SACD to Amp to 5.1 headphones

[tom1502]

Hi all, I have a Sony SACD player that I have to listen to through a set of Speedlink Medusa 5.1 headphones. These headphones use separate 3.5mm jacks that I have to connect through an RCA adapter to listen to. This works fine, I get full 5.1 and it sounds great. The problem is that it's way too loud.

I have the volume at the lowest setting on the headphones and there is no way to turn it down direct on the SACD player. I'd like to run it through an Amp but still use these headphones. Does anyone know of such an amp that has 5.1 RCA outputs so that I can still plug in my headphones. I'm not really interested in using speakers as I have a set which I can connect up if my wife goes out!

Thanks,

Tom

 

[Rocky Bennett]

Just reading up on those headphones you obviously know that those are NOT true 5.1 headphones, there is no such thing. Those are considered surround sound headphones that provide a "semi real" 4.0 effect, you can never get the center channel without a center channel.

That said, those headphones were very cheap when they were made and the high fi quality of SACD would never come through using those 4.0 headphones. You should buy yourself a nice pair of stereo headphones and really enjoy the high fidelity of SACD.

I have been listening to SACDs for about 15 years and I own about 1,200 SACDs, so I know what I am talking about.

 

[americanaudiophile]

If you have the headphones connected to the 5.1 channel outputs on the back of the CD player then you could use 3 of these to cut the output down
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_142RLC/EFX-Remote-Level-Control.html?tp=3091&awkw=133761554425&awat=pla&awnw=g&awcr=70489238545&awdv=c
These are a stereo volume potentiometer with RCA connectors so you could make them,
https://www.tubedepot.com/products/alpha-24mm-dual-audio-taper-pot-8mm-bushing
or you could make your own attenuator pads
http://www.uneeda-audio.com/pads/
and yes good quality stereo headphones will be the way to go.

 

[tom1502]

Just reading up on those headphones you obviously know that those are NOT true 5.1 headphones, there is no such thing. Those are considered surround sound headphones that provide a "semi real" 4.0 effect, you can never get the center channel without a center channel.

That said, those headphones were very cheap when they were made and the high fi quality of SACD would never come through using those 4.0 headphones. You should buy yourself a nice pair of stereo headphones and really enjoy the high fidelity of SACD.

I have been listening to SACDs for about 15 years and I own about 1,200 SACDs, so I know what I am talking about.

Hi Rocky,

Thanks for that, the headphones are a backup set for gaming on the PC - I use an identical set for that. I've found the sound to be excellent for gaming and ok for everything else. However, I bought the SACD player for the 5.1 mixes as much as anything. I have been able to get this through speakers but if I wanted to listen to it in stereo am I going to notice much difference over a normal CD? I don't have a lot of experience with them (as you will see below!)

I only have three SACDs, I think all of them were more expensive than the player in the end as it was an eBay special!

The headphones do have separate speakers in them and you can identify the sounds coming from different perspecitves, but you are correct that there is no 'centre' speaker that one's kind of trickery, but you can tell when it's turned down (as I have turned it off) and it is noticeable.

I thought it might be a long shot finding an Amp with that kind of output for them though.

 

[tom1502]

If you have the headphones connected to the 5.1 channel outputs on the back of the CD player then you could use 3 of these to cut the output down
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_142RLC/EFX-Remote-Level-Control.html?tp=3091&awkw=133761554425&awat=pla&awnw=g&awcr=70489238545&awdv=c
These are a stereo volume potentiometer with RCA connectors so you could make them,
https://www.tubedepot.com/products/alpha-24mm-dual-audio-taper-pot-8mm-bushing
or you could make your own attenuator pads
http://www.uneeda-audio.com/pads/
and yes good quality stereo headphones will be the way to go.

Hi,
Thanks for getting back to me, I will look into those links and see what I can do.
Much appreciated.

Tom.

 

[Rocky Bennett]

Hello Tom,
I am sorry if I expressed negativity in my previous post, it is because I have enjoyed SACDs for so may years that the thought of listening to a 5.1 SACD in pseudo-surround (without the center channel speaker) kind of shocked me. You really do need to explore your options regarding using those headphones, and americanaudiophile has posted some good links to start. Since you are dealing with a line level output from the SACD player your options might be limited, but I sure hope that you can figure something out.

I love the higher resolution audio of SACD so for me even the stereo portion brings a higher level of fidelity than does a redbook CD. Heck, I even have over 100 mono SACDs, so I am really enamored by the sound quality that SACD brings to the table.

Good luck and post back with your results.

 

[tom1502]

Hello Tom,
I am sorry if I expressed negativity in my previous post, it is because I have enjoyed SACDs for so may years that the thought of listening to a 5.1 SACD in pseudo-surround (without the center channel speaker) kind of shocked me. You really do need to explore your options regarding using those headphones, and americanaudiophile has posted some good links to start. Since you are dealing with a line level output from the SACD player your options might be limited, but I sure hope that you can figure something out.

I love the higher resolution audio of SACD so for me even the stereo portion brings a higher level of fidelity than does a redbook CD. Heck, I even have over 100 mono SACDs, so I am really enamored by the sound quality that SACD brings to the table.

Good luck and post back with your results.

Hi,
I didn't read it as negativity (they did only cost me £20 after all!)

I hadn't really thought about the lack of an actual centre speaker. It's something I will certainly look into though. I think I will still need an amp, because I'll still have a volume issue, but getting one that works with stereo headphones should be simple enough!

 

[Rocky Bennett]

You are right about the stereo amp being cheap but reading the entire thread it seems to me that the whole point is to enjoy the surround sound aspect of SACD. I wish that I could offer you some inexpensive alternatives, but I really do think that those headphones (or any headphones) are going to need some kind of amplification.

On a side note: You have to hear Pink Floyd Dark Side Of The Moon in surround. It is an experience worth setting up a surround system for.

 

[tom1502]

You are right about the stereo amp being cheap but reading the entire thread it seems to me that the whole point is to enjoy the surround sound aspect of SACD. I wish that I could offer you some inexpensive alternatives, but I really do think that those headphones (or any headphones) are going to need some kind of amplification.

On a side note: You have to hear Pink Floyd Dark Side Of The Moon in surround. It is an experience worth setting up a surround system for.

That's one of the SACDs that I got the system for, that and Wish You Were Here. The other one I have is Dire Straits Brothers in Arms 25th anniversary edition. Love the Pink Floyd albums...made it all worthwhile!

My wife gets fed up of me listening to them though...hence the headphones. I have really good speakers so it does feel a shame to have to resort to them instead of the speakers...but it keeps her quiet(er!)