[MonkeysAteMe]

I've seen amps that have gain 2, gain 3, gain 6, gain +19db, etc...


What does this mean? Is gain 6 the same as gain +6db ? What difference do the differnet gain levels make?

If I'm looking to power 32ohm headphones what gain would be ideal?

If I'm looking to power 600ohm headphones what gain would be ideal?

Thanks.

 

[Citizen Kan]

I think that the gain number alone refers to the times the input signal from the source is multiplied; it isn't the same as the dB rating.
Your low impedence phones should be driven easily by almost any amp out there, but you may need to think about requirements for the 600 ohm pair [K240M?]. I bought a Gilmore lite from Headamp which J Wilson modded for me, bringing the gain up to ~20dB from it's rated 15dB for just such phones. I still nonetheless have to turn the vol. knob to the 2-3 o'clock position when using those phones, whereas driving K701s [at about 63 ohms] is easy for this amp.

 

[FallenAngel]

Gain is exactly how it sounds, it's by how much the input signal gets multiplied.

The gain for amps really depends on the source as well. With a strong source, you don't need much of a gain because the lineout is already strong enough.

Just as a rough average of the 2 sources I use (AlienDAC & IPod), for 32Ohm Grados, I would say a gain of about 3 is good. For 600 Ohm I'm not sure, but my SOHA with a gain of 11 goes way above and beyond driving my 300 Ohm HD650's to earsplitting volumes with barely any volume knob turn (about 10 o'clock).

 

[tbonner1]

I think of it as adjusting input sensitivity.

If the gain (or volume) of the the input is high, you can adjust the gain switch of your amp lower.

If the gain of the input is low, you can adjust the gain switch higher to produce an equal amount of drive.

 

[MonkeysAteMe]

Are there other differences I need to watch out for? Like would higher gain introduce more noise?

If it doesn't what would be the benefit of having a low gain amp?