shakyhands Posted July 11, 2005 Report Share Posted July 11, 2005 Hi, my brother has a small Zoom brand 35watt guitar amp. If he plugs 1/4" headphone jack into head phones socket on amp he gets a nice tones and effects coming through headphones. He tried plugging a speaker into the headphone socket and it sounded real muddy. There is no other output socket on amp. Is it possible to wire up a switch, to cut amp speaker and have a monitor speaker plugged into headphones socket ? Would this cutting out of main speaker help to retain the good tone? I thought that maybe, plugging in to headphone socket and still having main speaker connected, the impedence of both speakers may be cause of muddy tone. Any advice would be appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GodBlessTexas Posted July 11, 2005 Report Share Posted July 11, 2005 When you say monitors, do you mean real, transparent studio monitors, or regular speakers? My guess is that the speakers aren't nearly as faitful to the tone as the headphones. When you plug in the headphones, the circuit connecting the amp ouptut to the speaker should be cut, so there shouldn't be any problems with impedence. Remember the Alamo, and God Bless Texas... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegarehanman Posted July 11, 2005 Report Share Posted July 11, 2005 headphone outputs don't have enough power to power computer monitors, that's why it sounds muddy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GodBlessTexas Posted July 11, 2005 Report Share Posted July 11, 2005 Indeed. I made the assumption he was using powered speakers. If he's not, I don't see how he could even get sound if the unit was driving an external, non-powered speaker through the headphone jack. Remember the Alamo, and God Bless Texas... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gorecki Posted July 11, 2005 Report Share Posted July 11, 2005 Indeed. I made the assumption he was using powered speakers. If he's not, I don't see how he could even get sound if the unit was driving an external, non-powered speaker through the headphone jack. ← It will produce sound, almost all headphones are nothing more than a pair of non-powered speakers. In close proximity, this produces plenty of sound. It's also common that a headphone jack can be used as a line level output but variants of impedance can cause differing outcomes. The switch question: Yes, assuming the speakers are powered a switch can be mounted and wired either on the plug (no really a good idea) or the jack itself that will break the tip/sleeve connection that is created when the plug goes into the jack. If a switch is placed between the tip wire and the tip, you can break the connection even if the plug is in the jack. It could also need a sleeve lift as well, depends on how they wired it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shakyhands Posted July 12, 2005 Author Report Share Posted July 12, 2005 Thanks guys. No the speakers arent powered. I suppose the best term to use for what my brother wants is "Foldback" speaker for his guitar. He was hoping that he'd somehow be able to wire a socket to use an external speaker as well as the main internal amp speaker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovekraft Posted July 12, 2005 Report Share Posted July 12, 2005 He was hoping that he'd somehow be able to wire a socket to use an external speaker as well as the main internal amp speaker. He can do that without too much trouble, provided his power amp will handle the lower impedance - he just can't use the headphone jack to do it. It's very easy to install an extension speaker jack that will either cut off the main speaker, or simply add another to the circuit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shakyhands Posted July 13, 2005 Author Report Share Posted July 13, 2005 He was hoping that he'd somehow be able to wire a socket to use an external speaker as well as the main internal amp speaker. He can do that without too much trouble, provided his power amp will handle the lower impedance - he just can't use the headphone jack to do it. It's very easy to install an extension speaker jack that will either cut off the main speaker, or simply add another to the circuit. ← Thanks for the messages guys. Much appreciated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.