Amp head + Headphones = ?

[Trey]

I'm really wanting a professional rig, but I won't be able to get a job to pay for one until I move to Japan (which is in 2010). I'm thinking of taking baby steps and buying one piece of equipment at a time as I get some money. I'm thinking of JUST buying an amp head (solid state) for now, and then I'll get a cab when I can get a job in Japan. In the meantime, can I use this amp like a headphone amp and just plug some phones into the headphone jack? Or do I NEED a cab for it to work?

 

[Grgzilla]

That should be ok.I think it's a no no to use a tube head without it's cab.

 

[Eberbachl]

Greg's right - go for it, it will work just fine.

:d

 

[Callum]

Tubs need a cab or else they go bang. As for solid state i've read different things, generally i'd consult the manual it'll tell you normally if you can or can't. most new amps are now listing this as a feature, I know the TC electronic RH450 can do this. I'm sure there are others, but none come to mind off the top of my head!

The advice i've been given from an amp repair guy was its generally ok as long as you don't drive the amp to hard, as it won't need to dissipate any really large amounts of energy.

I'm sorry i'm being vague, i'm sure someone can fully clarify all this for you!

haha edit: Eberbachl beat me to it!

 

[Grgzilla]

I think there's a new Peavey all tube head that can safely run without a cab,for studio use.

 

[ALB]

Or.... you can get a EBS MicroBass II which is a floor pedal style preamp that also doubles as a headphone amp. It's a get piece of gear that will definitely add to your sound once you get more gear. I use this whenever I travel since I can't always bring my amp with me. At the house, I use it late at night as to not wake the ol' lady. In the studio, I run it straight into the board. Finally, when recording at home I run it straight into my computer. It's a professional piece of equipment and worth looking into.

 

[Trey]

thanks for the input guys!

 

[Pedro]

You could (after buying a head) look around ebay for a cheap cab, i bought my 250w Peavey bass cab for £20 (think thats about $25) a few months back. It's not in great condition but somethin like that would tide you ova til your move to Japan, and it won't cause a lot of heart ache if you end up leaving it behind wen you move.

 

[rusty]

thanks for the input guys!

No it the output your talking about !!!! (sorry...... bad joke):roll:

Any of the warwick heads you can use without a cab, & yes even the tubepath, as its the preamp that is tube only.

My .259378587 cents worth.

Rusty

 

[Callum]

Tube path is more hybrid, unless its that peavey amp Greg mentioned any amp with a tube power stage has to be connected to an impedance (cabs) or the power output tubes go bang.

 

[rusty]

tube path has tube pre amp & transistor power amp, so its fine with headphones only.



No bang!!!

Rusty

 

[Trey]

Or.... you can get a EBS MicroBass II which is a floor pedal style preamp that also doubles as a headphone amp. It's a get piece of gear that will definitely add to your sound once you get more gear. I use this whenever I travel since I can't always bring my amp with me. At the house, I use it late at night as to not wake the ol' lady. In the studio, I run it straight into the board. Finally, when recording at home I run it straight into my computer. It's a professional piece of equipment and worth looking into.

That actually caught my eye. It looks like a solid piece of equipment! My only question about that is, how many watts is it? I was on musiciansfriend.com and it didn't say haha

 

[ALB]

That actually caught my eye. It looks like a solid piece of equipment! My only question about that is, how many watts is it? I was on musiciansfriend.com and it didn't say haha

It's actually just a 2-Channel Preamp /DI-box. It has enough juice to power a set of headphones but a power amp would be needed to run this unit through speakers. When I'm not using this as a headphone/practice amp, I use it as a boost in my signal running to my amp.

 

[Trey]

gotcha