Hey guys,

Do you know if it's safe to connect an extra pair of passive (8ohm) speakers to the headphone jack of my Scarlett 2i2 interface, using a split TRS cable?

I assume it should be fine, but I want to be on the safe side here...

It would be nice to be able alternate between two different sets of speakers while mixing.

Cheers,

Raf.

 

No, that won't work at all.

 

On the bright side, you might blow your interface while attempting that and then you would be able to buy one with more outputs.

 

Thanks guys.

May I know why?

The headphone jack's output is supposed to be of < 10ohm according to Focusrite's website.

 

exactly and speakers are 8 or 4 ohms and related at a MUCH higher wattage would blow up the ¼ watt output of the Headphone output

understand the lower the resistance the closer you are to dead shorting the output and the less wattage the harder the phones amp is gonna have to work to move studio monitor. the harder a circuit has to work the hotter the composite gets and im willing to bet the output stage of a headphone jack wouldn't last long under that kinda heat being produced tring to move a couple 5" drivers and tweeters.

 

Yes, it makes a lot of sense indeed.

What if I connect it to an active amplifier/receiver?

I have a speaker amplifier/receiver here, to which these speakers are already connected, by the way. I use it to listen to music. Its has a bunch of inputs (phono, tuner, tape, cd/aux)...Maybe one of these inputs impedance would mach the headphone jack's output?

 

Yes, you would need that amplifier and probably a preamplifier inbetween.. or else that extra pair of speakers might not get any good for mixing.

 

I connect my ipod to this system all the time, using a regular P2/RCA cable...It sounds pretty good.

So, if it's ok for the ipod's jack, it should be ok for the interface's headphone jack as well, right?

I already own a pair of nice monitors (Presonus Eris). I just want to connect these other speakers because I've been listening to them for 10, maybe 15 years; I know them really well and I think it's always nice to have different references for mixing.

 

All these inputs (phono, tuner, tape, cd/aux) on your amplifier are -10dB line inputs, with a chinch connector I presume. You can only connect a line output from your audio interface to it and don't forget to switch it to -10dB unbalanced line output if it's set to +4dB balanced output. You should use 2 big mono banana-jacks on one side into 2 chinch jacks on the other, for that. I'm sure you have some extra outputs on that audio interface that you can use for this?

Headphone output is just that - a headphone output. Use it for headphones or leave it alone. 3rd option is to burn it, or burn the amplifier inputs.

 

Last edited: Dec 3, 2015

No, it doesn't. Needs a preamp inbetween.

 

Technically you can but.... Pro audio and home audio are 2 different animals from the same mother. While you can connect to a home stereo. most home stereo have a "colour to them" by that i mean they enhance prerecorded professional music IE your fav bands CD or record. when writing and recording you really don't want this as your mixes will sound great to you but the reality is the frequency will prolly be all wrong unless you can read a spectrum analyser. thats Why a good set of studio monitors is essential as they deliver a flat frequency response . what this does is you hear thing as they actually are ( assuming you can hear well) you make your songs this way so no matter what kinda system its played on it sounds good and then the listener can adjust the Bass and treble to there liking on there system for their ears. Simply put think of it like a cake .. you bake a cake ( the cake being your song) you want that cake to taste as good as possible and let the listener add frosting as they like . recording using home stereo gear is like adding frosting to your already frosted cake cake what you hear is frosted, what give your friend or put on the web is frosted and then when its played of a friends system walkman or what ever it gets frosted again . its like EQing an EQ basically. and in the signal chain every little bit of processing adds a tiny bit of distortion. So if you make a mix with home audio gear, it might sound great there but on another system its prolly gonna taste like a tiny cake covered in gobs and gobs of frosting. and i like frosting but not that much .

My advice is invest in a good set of Powered studio monitors. you can find them on eBay and other such places you can get a deal on them but get a guarantee if you buy used. decent and relatively inexpensive studio monitors from ESI i recommend as they actually make the monitors for other companies as well and they just stick there big flashy logo on it and charge heaps more. I realise your kinda new at this and who knows where it takes you . But studio reference monitors are essential or after a while your gonna be frustrated if you goto a friends or something and play em this great song you just wrote and it sounds utter shit and all your friends turn there heads sideways like dogs hearing an odd noise and the sheepishly tell you "yeah that was great , what pub we going to" instead of wow that was awesome and you did that in your flat? can i hear it again !!! your choice for now yea you can use a headphone to RCA /sincher cable from your interface to the AUX in of your home stereo but make sure not to overdrive the aux inputs by that i mean don't turn the audio interface all the way up , Distortion gets added the louder you go. Do your self a solid and get some pro audio reference monitors in the near future though your mixes will sound better to you and anywhere else you might play them

before you buy feel free to ask here there are plenty of knowledgable cats here that can help you get the most bang for your buck


Hope my little essay helped you understand the animal your dealing with a bit more


EZ

Jaymo

 

Also something you need to understand that there are 2 different types of analog signal
Line level And Speaker level

Line level is for the transfer of audio signal to an Amplifier

Speaker Level is for transfer of audio signal to Speakers

the output of your headphones is technically Speaker level although with very little wattage its still an amp stage signal
that CD/aux in on your stereo is line level . you said you plug your iPod into it so for a while I guess but keep in mind your iPod is a consumer electronic and your Scarlett 2i2 is Pro Audio Mixing these worlds your getting the lowest level of performance. and kinda pushing a slightly square peg in a kind round hole.

will it work? yes
should you do it? probably not but if its all you have right now then that decision is up to you but i really would consider a proper alternative sooner rather then later.

 

My suggestion is to buy a pair of trs to rca cables + a decent amplifier. There are many good offerings for a fair price, eg the Dayton Audio DTA-120 Class T Digital Mini Amplifier 60 WPC under $100 on Amazon. Just need speaker cables and ready you are.

 

Last edited: Dec 5, 2015

This is a very good idea as well, what kind of speakers are you using?

 

if they need to be powered... no way

also connections are a bit more complicated, I suggest to google about it, and about impedences.
You may need transformers to achieve a sound and a safety (long time impedance mismatching can ruin the circuits)
Google about solderings, trasformers, balanced unbalanced... it s full of schematics and tutorials.
usually going from B (+4) balanced to UB (-10) unbalanced is ok without transformers, not the top but accepted
it can be solved by soldering the cables properly, but still there s an impedance mismatching.
to go from UB to B you d really need a transformer. they re priced from 50€ each...

 

I ve read now... from headphones jack... you can find cables in stores for that, then you d need an amplifier to go to the speakers.
But those kind of headphones jacks lead the signal splitted in a particular way, headphones.
if it s only for a live monitoring, buy the cable and forget...
if it s for the main speakers listening or a record back, first I would go for another output if it has it, B XLR or B line jack, then... if you have that headphones output only, I would get a proper pair of transformers