Adding a headphone jack to an amp? Or other methods

[siegelc]

Is it possible to add a headphone jack to a Fender Silverface Champ? Is it very difficult / how expensive do you think it would cost to pay a tech to do this, if it is indeed possible?

If it's impossible, or expensive, is there a device I can buy to allow a headphone output? How much are they?

Thanks guys!!! Any tips are very appreciated

 

[TBurst Std]

Weber Mini Mass unit (or similar) is the way to go. $100 roughly

 

[siegelc]

Seems like that might be more than what I need, considering its 25W and has an attenuator also. Are there any headphone dummy load devices for a 4ohm speaker like that of the Champ?

 

[rockskate4x]

place the amp in a soundproof closet and mic the cabinet. Take the other end of your microphone cable and plug it into any mixing board with a balanced headphone output. Plug in headphones. Experiment with mixer eq and mic placement until satisfied and  :rock-on:











I have never listened to an amp's headphone jack and liked what I heard...

 

[Panthur]

The problem as I would see it is that the speaker has such a huge part to play in the tone. Remove the speaker, and whatever your left with probably wouldn't sound anything like your amp anymore, and probably much worse. You could possibly do something with the preamp, but once the power amp is brought into the equation, it's all about attenuating etc etc which is costly business. In the long run you might be better off buying something stand alone, like the VOX headphone amps or even a POD.
All that said, I found this which looks kinda interesting... http://www.fender.com/community/forums/viewtopic.php?p=368516#368516

 

[Death by Uberschall]

This^^^

Without the interaction of the speaker and feedback loop in play you'll get a buzzy, sterile type of tone.

 

[bpmorton777]

Line6 pocket pod for $130

Brian

 

[-CB-]

Can be done with .... a switching jack (1/4 inch) and two (possibly three...) resistors.  Not hard at all.  One resistor provides the impedance load (more or less), the other one (or two) provide the voltage divider to run the headphone.  The switching jack switches out the main speaker when the phones are plugged in.  Replace the divider resister with a pot, if you like, for adjustability.  Ohms law applies, do the (easy) math, based on your Champ.... but I think you need a 3.2 ohm load, then something like 2.5k and 400 ohms for the voltage divider or... maybe just another value if you make the 3.2 ohm load part of it.  I'm going on memory here, so please do the math.

Total cost... about $15, since the 3.2 ohm resistor will wire wound 5w rated (runs maybe two bucks).  The rest are 1/2 watt or so, so figure $8 parts, $7 shipping!~

 

[bbl4ck]

The Weber Headphone Tap and 50 Watt Dummy Load.  Now on sale for $72.00.
I ordered one a couple weeks ago and am anxiously awaiting its arrival.

http://www.thevintagesound.com/store/weber-headphone-tap-and-50-watt-dummy-load-p-370.html

 

[siegelc]

But that's 8 ohms and I want something for a Fender Champ. Also it's 50 watts and my amp is 6, doesn't seem like it's optimized for my amplifier.

 

[Cagey]

The Champ won't have any problem with an 8 ohm load. Speakers change impedance depending on the frequency they see anyway, so that Champ's been seeing 8 ohms here and there for a long time.

As far as the wattage on the dummy load goes, being rated at 50 watts just means that's how much heat it can dissipate without harm. If all you feed it is 5 watts, it just won't get as hot. Won't affect the amp at all, or its performance/sound.

The upside of all that is if you ever get a bigger amp, you'll still have a dummy load with a headphone out you can plug it into.

 

[siegelc]

Cool, thanks for the tips guys! Sounds like that's what I need after all. CB's suggestion sounds interesting, but I'd like something that I can easily turn on and off when I'd like to use my amp normally. Plus i'm not too good with wiring.

 

[-CB-]

you could... for a bit more... just plug it into the speaker jack...

 

[Cagey]

That's true, and ultimately, that's the best way to go. It's also another argument for the canned solution. He doesn't want to do any wiring if he doesn't have to.