Switch between active monitors and headphones on the cheap?

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

My wife has an echo mia soundcard with balanced (line level) outputs
which are connected to a pair of KRKs. As the KRKs are placed pretty
near some CRTs, unbalanced input is no option.

We'd like to be able to switch between the KRKs and headphones without
plugging around cables. We do have a little mixer (a Behringer UB1204)
but it doesn't have balanced I/O; we do have a bigger console with
balanced I/O but it is in use most of the time so we're looking for a
dedicated solution.

I've looked around for a solution in consumer-land, but most
salespeople I run into seem clueless about what a balanced signal is.

As always, we're on a pretty tight budget. What would be your solution
to switch between monitors and headphone in a situation like this? I
can handle a soldering iron/etch prints if needed.

Thanks in advance,
Marc

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

kleinebre@hotmail.com wrote:
> My wife has an echo mia soundcard with balanced (line level) outputs
> which are connected to a pair of KRKs. As the KRKs are placed pretty
> near some CRTs, unbalanced input is no option.
>
> We'd like to be able to switch between the KRKs and headphones without
> plugging around cables. We do have a little mixer (a Behringer UB1204)
> but it doesn't have balanced I/O; we do have a bigger console with
> balanced I/O but it is in use most of the time so we're looking for a
> dedicated solution.
>
> I've looked around for a solution in consumer-land, but most
> salespeople I run into seem clueless about what a balanced signal is.
>
> As always, we're on a pretty tight budget. What would be your solution
> to switch between monitors and headphone in a situation like this? I
> can handle a soldering iron/etch prints if needed.
>
> Thanks in advance,
> Marc

Well the Mackie "Big Knob" is dedicated for just such purposes,
it's sort of an upgrade of the monitoring section of the Mackie HUI
that was left out of the Mackie "Control"'s. It will also provide
talkback to headphones, will let you choose between different pairs of
monitors if you get more in the future and will even let you monitor
one thing on your speakers while you feed something else to the
headphone outs. As you only have a Mia they may be overkill or out of
your price zone, but they will continue to be useful if you upgrade
your studio setup/interfaces in the future.

http://www.americanmusical.com/ite [...] GKNOB.html

Or you could sell the Behringer mixer and get a used Mackie 1402.
That would provide your headphone outs and balanced monitor outputs
on 1/4" TRS jacks, and you'd get a few micpres and a quality upgrade as
well.

Will Miho
NY Music and TV/Audio Post Guy
"The large print giveth and the small print taketh away..." Tom Waits

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

You might consider the Sound Devices HX-3 headphone amp. It has
balanced inputs and outputs and three independent headphone outputs is
beautifully made and can run on batteries if you need it to. It's not
cheap though - but it will probably last forever. I have a quick
review of it with some pics on www.themagicofradio.com.

ta

Al

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

Mike,

Yes, the KRKs are powered. As for the model of the mixer I goofed up,
it's actually a 1202, which indeed has balanced inputs but all outputs
are unbalanced.

Possibly I'll put together the little metal box and build a small
headphone amp in there, leaving the little mixer out of the equation
altogether. No fancy electronics are required to pass the signal to the
monitors.

Thanks,
Marc