Well put Guido. Some suggestion for newcomers of headphone world. Sennheiser HD600, HD6XX/650 (300 ohms), HD660s (150 ohms): Schiit Asgard 3 (sigle ended) or Jotunheim (balanced) or OTL (Output Transformeless, pure tube) amp like Feliks Elise and Euphoria. Hifiman Sundara, Ananda, Aria, Dan Clark Audio Aeon closed 2 or Noire: as above for solid state amps and transformers coupled tube amp/hybrid tube amp as Schiit Lyr 3, Ampsandsound Mogwai, Hagerman Tuba. It's always important as you said to look not only at impedance ratio but to sensitivity too. A lot of people buy some very low impedance planar magnetic headphones (DCA headphones are around 24/28 ohms) but don't consider their very low sensitivity (85/87 db) and experiment frustration when trying to drive properly their headphones. My two cents. Great video, thank you for sharing.
Hi, my early 90s Separates sounded a bit bright on the top end, wile useing my 2 different sets of AKG headphones, I listened to mainly rock based music, 50s 60s 70s onwards, so watched videos and reviews. And decided on the Audio technica ATH M50x, slightly warmer sound, nice bass lines, now I can control the treble a lot more easier, and it is pleasant listening. Good looking and comfortable on the head. And at a good price 👌. Research is key, no matter what your budget, and 2nd hand is fine too!!😁
The lower the impedance, the better? Good luck trying to run vintage 8 ohm headphones off a portable device! I'd suggest 16-60 ohms is the limit, with 32-50 ohms being ideal. I've got over 60 pairs of headphones dating from 1971 to the present day, and it's been my experience that none of the specifications matter nearly as much as the sonic signature of the headphones. Listening is believing, because there's way more variation in tone than you find in loudspeakers. For example, studio monitors have the flattest frequency response but tend to offer an unrewarding listening experience. Another point is that modern amps don't generally have great headphone amps built in. Rather than spending a fortune on a headphone amp to correct this deficiency, I'd suggest getting hold of a vintage silver-face amp from circa 1979. They don't use op-amps, just a stepped-down feed from the amp itself. Other than electrostatics, they'll drive ANYTHING without breaking a sweat, and even entry-level amps of that period sound pretty damn good through headphones. My default amp is a 1982 Luxman, but I've had good results from amps and receivers from NAD, Sony, Marantz, even Toshiba. On a final note, nothing depreciates as fast as last year's headphones! There are plenty of used bargains to try out, which is a great help in trying to find the sound you like best.
Never said lower impedance the better, the drivability is better. Nothing to do with sonic quality. Actually some of the best headphones in the world have extremely high impedance.
Another great audio gear advice. This is very helpful especially to those of us who are very budget conscious, we can’t afford much trial and error. By the way, very good quality video and sound on your presentation.
Thanks for this video. Another great explanation for most of your listeners to understand and enjoy. I was never a big headphone listener but now I listen quite a bit in the evenings and I can hear a whole lot more into low level detail because of the ambient noise in my condominium. I purchased a pair of Quad Planar Headphones which got excellent reviews in Stereophile, Part Time Audiophle and several other reviewing venues. I also purchased a PASS.EPA-1 Headphone Amplifier to drive them. The only other headphones that I have owned for audio use were Stax Electrostatics that sounded too hot for me and Sennheiser HD 600xxx which sounded fine until I bought the Quads and the difference was quite amazing. Has anyone had any listening experience with the Quad Headphones as I am interested in your opinion.
There is a product you should check out… the Less Loss Firewall for speakers and power cords. They eliminate all EMF from cables without hurting the sound quality. I just got a pair for my speakers.
Yup and this one is special. It’s not like other filters. From a physics perspective it acts like a high-pass filter on a FPGA DSD Dac, like on say a Mola Mola Tambaque or dCs Bartok etc… EMF is in the gigahertz frequency range which is way beyond the audible range, but it does affect things like sound stage reproduction in the audible range. This effectively filters out all the ultra-high frequency noise from your speaker cable without affecting the audible range signal. The way it works is based on the “skin effect” as detailed by Oliver Heaviside in the late 1800s. What he discovered is that higher frequency electrical signals travel along the surface of a copper cable, while the lower frequencies (like in the audible range of a speaker cable) travel along the inside of the copper cable because the higher frequency signal wavelengths are much shorter. So what these Less Loss firewall adapters essentially do is filter out only the high frequency signals being sent on the surface of the speaker cable without affecting the audible range signal which is sent along the inside of the cable. I will do some A/B testing today to confirm that it works and will post my results.
