[Hansotek]

lol. Sounds like a major email typo to me. Most amps have an output impedance well under 1 ohm. Perhaps they meant 430 mW without specifying the input impedance.

Agreed. I've never seen an amp with an output impedance that high. 430mw is much more likely.

 

[Hansotek]

430 ohms? Really? If that's true, that amp won't work with orthos like the MadDog. Impedance limits current and orthos need current to function properly. Also, the negative damping factor will turn the entire low end into a garbled mess. So you'd probably want to get one of the rare 600 ohm DT770s if you're married to that amp and choosing from the options you listed...


Are you sure about that output impedance? That really sounds quite iffy to me. It would really limit your options. It would also be helpful if you could provide a second power factor, like voltage + output impedance or output impedance + watts into any headphone ohm rating... That would be enough to calculate baseline compatibility with most headphones.

The current issue may definitely be an issue with planars, but the damping factor shouldn't be an issue with a planar - pure resistive load, the output impedance doesn't matter at all to planars except where it impacts current delivery. Right?

At 430ohms it won't work even with 600ohm dynamic headphones, which will definitely have a wonky frequency response there.

You lost me on "damping factor shouldn't be an issue with a planar".

430 to 600 is definitely not ideal, but an inadeqate positive damping factor generally beats out a negative damping factor... Just check out any of the Bottlehead Crack forums.

 

[Music Alchemist]

HIFIMAN HE-400i = amazeballs. With all genres. Especially metal!
 
It would be cool if I could manage getting the HE1000 and HE-6 to compare all three.

 

[Hansotek]

HIFIMAN HE-400i = amazeballs. With all genres. Especially metal!

It would be cool if I could manage getting the HE1000 and HE-6 to compare all three.

Nice! I really want to try those.

 

[Music Alchemist]

Nice! I really want to try those.

 
All three, you mean? =D

 

[heart banger-97]

Hey guys, I've asked this on he-6 thread, but I want to ask it here too, just in case.
Has anyone tried NAD D 3020 with he-6?

 

[Hansotek]

 

Nice! I really want to try those.

 
All three, you mean? =D

 
Yes!

 

[Shaika-Dzari]

430 ohms? Really? If that's true, that amp won't work with orthos like the MadDog. Impedance limits current and orthos need current to function properly. Also, the negative damping factor will turn the entire low end into a garbled mess. So you'd probably want to get one of the rare 600 ohm DT770s if you're married to that amp and choosing from the options you listed...

Are you sure about that output impedance? That really sounds quite iffy to me. It would really limit your options. It would also be helpful if you could provide a second power factor, like voltage + output impedance or output impedance + watts into any headphone ohm rating... That would be enough to calculate baseline compatibility with most headphones.

 
Ok, I checked some tutorial on impedance and I also feel the guy at Cambridge Audio may have made an error.
I have opened another support ticket asking the full spec and if it was a mistake.
 
Let's suppose my amp is fine, what would you choose as closed / circumaural headphone under 320$ US (not necessary one from my list...).
 
Thanks

 

[Hansotek]

430 ohms? Really? If that's true, that amp won't work with orthos like the MadDog. Impedance limits current and orthos need current to function properly. Also, the negative damping factor will turn the entire low end into a garbled mess. So you'd probably want to get one of the rare 600 ohm DT770s if you're married to that amp and choosing from the options you listed...


Are you sure about that output impedance? That really sounds quite iffy to me. It would really limit your options. It would also be helpful if you could provide a second power factor, like voltage + output impedance or output impedance + watts into any headphone ohm rating... That would be enough to calculate baseline compatibility with most headphones.

Ok, I checked some tutorial on impedance and I also feel the guy at Cambridge Audio may have made an error.
I have opened another support ticket asking the full spec and if it was a mistake.

Let's suppose my amp is fine, what would you choose as closed / circumaural headphone under 320$ US (not necessary one from my list...).

Thanks

Knowing what I know now, I would ask money4me247 for some impressions on some songs I really like on the Oppo PM-3 and consider stretching my budget a little bit to get those. Planars rule, so that would be my first option.

Option #2 (also a small budget stretch) is watching for a B-stock Fostex TH-600 to drop into the $400 price range on ebay or in the Head-Fi classifieds.

These are both a small budget stretch for some pretty endgame level sound. You're right on the brink of a major pricepoint, so it's worth considering. You have to remember that many of the impressions you read on head-fi might be a couple of years old.... DT770's are nice, but there are much better phones available now.

Option #3: If you're budget is inflexible, the NAD Viso HP-50 is a really killer phone for the price. I've heard some say they're better than the other two. Not sure if I totally buy that, but I have a pair and they sound really, really nice.

I can test some tracks for you and post impressions, but they are at work, so I couldn't do it tonight.

 

[money4me247]

Knowing what I know now, I would ask @money4me247 for some impressions on some songs I really like on the Oppo PM-3 and consider stretching my budget a little bit to get those. Planars rule, so that would be my first option.

Option #2 (also a small budget stretch) is watching for a B-stock Fostex TH-600 to drop into the $400 price range on ebay or in the Head-Fi classifieds.

These are both a small budget stretch for some pretty endgame level sound. You're right on the brink of a major pricepoint, so it's worth considering. You have to remember that many of the impressions you read on head-fi might be a couple of years old.... DT770's are nice, but there are much better phones available now.

Option #3: If you're budget is inflexible, the NAD Viso HP-50 is a really killer phone for the price. I've heard some say they're better than the other two. Not sure if I totally buy that, but I have a pair and they sound really, really nice.

