Amp for 32 ohms headphones
Jun 7, 2016 at 11:33 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 6

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If I put my headphones, which are 32 ohms in a desktop amplifier will the sound quality be better compared to when I plug it directly into my computer or phone? Or will the quality be (about) the same? The amplifier has a headphone output and is buying an amplifier worth it if the headphones are 32 ohms? I have the Philips Shl3300 and I might buy Edifier H850.
 
Jun 7, 2016 at 5:59 PM Post #2 of 6
The generally held rule of thumb is that the amp output impedance should be 1/8 the headphone impedance for best result (e.g. if the headphone impedance is 32 Ohms, the amp's impedance should be no more than 4 Ohms), notably in the low frequencies. However, this is debated and there may be exceptions to the rule.
 
Jun 9, 2016 at 6:31 PM Post #3 of 6
  If I put my headphones, which are 32 ohms in a desktop amplifier will the sound quality be better compared to when I plug it directly into my computer or phone? Or will the quality be (about) the same? The amplifier has a headphone output and is buying an amplifier worth it if the headphones are 32 ohms? I have the Philips Shl3300 and I might buy Edifier H850.

 
This is a hard question to answer because some phones/computers have pretty decent DACs and headphone outputs already built in.  Chances are good you'll see some improvement, but how much (and whether it's worth the cost) is hard to tell.  If you can borrow or demo an amp, I'd say that's a good place to start investigating.
 
Jun 10, 2016 at 4:24 PM Post #4 of 6
Most portable amps like the fiio E11k 2, and topping Nx1 nice and cheap, and will easy run headphones inc sennheiser Hd 600.... so 32 ohm are small... the only thing is you want to come out from a lap top, pc , etc.... out from the headphone output, or i have read on here about coming out of the usb into the amp....
 
Nov 9, 2017 at 3:16 AM Post #5 of 6
Amp will be really helpful adding volume and dynamics to your HPs. I like how sound improved from my smartphone and PCs. I use Sabaj PHA1 powered by powerbank. It costs less than 30$ i think and simply do the job nicely. Edifier H850 immediately got sinergy with my phone Micromax A107. Without amp it simply cannot get loud enough sometimes, nevermind details, soundstage etc. Actually I never understand what soundstage is before that.
But that depends, of course.
 
Nov 9, 2017 at 8:33 AM Post #6 of 6
If I put my headphones, which are 32 ohms in a desktop amplifier will the sound quality be better compared to when I plug it directly into my computer or phone? Or will the quality be (about) the same?

That depends on a lot of factors.

1. The output impedance of whatever you've been using it with. If the output impedance is high it can EQ the sound - either making the bass sound like a tidal wave of molasses or a tin can with a background burble of boiling molasses. Putting an amp on it that doesn't have this problem nor any other distortion issue can give the headphone more precise bass, but as to whether that's better for you (ie you might prefer the tidal wave of molasses, even if it's full of distortion) is something we can't answer either.

2. Whether the sensitivity/efficiency of the headphone is getting a lot of distortion out of the amp at your listening level. If you don't listen loud enough (which is hard to determine unless you have a dummy head set up to check if you can listen at 85dB average) then you don't need a lot of power unless you're using very low efficiency headphones. And even if it's cleaner as you play louder, it becomes a question of whether you can tell the difference or how much louder you're listening on average and whether that's safe or, if you can control yourself from cranking it up all the time, whether it's worth it for you to not be able to use that all the time (kind of like whether it's worth it to you to spend $5,000 on a turbo kit for your car if you can only really use it on weekdays).



The amplifier has a headphone output and is buying an amplifier worth it if the headphones are 32 ohms?

Impedance isn't really the key factor here unless your computer or phone have a very high output impedance (ie, #1 above) which can be made worse by other distortion if not clipping as you push it hard (#2 above). If you're only dealing with both of those problems then the difference can be more noticeable. Otherwise, hard to tell unless somebody else has exactly the same equipment, and even then, it's a question of whether you can tell the difference, much less if the expense was worth it.


I have the Philips Shl3300 and I might buy Edifier H850.

It would be easier to answer if it was about known very hard to drive headphones but in your case, not really. Philips states 108dB/1mW and assuming that's accurate (ie it's not actually 108dB/1volt) which is higher than some IEMs (though they still have the advantage in isolation) and assuming Edifier's "Sound Pressure Level" spec of 96dB is actually sensitivity, ie, 96dB/1mW, that puts it near the sensitivity of the HD600, but with a lot less need for the amp to produce voltage at the Sennheiser's 300ohm impedance.

Basically, your soundcard and phone have to really suck for an amp to have a lot of improvement on the Philips, and to a lesser extent, the Edifier.
 

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