Adding a headamp to a DJ controller setup for better listening/mixing

[bequietjk]

Hey there gang, wasn't sure where to post this but thought this could be an okay place for the topic at hand. Title says it all. I'm looking to start my DJ journey into mixing and recording but also want to have the sweet flexibility and enjoyment of being able to use whatever headphones I want while mixing and recording here at home and not have to worry about lack of power coming from the DJ controller itself.


I currently have a Motu M2 and very soon plan to purchase a DDJ FLX4 controller (unless otherwise suggested). I plan to pickup a headphone amp as well, preferrably an A70 or SMSL H400 for casual listening at my desk and hopefully use the main outs on the FLX4 into > the A70. Will this work? Is there a better way of going about this?

And for anyone out there who is already using a controller and is experienced in mixing, do you have any suggestions for the beginner? What will the best routing be to achieve lowest possible latency?



picture: backside of DDJ FLX4

 

[staticV3]

Will this work?

Yes.

 

[nellie_rubina]

Hi, I have the FLX10 and love it, you should not need anything additional to mix with, the headphone socket on the controller will be what you can use for Mixing. If you want to listen to music from the contoller on headphones via a different connection on you laptop/PC then you won't be able to Mix with them. You need to be able to CUE a track in the headphones and also hear the master output. You can only do this via the controller.

 

[NielsMayer]

Use the main outs on the FLX4 into > the A70. Will this work?

It won't work because the main out is what goes to the speakers, and you want to monitor your upcoming tracks with the headphones which is a separate stereo pair from the main outs. Unless of course you attach the outboard headphone amp to the dj-controller headphone out, which will just amplify the crappy headphone outs on a DJ controller.

IMHO, get a DJ controller without Audio and use an external 4 channel (2 pairs of stereo channel) DAC. DJ controllers tend to use very low-quality and crappy-sounding DACs for both their main and headphone outs. However, they have high-power headphone outs (1W or more) so that you can make yourself deaf more quickly while DJing. By separating the controller and the DAC, you also can take advantage of upgrades to DACs and headphone amps while still using (and building muscle memory for) the same controller.

For example, the RME ADI-2 PRO ( https://www.rme-usa.com/adi-2-pro-be.html ) has separate outputs for the master out going to your amp/loudspeakers, and another separate output for headphone monitoring. It also has very high-power and good-sounding headphone amps. Lower-priced alternatives exist -- typically these will be multichannel "pro" audio devices (like your MOTU M2) that allow dedicating one or more outputs to headphones. These "pro" interfaces, may, or may not, have enough power to do headphone monitoring in an actual live DJing situation where the sound and bass is so loud it hurts your teeth and shakes your eyeballs.

Sometimes those multichannel "pro" interfaces have D/A converters and headphone amps that are just as crappy as those on integrated DJ controllers.

 

[nellie_rubina]

It won't work because the main out is what goes to the speakers, and you want to monitor your upcoming tracks with the headphones which is a separate stereo pair from the main outs. Unless of course you attach the outboard headphone amp to the dj-controller headphone out, which will just amplify the crappy headphone outs on a DJ controller.

IMHO, get a DJ controller without Audio and use an external 4 channel (2 pairs of stereo channel) DAC. DJ controllers tend to use very low-quality and crappy-sounding DACs for both their main and headphone outs. However, they have high-power headphone outs (1W or more) so that you can make yourself deaf more quickly while DJing. By separating the controller and the DAC, you also can take advantage of upgrades to DACs and headphone amps while still using (and building muscle memory for) the same controller.

For example, the RME ADI-2 PRO ( https://www.rme-usa.com/adi-2-pro-be.html ) has separate outputs for the master out going to your amp/loudspeakers, and another separate output for headphone monitoring. It also has very high-power and good-sounding headphone amps. Lower-priced alternatives exist -- typically these will be multichannel "pro" audio devices (like your MOTU M2) that allow dedicating one or more outputs to headphones. These "pro" interfaces, may, or may not, have enough power to do headphone monitoring in an actual live DJing situation where the sound and bass is so loud it hurts your teeth and shakes your eyeballs.

Sometimes those multichannel "pro" interfaces have D/A converters and headphone amps that are just as crappy as those on integrated DJ controllers.

Thanks for the reply, I'm not sure I understand what you mean by 'get a DJ controller without Audio'??

 

[NielsMayer]

Thanks for the reply, I'm not sure I understand what you mean by 'get a DJ controller without Audio'??

I use Linux and Mixxx so I only use controllers that have open-source support. e.g.

Hercules DJControl Compact — Mixxx User Manual

manual.mixxx.org

However, it is no longer produced... its replacement has a soundcard... https://manual.mixxx.org/2.5/sq/hardware/controllers/hercules_djcontrol_starlight

By the way I forgot a "cheaper" alternative to the RME ADI-2 PRO with similar sound and adequate headphone power.

Babyface Pro FS | High-end USB Audio Interface - rme-usa.com

RME Audio Professional Live, Studio, Recording and Broadcast Solutions. Unrivalled Quality, Performance & Stability MADI Interfaces, Converters & Preamps.

www.rme-usa.com

These are actually really nice for DJing in that they're entirely USB powered and there's less chance of your audio dying mid-mix, because any power-glitch will use your laptop battery to ride it out without a device-disconnect you might see using a separately powered "pro" device. Of course the headphone output is significantly less powerful than RME ADI-2 PRO as a result, but IMHO still adequate.