I can test some tracks for you and post impressions, but they are at work, so I couldn't do it tonight.

hahah. yea feel free to PM me if you want me to run a test song for you and compare it against something (usually more helpful if we share a pair of common headphones).
 
I totally would agree with option #1 (PM-3) and option #3 (HP-50) as a recommendation (especially if you need portability). Both options are a bit over your $230 price point though. Option #2 is a harder general recommendation as the TH-600 are more v-shaped and not tuned to be neutral, so whether you like them would be more subjective to individual preferences. Can be quite enjoyable, but just depends on your tastes. At the $230 and possibly stretchable to-$300/$400 price point, I would recommend looking into some open options as well if you do not require noise isolation or portability. There are many extremely good value open headphones that fall within that range. At a inflexible $230 price point, my first recommendation for open headphones would be the akg k7xx (though you will need to wait for them to be dropped by massdrop again or pick them up from a previous owner). The K7xx are one of the greatest performance:value headphones out there currently (in my personal opinion). Very top tier mid-fi performance that is not too far off from flagship performance (as the diminishing returns after mid-fi headphones can hit quite hard).

 

[Shaika-Dzari]

Ok, it's look like Cambridge Audio support does not like when someone "reopen" a ticket...
 
I asked to double check the response and added the stats from my schiit and the mention from wikipedia saying most of the current amp has 0.5 - 50 Ohms.
 
He kind of said the response he gave me was correct and that I should find a dealer to test my headphone. Then close the ticket.
 
What's funny is he also said this :

The Minx Xi's headphone amplifier is derived from the main section, hence the higher impedance.

The spec from the minx xi manual says for the speaker output (which I presume is the main section):

40 watts RMS per channel (into 8 Ohms)
47 watts RMS per channel (into 6 Ohms)
55 watts RMS per channel (into 4 Ohms)

 
I'm not sure what to think... I wrote an email to the dealer where I bought it asking the specifications of the headphone jack. I hope he will be able to give me more informations. But in the mean time, I'm in the dark...
 
 
OK, back to the headphone!
 
@Hansotek
Great suggestions! A bit over what I can pay unfortunately.
 
@money4me247
Thank you for the kind offer!
 
I currently own a pair of Audio Technica ATH-M50x.
If I would have to select only a couple of song to compare, I would say these one :
 
- Blind Guardian - Nightfall (from Nightfall in Middle-Earth)
- Bolt Thrower - The Killchain (from Those Once Loyal)
- Be'lakor - Venator (from Stone's Reach)
- Steamboy Original Soundtrack - The Chase (not metal but great OST!)
 
 
I absolutely need a closed / circumaural headphone since I will use them around other people. I can probably strech my budget to 350$ US (420$ CAN). Not higher...
 
Thanks!

 

[NZtechfreak]

You lost me on "damping factor shouldn't be an issue with a planar".

Planars don't care about the output impedance of what they're connected to (except where it might impact current, but there is no frequency response ramifications of the kind you suggested and that you do see in dynamic headphones).

 

[money4me247]

@Shaika-Dzari, hey I'm sorry. I actually no longer own the ATH-M50x and all the closed headphones I have are over the $350 price point. I can give you some general feedback on the ATH-M50x in comparison to some other options. The ATH-M50x has a v-shaped sound signature with a bass & treble emphasis and recessed mid-range. Sound stage is not as good as many other closed headphones and can seem congested in comparison. However, a very good value as an introductory pair of headphones.
 
If you have a hard budget limit of $350, I would recommend looking into the Viso HP50 ($300), AKG K545 ($200 or less - $179 at buysonic), or Soundmagic HP150/HP200 ($180-$200 at amazon). These will all have a more neutral sound signature in comparison to the ATH-M50x with a larger sound stage, no recessed midrange, and improved detail retrieval. No need to go to $350 as there isn't anything at $350 that outperforms $200-$300 headphones. Only stretch your budget if you can make it to $400 for the PM-3 (imo).
 
hope this is helpful

 

[Music Alchemist]

No need to go to $350 as there isn't anything at $350 that outperforms $200-$300 headphones.

 
Yes there is: Focal Spirit Professional.
 
This reviewer likes it even more than the HD 800, LCD-3, etc.

 

[Shaika-Dzari]

  @Shaika-Dzari, hey I'm sorry. I actually no longer own the ATH-M50x and all the closed headphones I have are over the $350 price point. I can give you some general feedback on the ATH-M50x in comparison to some other options. The ATH-M50x has a v-shaped sound signature with a bass & treble emphasis and recessed mid-range. Sound stage is not as good as many other closed headphones and can seem congested in comparison. However, a very good value as an introductory pair of headphones.
 
If you have a hard budget limit of $350, I would recommend looking into the Viso HP50 ($300), AKG K545 ($200 or less - $179 at buysonic), or Soundmagic HP150/HP200 ($180-$200 at amazon). These will all have a more neutral sound signature in comparison to the ATH-M50x with a larger sound stage, no recessed midrange, and improved detail retrieval. No need to go to $350 as there isn't anything at $350 that outperforms $200-$300 headphones. Only stretch your budget if you can make it to $400 for the PM-3 (imo).
 
hope this is helpful

 
Thank you.
I'll check these.
 

   
Yes there is: Focal Spirit Professional.

 
Hi Music Alchemist,
 
I've tried the Focal at a store. Unfortunately, I was not confortable. My ear was touching the back of the earpads...
On the other hand, the sound was not bad