• WANTED: Happy members who like to discuss audio and other topics related to our interest. Desire to learn and share knowledge of science required. There are many reviews of audio hardware and expert members to help answer your questions. Click here to have your audio equipment measured for free!

Best way to pair 2I2 with Amplifier? And which amp?

harrison1216

New Member
Joined
Jan 15, 2023
Messages
4
Likes
1
So I have the super popular beyerdynamic DT 770 pro 80 ohm headphones and have been a happy user of them for about 4 years. I mostly use them to game and listen to music and they're great. I've always paired them with the Fosi audio q4 dac and amp and was happy.
I play guitar and had a headrush(digital amp and pedal board) connected through a bunch of converters From analog to digital and to the back of the Fosi which worked as an easy way to switch between guitar and computer audio(it was always a mess of wires but it worked).
Recently, I invested in a Scarlett 2i2 as a future-proof way to plug in a new mic, and to use my guitar and computer at the same time. I'm very happy with it, and it's connected to my active monitors on my desk. I connected my headphones to the Scarlett and it sounded alright, but it is very quiet even on the max setting, from what I've read, it seems the best solution would be to pair the 2i2 with a dedicated headphone amplifier. I assume the best way to do this, especially so I don't have my speakers and headphone running at once, would be to use the headphone out and use a 3.5 to rca to plug into an amp, then to the 770s. Also would i keep the knob on the 2i2 all the way up and adjust it on the amp? Would this be the best configuration to confirm no loss in quality?

I also am completely new to headphone amps, with my only experience being the Fosi amp. I have done a good amount of research and am torn between whether I want the Magni heretic or the vali 2/other tube amp. The only way I'd really know if I want a tube amp is to try it but I wanted to know the public general consensus on this.
I'm looking to spend less than $250 on the amp. To be really honest I'm just looking for the best possible listening experience and whatever can get me there is what I'm after.
 

twsecrest

Addicted to Fun and Learning
Joined
Nov 27, 2018
Messages
894
Likes
291
Location
California
Xduoo MT-602 tube headphone amplifier ($100).
Would not really spend any more for driving the DT770 80-Ohm, as I would rather replace the DT770, than spend money on a headphone amplifier.
 
OP
H

harrison1216

New Member
Joined
Jan 15, 2023
Messages
4
Likes
1
Xduoo MT-602 tube headphone amplifier ($100).
Would not really spend any more for driving the DT770 80-Ohm, as I would rather replace the DT770, than spend money on a headphone amplifier.
What would be a good fit for pairing with the Mt-602 or the vali/Valhalla?
 

AnalogSteph

Major Contributor
Joined
Nov 6, 2018
Messages
3,338
Likes
3,278
Location
.de
Magni Heretic, E30 II, Atom Amp+ or even Sabaj A10h (if you don't mind the kind of build quality that comes with the cheapest price tag) - take your pick. There is little need to spend any more in this case.

Apparently you can turn the 2i2's headphone out up all the way without it clipping, but I might stay just a hair short of maximum just in case. At +7 dBu maximum (measured +6.8 dBu or 1.7 Vrms), there should be enough output to get ear-splitting levels even out of amplifiers of modest gain like 9 dB (A10h @ H2), and those with 13 dB (Atom Amp+) / 14 dB (E30 II, Magni Heretic) should even get close to clipping.
 
OP
H

harrison1216

New Member
Joined
Jan 15, 2023
Messages
4
Likes
1
I have given it a lot of thought and I decided to go with the Schiit heretic so I can have a good flat baseline to compare future stuff too. I came up with a very complicated way to use the 2i2's preamp lineout instead of the headphone jack(due to it already being amped) and it involves this SOLUPEAK ST42 4-Way RCA Audio Switch. This will allow me to switch between either going straight to my active monitors and sub, or go into my headphone amp which is powering my headphones. This will also give me wiggle room to include an upgraded dac, probably the modi, in order to get better sound when not using a guitar.

On another note, I went to a HiFi store and got to try all sorts of headphones ranging from HIFIman edition xs all the way to susvara. It was honestly an incredible experience that allowed me to kinda decide which headphones I wanna save up for. Ended up really liking and coming back to the LCD-2 Classic. My favorite of the LCD line and my favorite under 1000. Was wondering if these would just fit right into the setup im building, or if they would sound better with some other tech.
Thanks for everyone helping me out!
 