@@BrentLeVasseur i have discussed about the skin effect briefly in a few of my videos. Interesting, although some do claim that nit only ultra-high frequencies travel in that region. In any case we will wait your results.
Hi there! I love how you explained it in detail. I bought a Fiio Q3 DAC/Amp for my iPhone12 (my only source of lossless music) and was hoping to pair it with the Hifiman HE400SE. I found out only now that they are not compatible. Any suggestion what good entry level DAC/Amp and headphone combo to get? Or, since I already bought the Q3, any good headphones you recommend to go with them? Thank you so much and more power! 👍😊
i've been extremely satisfied with a set of Koss electrostats for quite a while now (well, truth be told I did get them at steal, so, hey...beggars, understand me perfectly) and although very few can equal the all around performance of the better Koss models, I believe it's time to move on.. the sound quality is impeccable save for a slight shortcoming in th(e) sub-bass area (add.. and am not a firm believer of equ-ing).. in the rest of the audio frequency they rival just about anything costing well more and even then very, very few can compare let alone surpass (to) it's hallmark quality, the midrange. and of course the comfort level is legendary....surprising that all this come's from a mostly plastic composed set...yet...even 1/2 a day's work(plus) is near effortless with a set as comfortable as are these Koss. But am (older, &) tired of playing musical chairs with sets... ..I want ONE set that does (relatively) all and does it all (relatively) perfectly. I love all those aspects of the Koss and many other high-end/pro-phones...but...i want more....I want TOTAL isolation Guido...as with the noise calcellation but without the compromises, the fusses-&-sacrifices to subpar audio quality.. plus most of all, I want a design that somehow also permits an actual physical interplay between the two stereo channels, that beloved acoustic intercourse of stereo that's somehow missing from even an open-back set.....as if listen(ing) to a pair of loudspeakers in a wide, open, and airy environment. Thanks for the lowdown my (friend) (saw you in Japan...SENSEI Guido!)
Good sir, you are highly informative and very pleasant to listen to; easily one of the best videos on this topic. ...but despite several hours having researched this, I remain stumped. I'm ordering equipment to start a podcast. The MOTU M6 is in my cart, along with a few pairs of headphones, but I hesitate to finalize this due to all the hoopla over impedance. I hear the MOTU M6 headphone amp provides 190mW @ 55ohms. *I also hear that your headphones should be x8 the ohm output of your amp?* ...Am I right to say that I need headphones with a 440 ohm output to pair with the MOTU M6? I currently own Sony MDR 7506's (Impedance: 63 Ohms / Sensitivity: 106 dB/W/m) ...And have these in my cart: Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro (Impedance: 250 Ohms / Sensitivity: 96 dB/W/m) Audio-Technica ATH-M50x (Impedance: 38 Ohms / Sensitivity: 99 dB/W/m)
That isn't very much power, you really need sensitive, low-impedance cans. The Beyerdynamic are excellent. They should pair well. BUT remember that power is never enough!
Nice new intro for your channel ! :) Btw, would be nice to go through difficult topic at least for me: preamp gain in general. Apparently gain increasing of an headphone or phono preamp dosn’t allways means worse signal to noise ratio. Can you help us with this? Thanks!
If you really want to have a headphone amp that can cover 32 Ohms to 600 Ohms impedance, I think the only way is to have an output transformer (probably means it will also be a Tube amp) where you can match the impedance to the different transformer windings. A one size fits all solution with low impedance output is madness. If you have a amp that can deliver 1 Watt to a 600 Ohm driver and is also capable of driving a 32 Ohm driver, it would be capable to deliver more than 18 Watt at maximum output to such driver. With such power you can get loud music trough speakers that are reasonably sensitive. An amplifier that can do that is more likely to be compromised in other areas. So you either have a matching transformer or a limited impedance range. That is just my opinion.
