HD800s

[oldson]

I use RME ADI-2 FS with my HD800s and they pair incredible well, and the PEQ and CrossFeed options on RME are a blessing.

i am thinking of thr RME dac as an option to replace my Midgard, but worried it wont have enough power for the HD800s with the amount of eq i currently use.
sometimes i max out the Midgard, which is quoted as having around 800mw into 300 ohm.
what is your "take" on this?

 

[Whazzzup]

wa33 elite with takatsuki tubes and western electric drivers does the trick. prion 4 cable alright as well

 

[tamleo]

i am thinking of thr RME dac as an option to replace my Midgard, but worried it wont have enough power for the HD800s with the amount of eq i currently use.
sometimes i max out the Midgard, which is quoted as having around 800mw into 300 ohm.
what is your "take" on this?

Most tube amps put under 300mw into 300ohm and they are still widely used with the Senn so don’t worry

 

[Whazzzup]

Most tube amps put under 300mw into 300ohm and they are still widely used with the Senn so don’t worry

Well sure I played it through hugo but hd800S scales brilliantly under massive power

 

[oldson]

Most tube amps put under 300mw into 300ohm and they are still widely used with the Senn so don’t worry

Midgard puts out nearly 800mw into 300 ohms and i am still maxing out.
using quite a substantial bass boost in eq settings though

 

[JerseyD]

Midgard puts out nearly 800mw into 300 ohms and i am still maxing out.
using quite a substantial bass boost in eq settings though

The problem with your pairing the HD800 with the Midgard may be the Mid’s very low output impedance:
SE ¼” TRS output: less than 0.1 ohms
Neutrik 4-pin XLR output: approximately 2 ohms

Get yourself an amp that pairs better withe 800’s 300 ohm impedance.

 

[oldson]

The problem with your pairing the HD800 with the Midgard may be the Mid’s very low output impedance:
SE ¼” TRS output: less than 0.1 ohms
Neutrik 4-pin XLR output: approximately 2 ohms

Get yourself an amp that pairs better withe 800’s 300 ohm impedance.

i think mor than likely its lack of output voltage.
wish i had kept my old Violectric V200

 

[JerseyD]

i think mor than likely its lack of output voltage.
wish i had kept my old Violectric V200

I see in your signature that you are a fellow HP8 owner. That’s a great amp for the HD800S, so why toy with the Midgard?

 

[barrygee]

The problem with your pairing the HD800 with the Midgard may be the Mid’s very low output impedance:
SE ¼” TRS output: less than 0.1 ohms
Neutrik 4-pin XLR output: approximately 2 ohms

Why is an amp with low output impedance a problem with high impedance headphones?

 

[Whazzzup]

Why is an amp with low output impedance a problem with high impedance headphones?

The Problem, might be the technical reason for why impedance matters. In my wa33 elite high impedance selection is preferable to low impedance, granted gain is the opposite as low gain was preffered. Upshot it’s great to have both impedance and gain to tweak optimization.

 

[oldson]

I see in your signature that you are a fellow HP8 owner. That’s a great amp for the HD800S, so why toy with the Midgard?

i use the Midgard for when i am just generally surfing/ watching youtube vids etc.
little point in wasting tube life for that.
usually i save the HP8 for listening to my music library.

as far as output impedance goes, this is easily remedied with an adapter of which i have many.
this does not help with "lack of headroom", actually makes it worse.

 

[JerseyD]

Why is an amp with low output impedance a problem with high impedance headphones?

Stole this from Moon Audio’s site:

“First and foremost, impedance matching significantly impacts sound quality. When there's a mismatch, you might experience a range of audio issues:

Distortion: This happens when the amplifier struggles to deliver the right signal to the headphones, leading to muddled or unclear sound.

Low Volume: If your headphones have high impedance and the amp isn’t strong enough, you might end up maxing out the volume and still not getting enough loudness.

Uneven Frequency Response: Impedance mismatches can affect how different frequencies come through, causing an unbalanced sound where some frequencies are too strong or too weak.

On the flip side, proper impedance matching makes sure your headphones get the best signal from the amp, which results in:

Clearer, more detailed sound
Accurate frequency balance
Better dynamic range
Overall improved audio quality
Getting the right match between your headphones and amp helps you unlock the full potential of your setup, giving you a truly immersive listening experience.”

 

[jonathan c]

Why is an amp with low output impedance a problem with high impedance headphones?

• The 'problem' is not electrical, it is sonic - or at least, perceptual. The pairing that you ask about has a high 'damping factor': the ratio of load (headphone) impedance source (amplifier) impedance.
• In this instance, the headphone drivers are to a (overly?) high degree controlled by the amplifier. This can sound 'precise': but also can lack 'air', 'bloom', 'release' -- 'sterile', if you will. That's the 'problem'.