[Arjey]

Does earphone impedance affect source/amp output? Like, does the source give more or less power when it sees a higher or lower impedance load? Or is it constant and the same no matter the plugged in earphone?

 

[DBaldock9]

Does earphone impedance affect source/amp output? Like, does the source give more or less power when it sees a higher or lower impedance load? Or is it constant and the same no matter the plugged in earphone?

Yes, for most amps - the output power is lower when driving higher impedances.
Look online at the specs for DAP and portable Amps.

 

[PhonoPhi]

Does earphone impedance affect source/amp output? Like, does the source give more or less power when it sees a higher or lower impedance load? Or is it constant and the same no matter the plugged in earphone?

A good question to answer/discuss.

Electrical power is the product of voltage and current, so those two factors should be considered, the latter one is often underappreciated.

The voltage is the most apparent limitation of the portable sources, with 1-2 Volts being most typical values, and 4 Volts being on a more poweful side (typically for balanced sources, as per 4 being 2 by 2 ).

Then, for a given voltage, the current is inversely proportional to the impedance, so the power output is inversely proportional to the impedance as well. The power can become a limiting factor for some high-impedance "hard to drive" headphones, but rarely a direct problem for IEMs.
What is more relevant for IEMs is that there is the nominal power and the clean power. Producing 4 Volts with a lot of distortions does not bring any practical value to the source.

The current side (and the limits) of the power is less discussed and appreciated. The problem comes with the impedance below 16 Ohm, being as low as 5 Ohm for some crazy IEMs.
On the surface, those low-impedance IEM may feel attractive. First, these IEMs sound louder and hence more pleasing to an average user (similar to the loudness war in the recording industry) Then, these low-impedance IEMs may give an impression of being "easier to drive", but it is not exactly the case. Most of the sources have specs to drive only 16 Ohm and higher. Only a few can drive the loads of 8 Ohm and up. Generating high currents and especially clean high current modulation is challenging/expensive.

In this context, one may ask: what about all those powerful stationary amplifiers then? The problem there for driving IEMs is the noise.
The operating voltage for the low-impedance IEMs are correspondingly low, so the signal to noise ratio is high and the small voltage // high current modulations is a hard task, especially for portable power supplies.

Fast and clean current modulations is what distinguishes a good source from inferior ones, and unfortunately, there are not much of clear specs on this side to make an informed decision in the source selection.

The impedance being strongly frequency-dependent for IEMs bring even more "wilderness" to the above story, but there are already " too many letters/words" in the above text, so I will stop here.

 

[NymPHONOmaniac]

REECHO SG01 OVA REVIEW IS UP

These aren't bad at all, especially if you keep you technical performance standard withint sub-50$ price range, since here it's all about well tuned tonality (yet, without disastrous technicalities, just not outstanding à la HZsound Mirror!)

Lush and gently bassy, balanced and sweet, natural and dense in timbre, round and thick in bass impact with inviting mids, the OVA is both refreshing and familiar sounding, yet it's one of those rare chifi sub-50$ that hit musicality sweet spot for me, like Tanchjim Tanya or Blon BL03 do in the past, but in a smoother fuller way.

THE PLUS:
-Beautifully balanced tonality with natural cohesion
-dense lush timbre
-spot on instrument and vocal tone
-well rounded warm bass with heavy impact
-good notes weight in mid range
-full bodied male and female vocal
-no sibilance nor harsh peaks
-decent macro resolution
-versatile and forgiving
-great construction
-safe tuning that is near impossible to dislike
-price value
THE MINUS:
-average technicalities
-average resolution
-average attack speed and control
-blurry imaging
-guilty pleasure bass bleed colouration
-lack of treble sparkle and air

https://nobsaudiophile.com/2022/06/24/reecho-sg-01-ova-review-reaching-a-natural-balance/
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/reecho-ova-sg-01.25823/reviews#review-28741

 

[KutuzovGambit]

I've published my review of the SuperTFZ FORCE1. It's a competent and well-tuned V shaped IEM that does most things right. Despite the fact that it's pretty far from my target frequency response preference, I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know it. It isolates very well and could be a great on-the-go daily driver for many people.

 

[Steve Dave]

Hello,
I was only going to buy a couple of cables in this Ali sale but they've now insidiously given me a $5 discount coupon so I'm back down the hole.

Sorry for yet another question but is there an under $20 IEM that is largely accepted as being good for classical music?
I guess I need something with good detail and instrument separation?
After a bit of research some reviewers suggest the CCA C12 for detail and I've read conflicting views on the cheaper CCZ Emerald.
Anything better I should consider?

Thanks

 

[r31ya]

one of the most recommended in that price range (sub$20) now is army of single DD,
Tanchjim Tanya (good chuncky note for rock song or vocals, muddy in details),
CCA CRA (muddy bass, leaner note, bright-ish extended treble),
KZ EDA-balanced (the well balanced one, decent cleaner punchy bass, good mids, enough sparkle on the treble),
KZ ESX (bigger bass, thicker notes, fuller but a bit recessed vocals, polite treble, good air between instrument)

for small orchestra concert, the one that is really good for me is KZ ZEXPro or also known as KZ CRN. it has flaw on cymbal note
however, the coherent seamless layering is just *chef kiss*


This sounds really nice with it.
but yeah, that cymbal note

 

[Carpet]

Tripowin Lea and CVJ CSA are good options for neutral tuning. Both are on sale at the moment

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003764657559.html
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001793417661.html

A lot of bargains at the moment with the Summer sale at AliExpress. My wallet is no longer on speaking terms with me.

 

[Steve Dave]

Thanks very much for the replies
Carpet, yet again thanks for helping me spend more money.... but admitedly also get the most for my money.

