Hughes and Kettner Red Box DI to Headphones?

abw1989

I've recently purchased a H&K Tubemeister 36 and love it. 

The only downside for me is that there is no direct headphone out jack. It has the Red Box feature that allows to go straight to a mixing desk using an XLR cable without the need for a cabinet load to be connected.

I was wondering if it would be possible to run this output into a headphone amp that had an XLR input to allow for 'silent' playing at home.

Any ideas or advice appreciated! Thanks.

John_P

Should work fine.  The RB will give a decent sound sonyou just need to run it via something that will give enough level for headphones - a little mixing desk or headphone will do that, using a desk would allow you to mix in other signals from tracks you want to play along with.  

I'd have to check whether you can run the head safely without a cab connected by I suspect HK have designed it to be fine - double check it though before you try.  

abw1989

@John_P Thanks for the advice.

The amp switches to a zero watt mode, or words to that effect, once it realises there is no load connected. Quite clever really. As for a headphone amp, am I looking at something like this?:

http://www.dv247.com/headphones/behringer-ma400-micromon-ultra-compact-monitor-headphone-amplifier--38127

Where I'd run the amp into the 'mic input' XLR input.

ecc83

Could be some conbobbulations... ? First off, I have that HA400 H/P amp and they are really good for the money. Now, that XLR output* is 'balanced' and of course Mono. If you want signal in both ears you will need to use an XLR to STEREO jack plug lead/adaptor which picks off just the 'hot' XLR signal on pin 2, pin 1 should be common/earth.  The ring and tip of the jack plug need to be linked.  I doubt you will find such an adaptor so you might need to solder your own.

*I am annoyed by guitar amp mnfctrs (yes! I know!) that fit XLR 'DI' outputs but run them at line level. IF it is a standard DI it should be MIC level (and balanced, preff with an earth isolated traff) If line level, use a jack FCS!) There are other possible circuitory traps here but I shall K.I.S.Sir for now.

Dave.

abw1989

Thanks @ecc83 ;

Just had an email back from H&K basically confirming the same thing, that the DI out is at line level.

They only advise to make sure that the headphone amp has a line level input rather than a mic level input. 

ICBM

(Edit)… scrub that, doesn't work as a direct headphone driver . Not enough volume, with either 32-ohm or 400-ohm headphones. At least with a stand-alone Red Box, but I think the circuit is the same in the amp-mounted version.

normula1

When I had my GM36, I used a little Behringer Eurorack UB502
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0002L05XY/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 and knocked up a little XLR to jack lead and plugged into the channel 1 line in (not the XLR input as the GM has too strong a signal). You can then plug a music player into one of the other channels and widdle away.

ecc83

normula1 said:

When I had my GM36, I used a little Behringer Eurorack UB502
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0002L05XY/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 and knocked up a little XLR to jack lead and plugged into the channel 1 line in (not the XLR input as the GM has too strong a signal). You can then plug a music player into one of the other channels and widdle away.

Yes,  a mixer will work because you can pan a single source to central, both ears.

Dave.

abw1989

normula1 said:

When I had my GM36, I used a little Behringer Eurorack UB502
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0002L05XY/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 and knocked up a little XLR to jack lead and plugged into the channel 1 line in (not the XLR input as the GM has too strong a signal). You can then plug a music player into one of the other channels and widdle away.

@normula1  When you say too strong, how do you mean? As in the output from the mixer was distorted from the high gain signal?

normula1

I tried both ways and IIRC, the XLR input clipped or was very close to it. The jack input on the same channel was fine.

abw1989

@normula1  @ecc83 ;

Thanks for your help both of you.

I think I'm sorted now, one of these XLR (F) to Stereo Jack leads, and a little mixer as linked above and I'm about there I think!

http://www.gear4music.com/G4M/XLR-F-Stereo-Jack-Cable-6m/109Q#full-des