Hi man! First of all, thanks for the video! I wanted to ask you a question regarding the topic of this video. I've read about this 1/8 rule regarding impedance when pairing headphones to amps but can't wrap my head around the concept so (please read below): Please consider these two devices: Behringer ha400 headphone amp (12V, Headphone Output Impedance: 80 Ohm, Maximum Output Level: Aprox. 400 mW in 100 Ohm) Sennheiser HD560S headphones ( 120 Ohm, 110 dB sensitivity) Question: Does the Behringer amp mentioned above bottleneck these headphones in any way (even if only marginally) or are they able to power them with ample margin? Thank you very much in advance! :)
The sensitivity of the Sennheisers is so high that there are no problems! Yes, it also has a very high impedance but to what I read you shouldn't have any problems. IMO power is never enough, 1 or 2 W is always a better scenario, clearly one must look also at the rest of an amp components.
The way my living situation is, I have to use headphones! Of course I'd prefer external speakers, but it's not in the cards here! So this video really helps, thank you!
I listen my music .flac with my Sundara or HD660s over Audirvana, Voicemeeter and APO with the Harman Curve on Oratory 1990. There is no more question.
You want to make your entire signal chan balanced for lower noise and interference and better sound quality. So dispense with those RCAs and get a balanced DAC, too.
Hey Guido, thanks for the great video. l just wanted a bit of clarification on a point you made though. Regarding high impedance headphones, that is, ones over 100 ohms, do you think phones in this range would perform well with a typical Av receiver from around 2010? Thanks.
I doubt it! Back in 2010 people still had normal cans. If available try to find the specs but I am almost sure that an integrate headphone amp in an AV receiver wasn't designed for that load.
Manufacturers don't seem to be very happy about stating headphones amps' mW :D There is also something about impedance that is tricky. I can't remember if it's about output impedance or about headphones impedance.
I have a question, please: My amplifier is rated a 330 Ohms at the headphone jack,. So, what headphone impedance should I use with my amplifier? I didn't quite understand. Thank you.
Hi Guido, thanks again for a great video. I’m running a vintage system, NAD 7225PE with PSB speaker and loving it with my vinyl. Now I’m going cross eyed, lol, because it’s so confusing to choose a great set of headphones for my system. I love the sound of my vinyl and want a good pair of headphones so that I can listen to my tunes in the basement while my wife can listen to the TV. What would you suggest? I want something wired. Dt990pros? HD 660S? What do you use for your vinyl?
I just love planar magnetic headphones, the space, detail and natural sound is addicting. I would get a quality pair of Hifiman BUT you need a powerful amp to enjoy. At least half or better 1w!
The internal impedance of the amp has little to do with the headphones and the driveability. 25 is low, so they should be quite easy to drive. You don't need too much power, but again you must also look at headphone sensitivity, higher is easier (not necessarily better)
@@anadialog so that the amp is rated 32ohm + does not matter? Like I could run any headphones below 32ohm on it? Amp has low, med and high ohm output. 32-600ohm. Sorry still a bit lost, as I try to understand it 😅 have that amp on the way, so kinda trying to figure out if I need to look for different headphones, as I did not look at their ohm rating when I bought the Klipsch. 😶
@@anadialog Ouch, guess I'll have to look for some different headphones then. Still very new within the HiFi audio world. so seems there's lots to learn here. AMP I am looking at is an Auris Audio HA-2SF btw, I may have gotten some of its details confused and mixed up :x Anyhow, looks like I am in the marked for new Headphones again. better to play it safe when putting down that much money
I own LCD-XC and going by there specification, they are easy to drive. I can get enough volume from my LG V30+ headphone output. I also get a similar quality and response from Audio Opus #2 DAP. But when I connect them to my integrated amplifier's headphone output, I immediately notice sonic improvements in terms of bass response, impact and smoother highs. I switched back to the mobile sources and increased the volume to the point that it became uncomfortable and yet I didn't get that kind of bass slam and the highs sounded harsh. I don't quiet understand this reason from a technical standpoint. So the question is, is there any other specification that we should be looking out for when selecting an amplifier for our headphones?
Yes, the ones indicated in the video. I had a pair of Audeeze, regardless what stated (is it all 100% true?) You need a lot of power to move those drivers. I can confirm that!