I kind of thought that DD+BA hybrids would produce more detail but from your suggestions it seems the DD only earphones are just as capable.
I already have the Tanyas but found the bass a bit too strong, especially with Vivaldi and other Baroque composers.
The bass of the cellos can overwhelm the harpsichord (quite possibly the nerdiest thing I've ever said).
After spending a bit of time checking out reviews it looks like a choice between the CRN and Lea.

I'm just going to get the CVJ CSA as well to see what 1DD+1BA sound like.
At this end of the Chi-fi market it's not always a case of 'either, or', but 'and'.

Thanks.

 

[baskingshark]

Thanks very much for the replies
Carpet, yet again thanks for helping me spend more money.... but admitedly also get the most for my money.

I kind of thought that DD+BA hybrids would produce more detail but from your suggestions it seems the DD only earphones are just as capable.
I already have the Tanyas but found the bass a bit too strong, especially with Vivaldi and other Baroque composers.
The bass of the cellos can overwhelm the harpsichord (quite possibly the nerdiest thing I've ever said).
After spending a bit of time checking out reviews it looks like a choice between the CRN and Lea.

I'm just going to get the CVJ CSA as well to see what 1DD+1BA sound like.
At this end of the Chi-fi market it's not always a case of 'either, or', but 'and'.

Thanks.

If $20 is your budget, I would recommend the Astrotec Vesna, there are 2 versions, one is < $20 with a non detachable cable, the other is a bit pricier.
It is a neutralish IEM, not too bad technicalities, timbre is quite nice.

As for Tripowin Lea, I found it a bit shouty in the upper mids and the timbre was a bit off for acoustic instruments. But it is quite well built with a detachable cable. Haven't tried CVJ CSA so can't comment on that. Moondrop CHU is an okay set for beginners, but has a non detachable cable and is a bit shouty and fatiguing, and timbre also is a bit thin, so I won't recommend it for classical per se.

 

[Tzennn]

Thanks very much for the replies
Carpet, yet again thanks for helping me spend more money.... but admitedly also get the most for my money.

I kind of thought that DD+BA hybrids would produce more detail but from your suggestions it seems the DD only earphones are just as capable.
I already have the Tanyas but found the bass a bit too strong, especially with Vivaldi and other Baroque composers.
The bass of the cellos can overwhelm the harpsichord (quite possibly the nerdiest thing I've ever said).
After spending a bit of time checking out reviews it looks like a choice between the CRN and Lea.

I'm just going to get the CVJ CSA as well to see what 1DD+1BA sound like.
At this end of the Chi-fi market it's not always a case of 'either, or', but 'and'.

Thanks.

If you like string instrument maybe you should look for a good 5k peak iem like CRA or Heart Mirror (tape)
KZ AS12 AS16 could be a really good choice (consider you can wait to buy it with discount). Maybe @Nimweth can help you !

 

[Nimweth]

Thanks very much for the replies
Carpet, yet again thanks for helping me spend more money.... but admitedly also get the most for my money.

I kind of thought that DD+BA hybrids would produce more detail but from your suggestions it seems the DD only earphones are just as capable.
I already have the Tanyas but found the bass a bit too strong, especially with Vivaldi and other Baroque composers.
The bass of the cellos can overwhelm the harpsichord (quite possibly the nerdiest thing I've ever said).
After spending a bit of time checking out reviews it looks like a choice between the CRN and Lea.

I'm just going to get the CVJ CSA as well to see what 1DD+1BA sound like.
At this end of the Chi-fi market it's not always a case of 'either, or', but 'and'.

Thanks.

I think you will like the CVJ CSA, it is a largely neutral IEM and unusual in that respect. It does sound good with classical music. The KZ AS12 is also a good choice, it can be found for around $23 on Ali Express. It is clean and bright but has good bass for an all BA model. It also excels with classical.

 

[KipNix]

Hello,
I was only going to buy a couple of cables in this Ali sale but they've now insidiously given me a $5 discount coupon so I'm back down the hole.

Sorry for yet another question but is there an under $20 IEM that is largely accepted as being good for classical music?
I guess I need something with good detail and instrument separation?
After a bit of research some reviewers suggest the CCA C12 for detail and I've read conflicting views on the cheaper CCZ Emerald.
Anything better I should consider?

Thanks

Check out the KZ AS06, 3 BA each side. Lots of detail and wide soundstage.
They're my "dirty little secret" because they're my daily, with an upgraded cable, and hardly anybody talks about them.
I use them with progressive rock so they should work well for your classical genre.
Currently within your budget at $27 CAD.

 

[PhonoPhi]

Check out the KZ AS06, 3 BA each side. Lots of detail and wide soundstage.
They're my "dirty little secret" because they're my daily, with an upgraded cable, and hardly anybody talks about them.
I use them with progressive rock so they should work well for your classical genre.
Currently within your budget at $27 CAD.

Yes, AS06 are very good for classical, especially solo cellos.
AS06 were always overshadowed by higher siblings. Liking AS06, getting warmer AS10 makes a great pair for classical (or BA10 for harder ears).

 

[Steve Dave]

Thank you so much for all the suggestions, I've found them all incredibly helpful and I'm sure others searching for similar will also.

I'm new to earphone tuning and specific sound characteristics and still learning what I like so enjoying trying out different IEMs.
The $20 limit is just an amount that will allow me to buy a few and won't irritate me too much if I end up not liking them and leave them in a drawer.
Once I have a better idea I'll get something decent.

Seriously appreciate all the forum members who keep helpfully answering questions that I realise have probably been asked many times before.

Cheers.