Tube Headphone amp?

[oldtexasdog]

Anyone ever tried to use a old console tube amp for a headphone amp?

 

[mhardy6647]

No but something like a single-ended EL84 (e.g., the Maggotbox Magnavox AMP-196 chassis) would probably be OK. That said... the impedance on the secondaries on the output transformers are probably a little on the low side, and the power output is probably dangerously high for most headphones.

(borrowed image from an eBAY auction)

The headphone jacks on old vacuum tube amps/receivers from, e.g., Fisher, used resistors to manage the power output to the phones and to keep the output transformers happy. Something like 125 ohms, if memory serves. EDIT: looks like ca. 355 ohms in the Fisher 500C receiver:

source: https://www.quadesl.com/refurb/refurb_fisher500C.html

Dollar for dollar, one of the modern, inexpensive Chinese-made stereo tube headphone amps would probably be an all-around better choice for use with headphones, though, truth be told.

 

[oldtexasdog]

Something like this?

 

[DVDdoug]

Anyone ever tried to use a old console tube amp for a headphone amp?

Some tube amps were (and are) good but in the "tube days" most weren't that great, probably mostly-because of the output transformer. The "average" solid state amp today is much better.

With transistors (and now MOSFETs) you can eliminate audio transformers and suddenly you can get easily get frequency response exceeding the audio range and low distortion. And with integrated circuits every just gets cheaper and easier.

There are "technical" disadvantages with tubes, and with modern integrated circuits it's cheap & easy to make a headphone amp.