Well, the short answer is not necessarily. Nevertheless, there are very high quality headphones with very high impedance and viceversa. Generally speaking mid-high impedance are usually better, and obviously more difficult to drive.
Specs and matching will only get you so far. Of course there's a couple if things there has to be right, but that's only part of finding the best headphones for you. There's as many opinions as there are headphones. Totally linear headphones does not exist, and the same goes for ears. Only you can hear when it matches. Besides that, personal prefence is also a factor. The best you can do is to listen to as many set's of headphones as you possible can, and trust your ears. Advice on types and brands can just as well lead you in the wrong direction, as they can be helpful. What the majority thinks doesn't help you, because they are not YOU. As an example; The majority might think that Monet pictures looks nice, but how helpful is that if you think they are as ugly and boring as f...? How good is a recommendation of half-open types if you think they sound like a fart through a slack sphincter, and lack punch for rhythmic music etc etc? Specs and matching is only the easy beginning. After that comes the real work, and the only judge you can trust is you. I personally think that's the best advice to give to the beginner.
Muscle amps ? I hope you mean high power (3 watts @ 16 ohms or more) headphone amps , and not speaker amps, because most speaker amps have headphone circuitry that is way short of the mark. The other thing of importance is the dampinng factor of the headphone amp - the higher it is in relation to the headphone being used. IMHO, with dynamic drivers and/or high impedance headphones at least, an amp with a high damping factor exercises far superior drive capability and better control of the driver - resulting in a more refined sound overall.
Besides power... AMP Output Impedance x8 or higher at the Headphones End. Example sub 1 Ohm output impedance, the IEMs or Headphones can have 8 Ohms or higher. 10 Ohm output impedance can be used with 80 or higher Ohm Headphones. Some poor audio interfaces have around 90 output impedance and so you can just use high impedance cans with around 600 .. or there is a change in frequency Response. But these poor Interfaces don't have the juice for those. With planars don't use pure OTL tube amps. Go for hybrids or solid state AMPs for planars. Balanced is overrated. There are some special Units, breaking those rules.
I just realized that I did not underline this. Thanks! Things are the opposite with loudspeakers because a lower impedance require more current. So it's actually the amp that struggles. With headphones things are more easy on both sides so impedance turns back to be the major problem, not current drivability. At least that is my understanding of the issue.
It's too bad...that one has to consider a "headphone amp" to listen to compressed crap through their phone/laptop/et al. Buy a good amp/receiver(with a head phone jack, of course), instead. Stay away from cheesy head phone amps. With a good amp, you can also use better speakers & run it louder.
![ANA[DIA]LOG](http://yt3.ggpht.com/50CpmGNilS8aoMlarZVhI_GxRDoZdbj4ZgwCMZXg-Rq2PrEvCytlE6RVyLUrNY-rwE_sAlZ1Zw=s48-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj)
Well put Guido.
Some suggestion for newcomers of headphone world.
Sennheiser HD600, HD6XX/650 (300 ohms), HD660s (150 ohms): Schiit Asgard 3 (sigle ended) or Jotunheim (balanced) or OTL (Output Transformeless, pure tube) amp like Feliks Elise and Euphoria.
Hifiman Sundara, Ananda, Aria, Dan Clark Audio Aeon closed 2 or Noire: as above for solid state amps and transformers coupled tube amp/hybrid tube amp as Schiit Lyr 3, Ampsandsound Mogwai, Hagerman Tuba.
It's always important as you said to look not only at impedance ratio but to sensitivity too. A lot of people buy some very low impedance planar magnetic headphones (DCA headphones are around 24/28 ohms) but don't consider their very low sensitivity (85/87 db) and experiment frustration when trying to drive properly their headphones.
My two cents.
Great video, thank you for sharing.
The Sennheiser 'sound' isn't to everyone's taste, so I'd add a few AKGs and Beyerdynamics to the list.
Hi, my early 90s Separates sounded a bit bright on the top end, wile useing my 2 different sets of AKG headphones, I listened to mainly rock based music, 50s 60s 70s onwards, so watched videos and reviews. And decided on the Audio technica ATH M50x, slightly warmer sound, nice bass lines, now I can control the treble a lot more easier, and it is pleasant listening. Good looking and comfortable on the head. And at a good price 👌. Research is key, no matter what your budget, and 2nd hand is fine too!!😁
The definitive guide, well done! You definitively convinced me to buy a small portable amplifier for my Beyerdynamics T5..
