[sampson_smith]

I was wondering if anyone out there has had any experience with the Gilmore Lite (with DPS, in my case) and the Beyerdynamic '05 'Premium' DT990's. I am aware that there are 32, 250 and 600 ohm versions. I assume that, as the GLite is of low impedance/high current, the 600 ohm versions are not a good option. I cannot find anything here that distinguishes the 32 and 250 ohm models in this instance. They apparently sound very similar, with the 250 version getting more nods (perhaps just because it is more common). 
 
I am used to using relatively low impedance cans with my GLite (Denons and Grados) but have read a lot about Sennheiser 300 ohm HD600's (especially)/HD650's working well in this setup, despite the resistance mismatch. Would opting for the 250 ohm Beyers be a good idea in this instance?
 
Thanks in advance for the advice.  

 

[justin w.]

what 'resistance mismatch'?  Sennheiser has always said the HD600 series was designed to be used out of a 0-ohm impedance output

 

[sampson_smith]

Hello, Justin! Thanks for the information. I am clearly a little bit out of my league here, but I thought that the '0-ohm' rating of the Gilmore Lite was an indicator that it would be better-matched to lower impedance cans, like said Grados/Denons. Now that I have looked into it further, perhaps my grounds for matching ohms in the way I first mentioned are quite erroneous. (That, and the fact that the GLite + DPS is currently doing a great job powering the HD650's that I am currently using.)
 
The Beyerdynamics, on the other hand, appear to be designed and best used out of a '120 ohm' source/amp, according to a few threads that I read. I assume that this would be applicable for the 250 and 600 ohm-rated versions for the premium '05 DT990's. But could this possibly be the case for the 32 ohm model? Confusing...

 

[Ypoknons]

Do you mean output impedance? In theory the lower the better, in practice I understand it's debatable. Read up on dampening factor - if you think it doesn't matter, then it's fine. If you think it does matter, a lower output impedance is better. The debate is beyond my technical ability to decide on, but either way, the GLite doesn't lose out here. Plus I understand the Glite is a Dynalo and that's supposed to be a good, powerful design. Would totally buy that last one if I didn't have to get it shipped halfway around the world. 

 

[justin w.]

the impedance matching is something that may have mattered decades ago but has nothing to do with modern amps & headphones
 
if an amp has a low output impedance, it means the amp will have less impact over the sound of the headphones.  if an amp has a high output impedance, it means it could significantly alter the frequency response & dampening of the headphone.  which you may or may not want