Using integrated as headphne amp: tape in or aux?


Hi,

My preamp (a Naim) has no headphone jack (of course). Currently I have no dedicated headphone amplifier. So I am using one or another of my spare integrateds with headphone, via the tape out of the preamp. If I plug in to the tape-in of my Revox integrated, the gain is incredibly high, and I have less than the range from 0 to 1 on the volume pot at my disposal. If I plug in to the auxilliary input, the gain is fine. However, wouldn't the tape-in meddle less with the signal from my preamp? I want as much as possible to listen to teh Naim pre and not the integrated. There's also a -20db switch on the integrated, but again, that surely fiddles with signal. Thoughts?
rnm4

Showing 1 response by plato

It could be that the tape-in on the Revox has an extra gain stage to amplify the low output of tape heads in tape decks without a preamp output. Going through an extra gain stage should make the sound worse (though much louder). So I'd probably use the AUX in as Newbee suggested.