Great!
The lower the impedance, the better? Good luck trying to run vintage 8 ohm headphones off a portable device! I'd suggest 16-60 ohms is the limit, with 32-50 ohms being ideal.
I've got over 60 pairs of headphones dating from 1971 to the present day, and it's been my experience that none of the specifications matter nearly as much as the sonic signature of the headphones. Listening is believing, because there's way more variation in tone than you find in loudspeakers. For example, studio monitors have the flattest frequency response but tend to offer an unrewarding listening experience.
Another point is that modern amps don't generally have great headphone amps built in. Rather than spending a fortune on a headphone amp to correct this deficiency, I'd suggest getting hold of a vintage silver-face amp from circa 1979. They don't use op-amps, just a stepped-down feed from the amp itself. Other than electrostatics, they'll drive ANYTHING without breaking a sweat, and even entry-level amps of that period sound pretty damn good through headphones. My default amp is a 1982 Luxman, but I've had good results from amps and receivers from NAD, Sony, Marantz, even Toshiba.
On a final note, nothing depreciates as fast as last year's headphones! There are plenty of used bargains to try out, which is a great help in trying to find the sound you like best.
Never said lower impedance the better, the drivability is better. Nothing to do with sonic quality. Actually some of the best headphones in the world have extremely high impedance.
I agree on the vintage amp comment. The Luxman L210 I have sounds great with headphones.
Another great audio gear advice. This is very helpful especially to those of us who are very budget conscious, we can’t afford much trial and error. By the way, very good quality video and sound on your presentation.
Nice one! Thanx!
Thanks for this video. Another great explanation for most of your listeners to understand and enjoy. I was never a big headphone listener but now I listen quite a bit in the evenings and I can hear a whole lot more into low level detail because of the ambient noise in my condominium. I purchased a pair of Quad Planar Headphones which got excellent reviews in Stereophile, Part Time Audiophle and several other reviewing venues.
I also purchased a PASS.EPA-1 Headphone Amplifier to drive them. The only other headphones that I have owned for audio use were Stax Electrostatics that sounded too hot for me and Sennheiser HD 600xxx which sounded fine until I bought the Quads and the difference was quite amazing. Has anyone had any listening experience with the Quad Headphones as I am interested in your opinion.
Wow, one fantastic piece of gear after the other, congrats!
I’m digging the new opening graphic reel dude
You have just read my mind, I was just thinking about buying a set of IEMs and reading about gear to use them with.
:-)
Not all magnetoplanars need as much power as you claim. Meze Elite is a very easy load, for instance.
Great vid. Very helpful. A loud of well explained info. Thx for the wiring diagram.
Great channel ☝️
There is a product you should check out… the Less Loss Firewall for speakers and power cords. They eliminate all EMF from cables without hurting the sound quality. I just got a pair for my speakers.
Nice, I hate filters, they really can kill dynamics, but if you have experienced a positive impact, glad to hear that! Thanks!
Yup and this one is special. It’s not like other filters. From a physics perspective it acts like a high-pass filter on a FPGA DSD Dac, like on say a Mola Mola Tambaque or dCs Bartok etc… EMF is in the gigahertz frequency range which is way beyond the audible range, but it does affect things like sound stage reproduction in the audible range. This effectively filters out all the ultra-high frequency noise from your speaker cable without affecting the audible range signal. The way it works is based on the “skin effect” as detailed by Oliver Heaviside in the late 1800s. What he discovered is that higher frequency electrical signals travel along the surface of a copper cable, while the lower frequencies (like in the audible range of a speaker cable) travel along the inside of the copper cable because the higher frequency signal wavelengths are much shorter. So what these Less Loss firewall adapters essentially do is filter out only the high frequency signals being sent on the surface of the speaker cable without affecting the audible range signal which is sent along the inside of the cable. I will do some A/B testing today to confirm that it works and will post my results.
You can read about the skin effect here en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skin_effect
@@BrentLeVasseur i have discussed about the skin effect briefly in a few of my videos. Interesting, although some do claim that nit only ultra-high frequencies travel in that region. In any case we will wait your results.