AnalogSteph

Major Contributor
Joined
Nov 6, 2018
Messages
3,338
Likes
3,278
Location
.de
I came up with a very complicated way to use the 2i2's preamp lineout instead of the headphone jack(due to it already being amped)
The "amp" employs the same NJM8065 type opamp also used elsewhere in the analog stages. That's why it does so poorly into low-impedance loads, the part is just a general purpose audio opamp (the recent-ish relaunch of the classic NJM4565 from 30+ years ago). Why they could not be arsed to at least use an NJM4556A in this spot, only the penny-pinchers at Focusrite will know.

I would understand the worries about "double amping" if the internal outputs were commonly littered with LM386s or TDA2822Ms or other noise / distortion generators, but something like this is fine.

Ended up really liking and coming back to the LCD-2 Classic. My favorite of the LCD line and my favorite under 1000. Was wondering if these would just fit right into the setup im building, or if they would sound better with some other tech.
These are pretty much as sensitive as dynamic driver cans with a 70 ohm impedance, so I do not foresee any major issues driving them.

I think one would want some EQ with these.
FR LCD2 Cl


Not as flat out of the box as a classic Sennheiser HD600, for example.
HD600

The Audezes should handle a lot more (deep) bass and bass boost, of course.
 
OP
H

harrison1216

New Member
Joined
Jan 15, 2023
Messages
4
Likes
1
The "amp" employs the same NJM8065 type opamp also used elsewhere in the analog stages. That's why it does so poorly into low-impedance loads, the part is just a general purpose audio opamp (the recent-ish relaunch of the classic NJM4565 from 30+ years ago). Why they could not be arsed to at least use an NJM4556A in this spot, only the penny-pinchers at Focusrite will know.

I would understand the worries about "double amping" if the internal outputs were commonly littered with LM386s or TDA2822Ms or other noise / distortion generators, but something like this is fine.


These are pretty much as sensitive as dynamic driver cans with a 70 ohm impedance, so I do not foresee any major issues driving them.

I think one would want some EQ with these.
FR LCD2 Cl


Not as flat out of the box as a classic Sennheiser HD600, for example.
HD600

The Audezes should handle a lot more (deep) bass and bass boost, of course.
regarding the headphone jack, do you think there is any difference in sound quality then going from pre amp line out to heretic vs. headphone out to heretic?
And for the LCD2c, in the audio store, I don't believe they adjusted the EQ, and I really did like them, so would it be a completely different sound out of the 2i2 and heretic? because they had dacs and amps around the 2k dollar mark. Like I said, using the switcher allows me to use 4 hypothetical input/outputs so I could use a dedicated listening dac, and then just use the focusrite when using the guitar.
 

AnalogSteph

Major Contributor
Joined
Nov 6, 2018
Messages
3,338
Likes
3,278
Location
.de
regarding the headphone jack, do you think there is any difference in sound quality then going from pre amp line out to heretic vs. headphone out to heretic?
Not much. Not enough to matter. Achievable dynamic range should be a good 106 dB(A), almost the same as the main output, and the thing can drive 1 Vrms into 300 ohms at -85 dB worth of THD, so it can probably manage driving a few kOhms well in the 90s... that's good enough to be audibly transparent, even if it's not going to win any prizes for engineering excellence in this day and age.

so would it be a completely different sound out of the 2i2 and heretic?
Unlikely. The Magni Heretic is a very stout little amp, and the ~8 Vrms out of the combo (which it could maintain to 26ish ohms before clipping) would be good for over 900 mW, or 130 dB SPL - that's well into hearing damage territory, no kidding.

It's really remarkable how good headphone amplifiers in this price class have gotten. A $109 amp that can dish out up to 10 Vrms or 2.5 W into 32 ohms at <-110 dB THD+N would have been considered a pipe dream even a decade ago. The only thing that's definitely befitting the price point is the volume pot, although in most cases turning down the gain will let you stay within the volume range that provides good channel balance.
 
Top Bottom