono 1.4" plugs and one female stereo 1.4: socket. Do these exist off-the-shelf?
Why 2 male mono ? This you need to explain to me ....
You want to connect 2 Stereo Headphones to the one analog output in the front of the UCX, which is there for 1 phone.
This plug is TRS Stereo unbalanced female.
So on the one side of the Y - cable you need a plug like on the headphone itself ...
This is TRS Stereo unbalanced male ... and this cable has such a plug.
On the other side where you want to connect 2 phones now you need
2x TRS stereo unbalanced female (in case your phones have a TRS stereo male plug).
@ramses My mistake as I have been ambiguous in my first problem statement. I am glad that we caught it with the discussion of cables.
My aim is to have two headphones: one connected through the front headphone jack, and the second connected (somehow) to the line outputs from the back. This way I can send different signals to both headphones.
Can I connect a Y-cable (2x 1/4" plugs) into the line outputs on the UCX, and then somehow connect it to a headphone?
Never tried something like this and am not sure whether something like this makes sense / works.
Somebody else needs to jump in here.
Otherwise, a very nice solution would be something like this:
https://www.thomann.de/de/lake_people_g … oneamp.htm
https://www.thomann.de/de/lake_people_g … ne_amp.htm
https://www.thomann.de/de/lake_people_g … oneamp.htm
Or here combination of monitor controller and 2 phones with crossfeed and separate vol control
https://www.thomann.de/de/spl_2control_black.htm
The optimum solution is this in terms of quality and features:
https://www.thomann.de/de/rme_adi_2_pro … o_398348_1
But I assume u want it much cheaper.
My aim is to have two headphones: one connected through the front headphone jack, and the second connected (somehow) to the line outputs from the back. This way I can send different signals to both headphones.
Can I connect a Y-cable (2x 1/4" plugs) into the line outputs on the UCX, and then somehow connect it to a headphone?
Sure. Nothing will break. And the outputs have a high output voltage. BUT they also have 75 Ohms output impedance, which means with low impedance phones the volume could be insufficient. But that also depends on your personal needs, so just try it.
Thanks MC, will do. However if I need a small cheap headphone amplifier... can you suggest / recommend any for this purpose?
Thanks MC, will do. However if I need a small cheap headphone amplifier... can you suggest / recommend any for this purpose?
Almost anything will do. Look around in the studio or house for anything with a headphones out. Like an old dat recorder, minidsc, sampler hifiamp etc.
Or Behringer HA-400 is cheap and small.
Thanks vinark!
Should be that, cross check
i have exactly this one, its perfect
Regarding the idea of using a Y-splitter, is there any los in audio quality using this method? I am asking about the option where one uses Y-cable with a 1/4" TRS male going into the headphone output of a UXC II, then plugs in two of the exact same headphone units in each of the two 1/4" TRS female jacks. I just assume each headphone unit would receive receive a lower-quality signal since they are sharing sound from the same headphone output, but it would be amazing if the sound quality was the same. I'd love to do this instead of buying a separate headphone amp.
Thank you to anyone who is able to offer clarity on this matter. Hope everyone is well!
The main problem with a Y-splitter is when you have two sets of headphones with different input impedance, where one set will be louder than the other. Certainly the cheap option, but invariably whenever I used this with another person bringing their own 'phones, I'd have to listen at a higher level than what is comfortable, just so the other person could hear. Life improved considerably with the addition of an ART HeadAmp4Pro. This way, everyone gets their own volume control, and there is peace and harmony in the land.
Thanks for your response! I would be running the exact same pair of headphones, so maybe it won't be as bad? My concern is that the cheap headphone amps might not have the same quality of headphone output as the UCX II, but I could be misjudging things. Once you get into the higher quality units, like the Grace M900, you'e talking $600, at which point I start wondering why I shouldn't just get a ADI-2 FS from Thomann for the same price since I only need one extra headphone output. At any rate, if the cheap headphone amps are as good as the UCX II headphone output, that would be the simplest way to add an extra headphone out and ensure each headphone could have its own mix when both are in use. I'm just concerned that the quality might decrease with a Y-cable, though I may be wrong about that as well.
RME User Forum → FireWire & USB series → Newbie question: How to connect a second headphone to the UCX?
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