bookshelf speakers --> headphone amp?

zerosk8er

dont no if this is the right place to post this but i want an easy fix to have music on the go... basically my idea was i have 2 cheap speakers lying around and i was wondering if i buy a headphone amp and hook the 2 speakers up to it and the other end to an mp3 player would i get decent enough sound? i wan something that i can take with me in my car but that does not connect to the car draining its battery so it has to be battery powered and i want to hook up an mp3 player to it... the plan is it would b in the trunk of my car with the trunk open so i can hear from outside... i want it to go loud enough so that i can hear it over other sounds like skateboarding or drunk ppl screaming lol... any ideas? battery powered computer speakers are just too crappy and boomboxes dont have mp3 player input...
thanx
-Dro

eeagle

Not sure about using a headphone amp, but I would certainly recommend trying the Sonic Impact T-Amp if you would like a really great experience.

The T-Amp lists out at only $40 and can be had at discounters like Target for $20. Runs on batteries or an adapter.

I team mine up with a couple of Polk R15's and get some truly amazing sound from portable devices like CD & MP3 players.

Here is a link to a review:

http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/sonicimpact/t.html

masanz1

I have heard a lot of good things about the t-amp. Do a search on the forum.

Schris22

I have the T amp just make sure to see if you can find an AC outlet in your trucks. A lot newer trucks have these hidden everywhere.

Chris

mulveling

Headphone amps can only properly drive speakers under VERY specific conditions. I don't think you're going to have any of those conditions going for you. You'd need ultra-high efficiency speakers (> 96db / Watt) paired with a high quality, powerful headphone amp that's rated down to 4 or 8 ohms, in a small closed room. Battery powered, portable, or transportable headphone amps aren't going to cut it. You'd likely be limited to crossover-less speaker designs unless you were just using the headphone amp to power the tweeters in a biamping configuration (this is actually suggested in the David Berning Micro-ZOTL headamp description).

I've actually driven speakers with a headamp briefly; used the Audio Valve RKV to drive some Ascend CMT-340's. It didn't get too loud but it did reach listenable levels. The RKV is a huge tube headamp capable of 3-5 Watts output power; but you need to buy a separate transformer (the "impedanzer") so it can drive 8-ohm speaker loads. I didn't spend much time listening; mainly because I never liked the Ascends and I sold the RKV before I got better speakers.

Realistically, the Sonic T-amp mentioned above is an excellent recommendation for your situation.

Alternatively, you could actually buy some good headphones - it'll sound a lot better than speakers out of a trunk

zerosk8er

sweet thanx for all the feedback... i have pretty good headphones the thing is i want it so many ppl can hear and so i can talk to my friends at the same time... i'l check that t-amp out but i'l probly end up takin my rear car speakers out and buildin them a box or sumthin...
thanx
-Alex

dorokusai

What ever happened to portable radios ala boombox? I'm pretty sure you can still buy them, and for the application...critical listening isn't really a factor.

Digital amps...bookshelf speakers...headphone amps...sometimes it's just best to use what was purpose built. I have a 20 year old boombox that has RCA inputs...meaning MP3 capable...perhaps you're stuck in a time warp?

I applaud the idea, but why waste the money and time.