I use the XL1-s for weddings and use headphones to monitor the recorded sound. I need to increase the volume on the headphone output in order to be able to monitor a bit better. Is there an after market extra that i can plug in between the camera and the headphones to amplify the signal, or can you get headphones which have an amplifier built in.
I have the output turned to full on the camera.

Any comments welcome.

You can purchase a headphone amplifier, such as the LAFFERTY HEADBANGER (4 ounces, including battery) which runs about $100 at sound professionals:

http://www.soundprofessionals.com/cgi-bin/gold/item/SP-HBA-2

... or you could build your own: http://www.minidisc.org/headbanger.html.


John

An alternative may be to get a set of head phones with higher sensitivity. Some headphones draw a lot of power. and do not perform well with the XL1 series. There have been threads on this in the past.

Rather than use my Sennheiser headphones, that dont allow me to shoulder mount the camera, and monitor sound, they bash into side and cause noise. I use a pair of Sony Earplugs. They are a little expensive around £30 ($50-60) or so, but probably less in USA.

They are not like the crap horrible ones that bulge in the lobe and make it itchy and hurt, these actually fit into the ear canal itself and are very comfortable and light. They also work great to cut out noise, so you get more sound and clear in noisy areas than having to use a volume booster. They are very light, dead easy to pack, and work wonders for just monitoring sound levels, just as good as closed back headphones for shielding out noise, and great if you're a one man crew.