Headphone amp vs HP output

Snoggy

Member
Hi! Tried searching the forum but couldnt find an answer and would appreciate some opinions.

Just got my invite for the non hp FM3 in EU, and its very tempting to place an order now. My issue is that I only play with headphones and have been doing so for a couple of years. Can I expect to get the same kind of sound and quality with something like a PreSonus HP2 compared to an FM3 with the HP output?

Tried searching the forum but couldnt find an answer and would appreciate some opinions.
 
Since the HP-jack seems to be a key-feature for you, why wouldn't you wait for it to become available? I'd guess the wait won't be much longer than maybe another 4-6 weeks?

Disclaimer: I don't know when the HP-version will be available in EU; it's a guess based on various info and guesses that have been floating around the forums.
 
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If you only play headphones and would prefer to play direct with the device, I'd wait for the headphone version. If you always plan to play through your interface, no point in getting the headphone version.
 
To be honest, I rarely play with headphones now, but had the same question you are asking....so I waited for the HP invite (arriving tomorrow!)
 
If your headphones have the right specifications to get a practicable volume you only need an adapter for a few Euros.
Then you you do not even need an external headphone amplifier. I would be afraight that the overall signal quality would decrease because of a bad quality headphone amplifier.
 
Thanks for the answers! Was so tempting to place an order but decided to hold off and wait for the hp version.
 
Thanks for the answers! Was so tempting to place an order but decided to hold off and wait for the hp version.
I ended up getting a non-hp version. I've had the Helix Floor since it was released in 2015 and I've never used the headphone jack. When at home, I connect it to a mixer, when using it live, I'm either using a powered FRFR speaker or we are using an IEM system. It took me about .2 seconds to decide to go with the non-HP version.
 
Headphone Amp comes down to what headphones you are using. You want headphones with impedance that is higher than the output impedance of the amp. In the case of Fractal, it has a 35 ohm output impedance so you want headphones with a higher impedance than that. Typically a factor of 8 and above, but you’ll be fine so long as you are above 35 ohm.

Most IEMs are under 16 ohm, some much lower. So they won’t play nice with the Fractal - it’ll change the tone considerably. Likewise, many headphones (Eg lot of Beyerdynamic, Sennheiser, AKG) are much higher than 35ohm so may work.

Problem is some of the bigger headphones like Sennheiser HD600, 650, 6xx need more power than the Fractal will provide to properly drive them, so whilst they work, the tone may be off vs a dedicated big headphone amp.

IEMs will prefer an amp optimised for them with a sub 1ohm output impedance.

The HP2 has an output impedance of 12ohm so will work well with IEMs with an impedance higher than that, but it’s a wee battery powered device so it won’t adequately power something like a Sennheiser HD6xx.

What headphones will you use? The Fractal onboard amp will play well with most bigover ears but it won’t be optimal in bass regions vs a dedicated headphone Amp. It’ll be a poor match for most IEMs.
 
You would want to wait for the headphone version if you often play along with tracks in a USB interface only mode. I got the non-head phone version. I have a few sets of headphones: The Beyerdynamic DT770 80ohm and Sony MDR7506 I favor most: while listenable from Output 2 with a Y adapter (you may want to increase the Out 2 Master gain about 3db) the sound quality is not optimal for critical listening due to the impedance issues discussed above. (Although a SPDIF headphone converter would work) Also: USB audio along with the direct monitored processed guitar cannot both be routed to Output 2 (or SPDIF), so you wouldn't be able to jam along with a mix from Output 2 (you can from Output 1). You'll want a headphone amp that runs off the Main Out 1 XLRs, or wait for a headphone version.

In my personal case: I really don't want to be using headphones unless I have to anyway: and 90% of the time I have an interface available: which gives much more flexibility for headphone routing than the FM3: where the headphone output can only be a copy of Output 1. Often I need to select a different mix in my headphones than what is in the mains. The FM3 has useful and well chosen USB interface functionality. The headphone jack would be nice, but not worth waiting a probably quite a while for a feature I won't use often.
 
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You would want to wait for the headphone version if you often play along with tracks in a USB interface only mode. I got the non-head phone version. I have a few sets of headphones: The Beyerdynamic DT770 80ohm and Sony MDR7506 I favor most: while listenable from Output 2 with a Y adapter (you may want to increase the Out 2 Master gain about 3db) the sound quality is not optimal for critical listening due to the impedance issues discussed above. (Although a SPDIF headphone converter would work) Also: USB audio along with the direct monitored processed guitar cannot both be routed to Output 2 (or SPDIF), so you wouldn't be able to jam along with a mix from Output 2 (you can from Output 1). You'll want a headphone amp that runs off the Main Out 1 XLRs, or wait for a headphone version.

In my personal case: I really don't want to be using headphones unless I have to anyway: and 90% of the time I have an interface available: which gives much more flexibility for headphone routing than the FM3: where the headphone output can only be a copy of Output 1. Often I need to select a different mix in my headphones than what is in the mains. The FM3 has useful and well chosen USB interface functionality. The headphone jack would be nice, but not worth waiting a probably quite a while for a feature I won't use often.

Agreed, I didn't wait for a HP version. I've had a Helix for 5 years and I've never used the headphones jack. I'm using a mixer to connect all of my devices, PC, iPhone, FM3 (or whatever modeling technology you choose). I'm personally using a Behringer X32 digital mixer, but that's what I'm using in my "home studio" as an interface into Logic. You can get a small mixer 4-6 Channels for less than $100.
 
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