[oak3x]

This question I had posted on the Headphone Section of the forum, but no definitive answer was provided... Thus, wanted to re-post in the Amplifier Section

In looking to drive a high-impedance pair of Headphones, what particular specifications on a Headphone Amplifier would would be important?

To properly drive a high-ohm headphone like the Beyer DT 880 (600 ohm), what specifications would be required from the amp.

Thanks

 

[NiceCans]

the short and simple answer as I understand it (at least until someone else with more technical expertise comes along with a better/more thorough answer) is:

High impedence = needs voltage

Low impedence = needs current

 

[oak3x]

Thanks...good starting point for research.

In my consideration of the Beyer DT 880 (600), I am not sure if my Meier Corda HA-2 MKII SE would properly drive them...

In reading some other posts, a reviewer said that his Meier Opera did not have enough juice to produce any volume thru the DT 880 (600)

 

[MaloS]

Quote:

Originally Posted by oak3x /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks...good starting point for research. In my consideration of the Beyer DT 880 (600), I am not sure if my Meier Corda HA-2 MKII SE would properly drive them... In reading some other posts, a reviewer said that his Meier Opera did not have enough juice to produce any volume thru the DT 880 (600)

That would be very very very weird, I am pretty sure Opera has more than enough for Beyers. Hell, I got fine volume out of 600 ohm akg k240m using Porta Corda.

 

[pedxing]

I wouldn't worry too much about the engineering specifications and the issues surrounding voltage versus current. Its easy for many amp builders to make an amp drive any headphone loud. Creating a high quality amp design is much harder and the variations of their performance may just boil down to personal tastes and current setup.

 

[oak3x]

Just trying to determine if my Corda Ha-2 MKII SE can drive a pair of headphones such as DT880 600 ohm

 

[orkney]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MaloS /img/forum/go_quote.gif That would be very very very weird, I am pretty sure Opera has more than enough for Beyers. Hell, I got fine volume out of 600 ohm akg k240m using Porta Corda.

Hi,

I pointed out that the Opera, driven by an iMod, has insufficient GAIN and not power to drive my DT-880 600s to the volumes I prefer. I'm not alone here -- several have pointed out that the Opera is not a high-gain design and some have had their units customized for higher gain. Dr Meier points out that the Opera is designed for stationary use (full-output CDP/DAC) and that higher gain in this design means higher noise. Fair enough. But it's something to consider if driving high-impedance phones with the Opera. Still sounds great.

best,

o

 

[cotdt]

if you need a lot of gain and your headphones are very inefficient, use a low-noise speaker amp.

 

[KurtW]

The specs most important for driving a 600 ohm headphone is maximum output voltage, and gain. How much of both depends on your source output voltage, how loud you need your headphones to go and how efficient they are.

For best performance you will want an amp that has a pretty high supply voltage, as this can be the limiting factor in how much output voltage it has. An amp that is powered from a 9v battery can only have so much output voltage.

I don't know what the gain is for the HA2 MK II SE, but the Opera has a max gain of 8, so if that wasn't enough you would probably want at least 10. Corda amps usually run off of fairly high supply voltages so that probably won't be an issue.

That said, I have run 600 ohm headphones with 9v battery amps and a gain of 5 and been happy, but I don't require high volumes.