Quote:jk47
I also have a question for any of you tech experts- is there any risk to my k812 to try it out of my nad amp. The headphone out is 68ohm, almost double the input impedance of the k812.
There is no problem here. Having the output impedance at the headphone jack at twice the headphone impedance will certainly affect the sound.
The reason for the output impedance is just to save your phones (and ears) if the amp decides to blow. They usually just put a resistor in each channel from the speaker outputs in the older amps.
Most newer amps have an opamp or amp chip driving the headphone output.
Best thing to do is take the power from the speaker terminals.
I have a 80 watts per channel class A balanced amp running the output power straight to the headphone outputs for all my dynamic headphones.
The trick with Hi-Fi headphones is to watch the volume when you are listening to music.
The tendency is to keep turning up the volume to hear more detail until you realise that you are listening way above the volume you should be.
When you first start your listening session, turn the volume up to a comfortable sound level. Check the level by snapping your fingers.
With open headphones, you should be able to hear the sound while the music is playing.
With closed headphones, lift one earcup off the ear and snap the fingers. You should be able to judge the music level compared to the finger snap.
Next, no matter how tempting, DO NOT turn up the volume unless you know new music level is lower than the previous level as in the difference between 2 different recordings having different sonic levels.
If the new program material (disk or track) is louder than the last one, adjust the volume to achieve the same sound level as before.
If you have done this properly, you should find that after about half to an hour you will probably find yourself turning the volume down as the listening session time progresses.
Your ears will thank you.