[eekeek]

Hello!

I've inherited a pair of these and would love to get the best out of them.
I'm struggling because they are so different to what we have today, it's hard to compare spec sheets and understand what sort of amp I actually require.
I'm missing the 1/4" TRS to DIN adapter in the picture and almost everything I've read says anyway that plugging into the speaker posts is madness.
My rudimentary maths tells me that 30mW to make 95dB SPL translates to a very low sensitivity of 80.2 db/mW. Impedance is 120 Ohms +/- 15%

Any advice gratefully received.

 

[cloudphonics]

Only amp I can think of that would meet that kind of power requirement into relativity high impedance using a 1/4” jack would be the schiit lyr.

An old speaker amp with a headphone jack may work but hard to say how they’d deal with that impedance.

 

[gimmeheadroom]

Stay away from the Lyr- Lyr 2 would be much better.

 

[cloudphonics]

Sorry I was assuming new gear so really meant the lyr+

 

[gimmeheadroom]

No need to apologize, just that people might find this or that and not be aware of the versions.

 

[eekeek]

Thank you both.
Is it madness to connect to the speaker terminals? I could probably manage soldering 4 banana plugs to a 1/4" socket. But I could probably manage to blow up my amp/cans/ears too!
What should I be looking for in a headphone amp? In terms of Watts, Volts RMS, PP etc.
My limited understanding is that power is for dynamics as well as volume. I don't need them to go particularly loud, so just need enough power for them to perform properly.
"And please, speak as you might to a young child or a golden retriever"

 

[gimmeheadroom]

Check the HE6 threads

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/hifiman-he6-v2-adorama.959021/
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/hifiman-he6-se.886229/
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/hifiman-he-6-planar-magnetic-headphone.493214/

because that headphone has similar sensitivity to what you calculated, but is half the impedance. Anything that is known to work well should be an ok start for yours. However, individuals claiming el-cheapo amp X drives them great should be taken with a grain of salt. Not that you have to spend big money, but most or all of the guys making those kind of comments have no basis for comparison (i.e. have not tried them out of amp that is known to work well)

If your calculation regarding sensitivity is correct then yes, it would be worth running off a vintage receiver. Start with the volume all the way down and just increase it slowly. If you don't hear anything, verify that all the wiring is ok. A sudden blast would be very bad, as you noted.

If everything goes well, the only gotcha is what @cloudphonics mentioned in his first post in this thread; not every receiver / speaker amp will be happy with a 120 ohm load.

Very unlikely to cause any damage to the rig, rather just might not sound optimal.

 

[pbui44]

Unless you want to experiment and put your headset’s drivers in danger of being destroyed, you can get the Topping A30 amp, which has one the most powerful single-ended amps around:

https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/sede...o-headphone-amplifier-nfca-black-p-15140.html

 

[Kabeer]

Thank you both.
Is it madness to connect to the speaker terminals? I could probably manage soldering 4 banana plugs to a 1/4" socket. But I could probably manage to blow up my amp/cans/ears too!
What should I be looking for in a headphone amp? In terms of Watts, Volts RMS, PP etc."

You can connect them to a speaker amp (see attached instructions and spec). To prevent slow-term damage to your speaker amp, ensure you connect it fully balanced (Not TRS) to the speaker amp terminals. Bridging the ground can cause some problems. I have driven them from Speaker amps in the past and it worked pretty well.

As for headphone amps others have much better suggestions than me here. But just look for the most powerful amp you can find. Most amps ~4W+ into 16ohm and above should be able to drive this.