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I'd like to buy a good set of cans but don't know if my reciever will be able to drive them...

post #1 of 15
10/25/12 at 3:57pm
Thread Starter 

So here is my dillema. I have been looking at grabbing the Beyerdynamic DT880's. I would be playing them through my vintage Technics SA-600 but am unsure if they would be under/over powered by the amp and if they would really be getting their full potential being played through it.

Here are some specs I have dug up on the receiver:

http://www.stereomanuals.com/vintagetechnics/receivers/sa600.htm


Any help would be awesome, thanks!

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post #2 of 15
10/25/12 at 4:33pm

As long as it is the 250 ohm, i don't think that any receiver should have a problem with it. Get the dt880 pro over the premium. it has more bass and more clamp. I would say that the 880s are MORE comfy with the added clamp, and the headband is better.

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post #3 of 15
10/25/12 at 4:51pm
Thread Starter 

I was worried about needing an amp for these cans, but as long as I'm not running them through my desktop PC I should be fine? Seeing as I do most all of my listening through that receiver I was hoping not to need any additional proprietary equipment. Am I correct in that assumption?

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post #4 of 15
10/25/12 at 4:53pm

I bought the DT880 600ohm cans a while ago with the intention of running them out of my Onkyo TX-SR707 and while the receiver handled them okay I was less than thrilled with the overall sound.  I had to really crank the volume and I never thought it sounded very good.  I don't do a whole lot with a desktop setup, my primary listening is through an SACD player integrated into my home theater setup.  As a result I ended up getting the Little Dot MKIII to power the 880's.  I would think as Gallade475 mentioned, that your receiver should handle the 250ohm version of the 880's just fine, however as I've experimented with multiple receivers I've found they are not the most ideal for driving headphones.  

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post #5 of 15
10/25/12 at 5:01pm

where did you plug your cans in? the phone jack or the back if receiver?

 

70 watt is wayyyyyyyy to much for a headphone. a 250ohm cans only need couple hundred of milliwatts which is 10^-3 watts. 

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post #6 of 15
10/25/12 at 5:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mingus Ah Um View Post

I bought the DT880 600ohm cans a while ago with the intention of running them out of my Onkyo TX-SR707 and while the receiver handled them okay I was less than thrilled with the overall sound.  I had to really crank the volume and I never thought it sounded very good.  I don't do a whole lot with a desktop setup, my primary listening is through an SACD player integrated into my home theater setup.  As a result I ended up getting the Little Dot MKIII to power the 880's.  I would think as Gallade475 mentioned, that your receiver should handle the 250ohm version of the 880's just fine, however as I've experimented with multiple receivers I've found they are not the most ideal for driving headphones.  

 

     I would say that vintage receivers like his technics model are excellent at driving headphones. Vintage receivers generally have much better sound quality than newer receivers, mostly because new receivers are checklist designed and not with sound in mind.

Quote:
Originally Posted by x63wang View Post

where did you plug your cans in? the phone jack or the back if receiver?

 

70 watt is wayyyyyyyy to much for a headphone. a 250ohm cans only need couple hundred of milliwatts which is 10^-3 watts. 

     Of course he's going to use the headphone jack. I'd say that the dt880 pro would work very well out of his headphone jack, if not a little smoothed over treble. (just the technics house sound)

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post #7 of 15
10/25/12 at 6:01pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by 0waterbouys View Post

So here is my dillema. I have been looking at grabbing the Beyerdynamic DT880's. I would be playing them through my vintage Technics SA-600 but am unsure if they would be under/over powered by the amp and if they would really be getting their full potential being played through it.
Here are some specs I have dug up on the receiver:
http://www.stereomanuals.com/vintagetechnics/receivers/sa600.htm

Chances are that when you plug the headphones into the receiver's headphone jack, the speaker amplifier(s) stop driving (powering) the speakers and switch over to driving the headphones,

so there should be more then enough power for the headphones.

Yamaha's cheapest receiver, the RX-371 ($180) is rated for headphones up to 450-Ohms, and your only using 250-Ohm headphone with your receiver.

Chances are you would do damage to your ear drums from the loud volume before you would damage the headphones (mostly).

 

Where on the computer are you plugging in the receiver, are you using the motherboard's built-in audio?

Motherboards come with low costing DACs (Digital to Analog Converter).

Are the headphones for music only?

How about movies or gaming?

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post #8 of 15
10/25/12 at 6:04pm
Thread Starter 

They are for music only.

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post #9 of 15
10/25/12 at 6:28pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by 0waterbouys View Post

They are for music only.

Hifimediy Sabre ($52), external USB DAC, I think it uses the same DAC chip (Tenor TE7022) as the ODAC

http://www.ebay.com/itm/140847495065?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

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post #10 of 15
10/26/12 at 10:35am
Thread Starter 

So if I want to play some music off my desktop PC I'm thinking of getting a Meier amp but dont really know which one I should go with. Hopefully under 500 USD. Any ideas? Also will I need a better soundcard in order to provide a better source? I'm playing mostly FLAC but am unsure if i'll need any other equipment besides the amp and the phones.

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post #11 of 15
10/26/12 at 12:27pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by 0waterbouys View Post

So if I want to play some music off my desktop PC I'm thinking of getting a Meier amp but dont really know which one I should go with. Hopefully under 500 USD. Any ideas? Also will I need a better sound card in order to provide a better source? I'm playing mostly FLAC but am unsure if I'll need any other equipment besides the amp and the phones.

If it's only for music 2-channel stereo, then a internal sound card or external USB or S/PDIF DAC would work about the same.

The USB DAC I listed before ($52) comes with the same DAC chip (Sabre ES9023) and USB receiver chip (Tenor TE7022) as the ODAC.and

 the ODAC ($155) is a well liked DAC.

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post #12 of 15
10/26/12 at 12:38pm
Thread Starter 

Alright, thanks man. I wont need any other equipment to drive the cans if playing from this DAC plugged into my PC?


Edited by 0waterbouys - 10/26/12 at 12:45pm
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post #13 of 15
10/26/12 at 1:31pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by 0waterbouys View Post

Alright, thanks man. I wont need any other equipment to drive the cans if playing from this DAC plugged into my PC?

This USB DAC can drive basic low Ohm headphones on it's own, but I would assume you would connect this USB DAC to the receiver or headphone amplifier.

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post #14 of 15
10/26/12 at 4:20pm
Thread Starter 

connect it to the technics receiver? how? What headphone amp should I be looking at? I said earlier that I thought about grabbing a Meier but didnt know which model. I thought you were suggesting this USB DAC for those purposes, no?


Edited by 0waterbouys - 10/26/12 at 4:21pm
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post #15 of 15
10/26/12 at 4:42pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by 0waterbouys View Post

Connect it to the Technics receiver? how? What headphone amp should I be looking at? I said earlier that I thought about grabbing a Meier but didn't know which model. I thought you were suggesting this USB DAC for those purposes, no?

To connect the USB DAC to the Technics receiver, just need a 3.5mm (1/8", mini-jack) male to RCA (red/white) cable.

3.5mm on the USB DAC to the RCA inputs on the back of the Technics receiver.

 

Or hook up any external headphone amplifier (like the Meier) you like to the USB DAC.

 

You can try using the receiver first, if that does not work for you, get the Meier.

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Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Headphones (full-size) › I'd like to buy a good set of cans but don't know if my reciever will be able to drive them properly.