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Lumin X1 and headphones amplifier: what to do ?


Hi,

I sold my Pro iDSD DAC/Streamer and bought a Lumin X1.

Unlike the iDSD there  is no headphone output on the Lumin.

I own Focal Clear headphones.


So I have to purchase a headphone amp.


I have seen ´´Analog only ´´ amps : Single Ended  /  XLR in and XLR out only.

https://www.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=https://homemedialimited.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Senheiser-HDVA-600-Back.jpg&imgrefurl=https://homemedialimited.co.uk/product/sennheiser-hdva-600-headphone-amplifier-dac/&tbnid=IDnrUXhaNOqG2M&vet=1&docid=eTZ76KqejSskaM&w=800&h=800&q=hdva+600+sennheiser&source=sh/x/im


https://mjolnir-audio.com/product-selection/

I have seen amps. with balanced connections and  a DAC included : USB , Coaxial , Optic..

https://en-us.sennheiser.com/digital-headphones-amplifier-hdv-820

https://matrix-digi.com/en/products/321.html

https://soundnews.net/sources/dacs/aune-s6-pro-review-a-maestro-is-disciple-clothes/


Lumin X1 rear panel

https://images.app.goo.gl/JCV5o4tMqmqBRrXm7


The main Lumin utilisation will be for music playback with my Acurus ACT4 via balanced input.

On occasion, I will use my headphones.


Is it possible , the good sound of the Lumin not to be altered ( colored ) by headphones amplifire , if connected with XLR cables only ( input and output ) ?

 if I use the midend DAC ( digital inputs )of an  headphone amp. , will I miss something from the Lumin on a sound stand point  with my  headphones ?

I must underline tha the USB and  digital audio  on the Lumin are output only.


Any one , have suggestions on how I can get the best of both units ?

Thanks





128x128maxwave

Showing 2 responses by nekoaudio

nekoaudio's avatar
nekoaudio
489 posts
 
If you read some of the posts in the AudioCircle Bryston BHA-1 thread (linking directly to a relevant post) you'll see that the some people order their BHA-1 in a "low gain" configuration, because otherwise the XLR output on the back is too high/loud for their speakers. In the default configuration, they had to turn the BHA-1 volume knob very low otherwise their speakers were too loud.
nekoaudio's avatar
nekoaudio
489 posts
 
There are several analog-only headphone amplifiers that accept XLR inputs and have 4-pin balanced XLR headphone outputs, such as those you linked to. I would recommend sticking with that approach as you've stated you want to keep the analog output of the X1.

That being said, the additional feature you probably want is some way to pass through from the headphone amp to your speaker system. As the X1 only has one pair of XLR analog outputs (unless you use RCA for a second set of outputs and switch between the two when you are switching between headphones and speakers—but I think you'd ideally want to avoid that).

Two units I'm aware of supporting what you're looking for, that also provide an exceptionally clean signal path without coloration, are the OPPO HA-1 (discontinued but can still be found) and the Bryston BHA-1. Some people prefer to get the BHA-1 in a "low output" mode for the rear outputs, as the normal output level is too high for their speaker setup.
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