Love the new intro!
Hi there! I love how you explained it in detail. I bought a Fiio Q3 DAC/Amp for my iPhone12 (my only source of lossless music) and was hoping to pair it with the Hifiman HE400SE. I found out only now that they are not compatible. Any suggestion what good entry level DAC/Amp and headphone combo to get? Or, since I already bought the Q3, any good headphones you recommend to go with them? Thank you so much and more power! 👍😊
i've been extremely satisfied with a set of Koss electrostats for quite a while now (well, truth be told I did get them at steal, so, hey...beggars, understand me perfectly) and although very few can equal the all around performance of the better Koss models, I believe it's time to move on.. the sound quality is impeccable save for a slight shortcoming in th(e) sub-bass area (add.. and am not a firm believer of equ-ing).. in the rest of the audio frequency they rival just about anything costing well more and even then very, very few can compare let alone surpass (to) it's hallmark quality, the midrange.
and of course the comfort level is legendary....surprising that all this come's from a mostly plastic composed set...yet...even 1/2 a day's work(plus) is near effortless with a set as comfortable as are these Koss.
But am (older, &) tired of playing musical chairs with sets...
..I want ONE set that does (relatively) all and does it all (relatively) perfectly.
I love all those aspects of the Koss and many other high-end/pro-phones...but...i want more....I want TOTAL isolation Guido...as with the noise calcellation but without the compromises, the fusses-&-sacrifices to subpar audio quality.. plus most of all, I want a design that somehow also permits an actual physical interplay between the two stereo channels, that beloved acoustic intercourse of stereo that's somehow missing from even an open-back set.....as if listen(ing) to a pair of loudspeakers in a wide, open, and airy environment.
Thanks for the lowdown my (friend) (saw you in Japan...SENSEI Guido!)
this kind of helped, I think my headset and amp/dac are matched 😅
Good sir, you are highly informative and very pleasant to listen to; easily one of the best videos on this topic.
...but despite several hours having researched this, I remain stumped.
I'm ordering equipment to start a podcast. The MOTU M6 is in my cart, along with a few pairs of headphones, but I hesitate to finalize this due to all the hoopla over impedance.
I hear the MOTU M6 headphone amp provides 190mW @ 55ohms.
*I also hear that your headphones should be x8 the ohm output of your amp?*
...Am I right to say that I need headphones with a 440 ohm output to pair with the MOTU M6?
I currently own Sony MDR 7506's (Impedance: 63 Ohms / Sensitivity: 106 dB/W/m)
...And have these in my cart:
Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro (Impedance: 250 Ohms / Sensitivity: 96 dB/W/m)
Audio-Technica ATH-M50x (Impedance: 38 Ohms / Sensitivity: 99 dB/W/m)
That isn't very much power, you really need sensitive, low-impedance cans. The Beyerdynamic are excellent. They should pair well. BUT remember that power is never enough!
@@anadialog Ahhaa! Thank you amigo!
Nice new intro for your channel ! :) Btw, would be nice to go through difficult topic at least for me: preamp gain in general. Apparently gain increasing of an headphone or phono preamp dosn’t allways means worse signal to noise ratio. Can you help us with this? Thanks!
I'd be really interested in this topic as well
If you really want to have a headphone amp that can cover 32 Ohms to 600 Ohms impedance, I think the only way is to have an output transformer (probably means it will also be a Tube amp) where you can match the impedance to the different transformer windings. A one size fits all solution with low impedance output is madness. If you have a amp that can deliver 1 Watt to a 600 Ohm driver and is also capable of driving a 32 Ohm driver, it would be capable to deliver more than 18 Watt at maximum output to such driver. With such power you can get loud music trough speakers that are reasonably sensitive.
An amplifier that can do that is more likely to be compromised in other areas. So you either have a matching transformer or a limited impedance range. That is just my opinion.
Hi man! First of all, thanks for the video!
