Ryokan
Headphoneus Supremus
Of course there are 250 Ω headphones, but not "crazy ones" needing lower output impedance than 10 Ω.
Why do company's make some very high impedance headphones (compared to average) what are the benefits?
Of course there are 250 Ω headphones, but not "crazy ones" needing lower output impedance than 10 Ω.
Impedances used to be higher in the past in general. Portable audio has generated the need for lower impedances.Why do company's make some very high impedance headphones (compared to average) what are the benefits?
Impedances used to be higher in the past in general. Portable audio has generated the need for lower impedances.
High impedances => home use (because there is plenty of voltage available)
Low impedances => portable use (because available voltage level is limited)
In one niche part of the market, ridiculously non standard impedances are used to force consumers to buy the same brand of amp as headphones.
Why do company's make some very high impedance headphones (compared to average) what are the benefits?
I thought the reasons for high impedances were a) in lieu of an actual headphone amp, home receivers used to have a resistor off of the main power amp circuit which could power headphones; and b) studios often use multiple headphones in parallel, so high impedance is necessary to keep the resultant impedance from being too low and presenting a difficult load for the amp.Impedances used to be higher in the past in general. Portable audio has generated the need for lower impedances.
High impedances => home use (because there is plenty of voltage available)
Low impedances => portable use (because available voltage level is limited)
I thought the reasons for high impedances were b) studios often use multiple headphones in parallel, so high impedance is necessary to keep the resultant impedance from being too low and presenting a difficult load for the amp.
Not really. Both can be good or bad. Audio amps often have high output impedance so it is a high impedance world while portable audio is low impedance world. I am sorry I don't have a better answer.Yes I get that. So headphones for home use sound better? If not why such a high impedance?
Not really. Both can be good or bad. Audio amps often have high output impedance so it is a high impedance world while portable audio is low impedance world. I am sorry I don't have a better answer.
I have this idea of headphones that can be used in low and high impedance mode: The headphones have double voice coil and depending on how the cable is attached to the phones (with special connector) the voice coils are connected electrically in series or in parallel. For example using 70 Ω voice coils the impedance would be 35 Ω (parallel, for portable use) or 140 Ω (series, for home use).Why not make them all 'low' impedance if they can all sound good (unless for reasons @megabigeye has stated) to not need such a big amp and save power?