Will running the monitor output of an audio interface into a headphone amp degrade quality?

[paganorama]

TLDR: I'm interested in the Motu M2 to serve as a mic input/DAC/amp for the forseeable future. My only hangup is that there are no dedicated line outputs on the back, only monitors. Would this cause any issues when connecting a headphone amp, say, a JDS Atom?

To expand a little, I currently use Sennheiser HD598Cs, but I would like to upgrade to the HD6XX in the near future. I also need an audio interface for some home recording (guitar/vocals) and by all accounts the Motu M2 is hands down the best interface for the price, and could easily serve as a DAC/Amp for music listening until I decide to upgrade to a dedicated amp. The M4 has line level outputs in addition to the monitor outs. My understanding is that these line outs would bypass the volume circuit, which is desirable as headphone amps will always have their own controls. My question is whether there is any quality penalty to simply turning the interface volume to max and using the monitor outputs, which should be line level at that point.

I created an account after lurking here for some months, so please excuse me if I'm missing any information or my netiquette is poor. Thanks!

 

[twsecrest]

I would say when you use an add-on headphone amplifier, with the Audio Interface (Motu M2), just max out the volume controls on the PC and the Motu M2. And use the head amp for volume control.

 

[Blumlein 88]

You could have issues with the output of the Motu being too high for the headphone amp requiring excessive attenuation. However, in the case of the JDS Atom it has two gain settings. One is 1x, so you'd have no problems. With some HA's that have fixed gain it could be a minor issue.

BTW, as your first post, welcome to ASR.

 

[paganorama]

You could have issues with the output of the Motu being too high for the headphone amp requiring excessive attenuation. However, in the case of the JDS Atom it has two gain settings. One is 1x, so you'd have no problems. With some HA's that have fixed gain it could be a minor issue.

BTW, as your first post, welcome to ASR.

Much appreciated! It sounds like it wont be an issue. I could of course go for the M4, which has line outputs, but it seems like a waste of $50 to do so.