I wanted to ask you a question regarding the topic of this video. I've read about this 1/8 rule regarding impedance when pairing headphones to amps but can't wrap my head around the concept so (please read below):
Please consider these two devices:
Behringer ha400 headphone amp (12V, Headphone Output Impedance: 80 Ohm, Maximum Output Level: Aprox. 400 mW in 100 Ohm)
Sennheiser HD560S headphones ( 120 Ohm, 110 dB sensitivity)
Question: Does the Behringer amp mentioned above bottleneck these headphones in any way (even if only marginally) or are they able to power them with ample margin?
Thank you very much in advance! :)
The sensitivity of the Sennheisers is so high that there are no problems! Yes, it also has a very high impedance but to what I read you shouldn't have any problems. IMO power is never enough, 1 or 2 W is always a better scenario, clearly one must look also at the rest of an amp components.
The way my living situation is, I have to use headphones! Of course I'd prefer external speakers, but it's not in the cards here! So this video really helps, thank you!
I listen my music .flac with my Sundara or HD660s over Audirvana, Voicemeeter and APO with the Harman Curve on Oratory 1990. There is no more question.
You want to make your entire signal chan balanced for lower noise and interference and better sound quality. So dispense with those RCAs and get a balanced DAC, too.
Hey Guido, thanks for the great video. l just wanted a bit of clarification on a point you made though. Regarding high impedance headphones, that is, ones over 100 ohms, do you think phones in this range would perform well with a typical Av receiver from around 2010? Thanks.
I doubt it! Back in 2010 people still had normal cans. If available try to find the specs but I am almost sure that an integrate headphone amp in an AV receiver wasn't designed for that load.
Manufacturers don't seem to be very happy about stating headphones amps' mW :D There is also something about impedance that is tricky. I can't remember if it's about output impedance or about headphones impedance.
tell us about DAP, with headphones difficult to drive.
or simply DAP, SONY, CAYIN, SHARLING, A&K etc. Greetings from Mexico City.
I love my sennheiser hd600 with feliks audio headamp
other important point difference between impedance of amplifier headphone output and impedance of headphone
Need a good amp match to my focal Elex drop. Any good Synergy matches, recommendations? Was thinking Lakepeople amp?
Great video! How about the Audeze LCD-2 Fazers with the SPL Phonitor One D? Do these pair well?
What about output impedance of amplifier? :-)
What do you think of the Sennheiser Momentum? Both wireless and wired? I have both, both overear. I love them. Any good you reckon?
Hello 👋,, how can I buy one of your 👕t-shirts....
Check my store in the store tab on the channel or the shelf under any video! It's full of different gadgets all designed by me
I have a question, please: My amplifier is rated a 330 Ohms at the headphone jack,. So, what headphone impedance should I use with my amplifier? I didn't quite understand. Thank you.
Equal or less
How do you rank Sennheiser HD599 for portable listening?
Hi Guido, thanks again for a great video. I’m running a vintage system, NAD 7225PE with PSB speaker and loving it with my vinyl. Now I’m going cross eyed, lol, because it’s so confusing to choose a great set of headphones for my system. I love the sound of my vinyl and want a good pair of headphones so that I can listen to my tunes in the basement while my wife can listen to the TV. What would you suggest? I want something wired. Dt990pros? HD 660S? What do you use for your vinyl?
I just love planar magnetic headphones, the space, detail and natural sound is addicting. I would get a quality pair of Hifiman BUT you need a powerful amp to enjoy. At least half or better 1w!
@@anadialog great. Thanks again. 👍🏻
Still a bit lost on the ohm topic. Kinda trying to figure out if I can run my 25ohm headphones on a 32ohm+ amp
Klipsch HP-3 and Auris HA-2SF
The internal impedance of the amp has little to do with the headphones and the driveability. 25 is low, so they should be quite easy to drive. You don't need too much power, but again you must also look at headphone sensitivity, higher is easier (not necessarily better)
@@anadialog so that the amp is rated 32ohm + does not matter? Like I could run any headphones below 32ohm on it?
Amp has low, med and high ohm output. 32-600ohm. Sorry still a bit lost, as I try to understand it 😅 have that amp on the way, so kinda trying to figure out if I need to look for different headphones, as I did not look at their ohm rating when I bought the Klipsch. 😶
@@anadialog kinda came over a post that mentioned I could ruin the AMP, if I ran headphones with much lower ohm than the amp was rated for.
