Conext
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jun 14, 2014
- Posts
- 296
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- 87
Hello, all!
I just recently picked up a ZX1 and was curious if the fine ladies and gentlemen at Head-Fi could help provide some guidance on a question.
First, I'll say that I'm not an audiophile. I moved to the ZX1 because I wanted to get away from Apple and because I wanted something that had 128GB of storage—not because I expected it to have profoundly better output qualities versus an iPhone or an iPod. That being said...now that I have the ZX1, I would like to extract as much sonic quality from it as possible. To me, that means selecting an appropriate set of headphones.
Physically, I can go either direction: tiny IEMs, all the way to full-blown, over-the-ear cans. But I seem to recall that impedance is a key element of how well a given set of headphones will match with a device. Although, it's only a vague recollection and I'm not sure about the specifics. So, I started searching and I happened across this handy article.
The key element that I took away from it is:
Alright, great. So I just need to find the output power and impedance of the ZX1. That...was easier said than done. In the end, I hit upon another handy Head-Fi posting.
Okay. 15mW into 16 Ohms.
So, given the first article, that means eight times 16 Ohms. Or in other words, I should be looking for headphones that have an impedance at or around 128 Ohms. Is that correct, or am I overlooking something?
I just recently picked up a ZX1 and was curious if the fine ladies and gentlemen at Head-Fi could help provide some guidance on a question.
First, I'll say that I'm not an audiophile. I moved to the ZX1 because I wanted to get away from Apple and because I wanted something that had 128GB of storage—not because I expected it to have profoundly better output qualities versus an iPhone or an iPod. That being said...now that I have the ZX1, I would like to extract as much sonic quality from it as possible. To me, that means selecting an appropriate set of headphones.
Physically, I can go either direction: tiny IEMs, all the way to full-blown, over-the-ear cans. But I seem to recall that impedance is a key element of how well a given set of headphones will match with a device. Although, it's only a vague recollection and I'm not sure about the specifics. So, I started searching and I happened across this handy article.
The key element that I took away from it is:
As a rule of thumb, the load impedance (headphone) should be at least eight times higher than the amplifier output impedance.
Alright, great. So I just need to find the output power and impedance of the ZX1. That...was easier said than done. In the end, I hit upon another handy Head-Fi posting.
Okay. 15mW into 16 Ohms.
So, given the first article, that means eight times 16 Ohms. Or in other words, I should be looking for headphones that have an impedance at or around 128 Ohms. Is that correct, or am I overlooking something?