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HD-595 measurements!

post #1 of 19
8/28/06 at 11:01pm
Thread Starter 
And presenting....the HD-595 impedance and acoustic measurements.

Impedance:





That is the biggest resonance peak I have seen in a headphone so far!



Free Air Nearfield Frequency Response:









Simulated On-Ear (or-atleast-thats-what-I-like-to-call-it) Frequency Response:


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post #2 of 19
8/29/06 at 12:03am
sorry but i'm a noob in this graphics things. Can you post some conclusions, please?
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post #3 of 19
8/29/06 at 12:03am
Not to be rude, but is this supposed to be new information?
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post #4 of 19
8/29/06 at 1:41am
This is obviously for the 50-ohm set.

Your graph shows roll-off starting just below 200 Hz. The Headroom graphs don't show this. Got any hypotheses about the source of the discrepancy?
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post #5 of 19
8/29/06 at 9:39am
Thread Starter 
I wouldn't jump to a conclusion too fast that it is a discrepancy.

I have measured a K-501, SR-80 and KSC-75 all of which resemble very closely to the charts on headphone.com . I compare them for a sanity check on my measurements. But the chart for the HD-595 on headphone.com is for the higher 120 (150?) ohm impedance. Obviously its not the same headphone.

But speaking of hypotheses, here's what I think -
Although the measurements show a considerable bass rolloff, people using this headphone "un-amped" or with a weak amp might still experience satisfactory bass response. Why ? Weak amps have higher output impedance i.e. their output level(voltage) changes with the impedance of the load. Put a low impedance (heavy load) on their outputs and the output voltage/power sags. Put a high impedance (light load) and the output voltage will rise. (versus a strong amp that will hold its footing no matter how low or high the load impedance swings).


The gigantic resonance peak - i.e. very high impedance in the low frequency region - will tend to raise the frequency response of the amplifier in that area because it sees a very light load as compared to the rest of the frequency range. This gives the impression of more perceived bass response. Although the quality of that bass would probably leave a lot to be desired.

{edit}: in the 150ohm version the difference between the nominal impedance and the resonance peak is ~2.5 times (350/150) but in the 50ohm version its 5 times! (250/50). And certainly very unsuitable for a tube amp!
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post #6 of 19
8/29/06 at 12:21pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheSloth
Not to be rude, but is this supposed to be new information?
YES. Headroom has never published updated measurements for the 50 ohm HD595, AFAIK. (correct?)


I would say it measures extremely good in freq. resp. . The impedance graph, on the other hand, shows that the amplifier's electrical characteristics can have a lot of influence on the sound of this headphone (my experience largely confirms). In particular, a near 0 ohm output impedance looks almost mandatory. Like with the other top tier Senns, for that matter.
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post #7 of 19
8/29/06 at 12:45pm
so Andrea, do you recommend using an amp with it? Would it make a great difference in terms of sq and bass?
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post #8 of 19
8/29/06 at 1:42pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sebastianbf
so Andrea, do you recommend using an amp with it? Would it make a great difference in terms of sq and bass?
Yep, it would bring the best out of the HD595. I would search for an amp with a 'rich' sound signature & low output impedance. It doesn't have to be that powerful (at all), so a portable is totally fine.

In my experience, the HD595 is very "timbrally responsive" (let's say so). So the amp must have a "musical" character, not sterile.
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post #9 of 19
8/29/06 at 1:48pm
I just ordered the PA2V2 from Electric Avenue, I hope that will serve my HD595s well?
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post #10 of 19
8/29/06 at 2:29pm
Thread Starter 
This is the pictorial explanation of what I said above. Compare the Left and Right channel response. The headphone is on the Left channel(white). Right channel(green) is intentionally left unloaded for easy comparison. Notice how the amplifier's response on the left channel changes in the bottom end. It tries to follow the shape of the resonance peak. Now "combine" the amplifier's and the headphone's response to see how the resulting/effective frequency response of the headphone might look.
The "amplifier" is a soundcard (Santa Cruz).





{edit}: I am curious to try this on the i-pod nano so stay tuned...
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post #11 of 19
8/29/06 at 2:53pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by theScribe
I just ordered the PA2V2 from Electric Avenue, I hope that will serve my HD595s well?
I haven't heard it, and it's impossible to tell what kind of "sonic color" it has otherwise.

They say it has a boosted bass - I don't think I'd want that with the HD595, but it may very well help in case your source is bass weak, or if you like bass a lot, 'course.

I guess when you receive it you'll be able to tell yourself if that magical thing called "synergy" is happening
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post #12 of 19
8/29/06 at 2:56pm
The Meier Audio Headfive is a very good match for the HD595 as it embodies the cahracteristics Andreas speaks of (although he himself would never recommend it )
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post #13 of 19
8/29/06 at 3:03pm
That's not exact. I found myself recommending it, for the HD595, in some recent thread.

But me being a HD650 guy for a 75% at least I wouldn't recommend it to myself.
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post #14 of 19
8/29/06 at 3:08pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Andrea
That's not exact. I found myself recommending it, for the HD595, in some recent thread.

But me being a HD650 guy for a 75% at least I wouldn't recommend it to myself.
LOL! Excellent. I stand corrected.
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post #15 of 19
8/30/06 at 3:33pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Andrea
That's not exact. I found myself recommending it, for the HD595, in some recent thread.

But me being a HD650 guy for a 75% at least I wouldn't recommend it to myself.
Is the amp mentioned a better bet with the 595s than the little dot II + which I have heard recommended with these cans?

What do you see as the best amp pairing with these cans at an affordable price point- $200 or less?
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