Now you are saying it's output. I thought it was its internal impedance. Ok, no then you can use headphones only within that range.
@@anadialog Ouch, guess I'll have to look for some different headphones then. Still very new within the HiFi audio world. so seems there's lots to learn here. AMP I am looking at is an Auris Audio HA-2SF btw, I may have gotten some of its details confused and mixed up :x
Anyhow, looks like I am in the marked for new Headphones again. better to play it safe when putting down that much money
I own LCD-XC and going by there specification, they are easy to drive. I can get enough volume from my LG V30+ headphone output. I also get a similar quality and response from Audio Opus #2 DAP. But when I connect them to my integrated amplifier's headphone output, I immediately notice sonic improvements in terms of bass response, impact and smoother highs. I switched back to the mobile sources and increased the volume to the point that it became uncomfortable and yet I didn't get that kind of bass slam and the highs sounded harsh. I don't quiet understand this reason from a technical standpoint. So the question is, is there any other specification that we should be looking out for when selecting an amplifier for our headphones?
Yes, the ones indicated in the video. I had a pair of Audeeze, regardless what stated (is it all 100% true?) You need a lot of power to move those drivers. I can confirm that!
Some people on the Forums say that high impedance headphones are better than low impedance. Is this thrue?
Well, the short answer is not necessarily. Nevertheless, there are very high quality headphones with very high impedance and viceversa. Generally speaking mid-high impedance are usually better, and obviously more difficult to drive.
Specs and matching will only get you so far. Of course there's a couple if things there has to be right, but that's only part of finding the best headphones for you. There's as many opinions as there are headphones. Totally linear headphones does not exist, and the same goes for ears. Only you can hear when it matches. Besides that, personal prefence is also a factor.
The best you can do is to listen to as many set's of headphones as you possible can, and trust your ears. Advice on types and brands can just as well lead you in the wrong direction, as they can be helpful. What the majority thinks doesn't help you, because they are not YOU. As an example; The majority might think that Monet pictures looks nice, but how helpful is that if you think they are as ugly and boring as f...? How good is a recommendation of half-open types if you think they sound like a fart through a slack sphincter, and lack punch for rhythmic music etc etc?
Specs and matching is only the easy beginning. After that comes the real work, and the only judge you can trust is you. I personally think that's the best advice to give to the beginner.
Muscle amps ? I hope you mean high power (3 watts @ 16 ohms or more) headphone amps , and not speaker amps, because most speaker amps have headphone circuitry that is way short of the mark.
The other thing of importance is the dampinng factor of the headphone amp - the higher it is in relation to the headphone being used. IMHO, with dynamic drivers and/or high impedance headphones at least, an amp with a high damping factor exercises far superior drive capability and better control of the driver - resulting in a more refined sound overall.
Mmmh, the whole video is on the matchability between headphone amp and headphones!
@@anadialog Yes I know. My comment is about the same thing, but it also highlights an area that many are not aware of.
Besides power...
AMP Output Impedance x8 or higher at the Headphones End.
Example sub 1 Ohm output impedance, the IEMs or Headphones can have 8 Ohms or higher.
10 Ohm output impedance can be used with 80 or higher Ohm Headphones.
Some poor audio interfaces have around 90 output impedance and so you can just use high impedance cans with around 600 .. or there is a change in frequency Response.
But these poor Interfaces don't have the juice for those.
With planars don't use pure OTL tube amps.
Go for hybrids or solid state AMPs for planars.
Balanced is overrated.
There are some special Units, breaking those rules.
Never mind I just got it 👍
I don't understand why high impedance speakers are easier to drive while high impedance headphones are harder to drive. Can anyone explain this?
I just realized that I did not underline this. Thanks! Things are the opposite with loudspeakers because a lower impedance require more current. So it's actually the amp that struggles. With headphones things are more easy on both sides so impedance turns back to be the major problem, not current drivability. At least that is my understanding of the issue.
It's too bad...that one has to consider a "headphone amp" to listen to compressed crap through their phone/laptop/et al. Buy a good amp/receiver(with a head phone jack, of course), instead. Stay away from cheesy head phone amps. With a good amp, you can also use better speakers & run it louder.
Just get the most expensive Stax set you can afford..
omg get to the point already
zzzz and you told us nothing