Talking specifically abut over-ear headphones, is it generally the case that higher-impedance headphones tend to sound better, with the disadvantage that you'll need a headphone amplifier to drive them?
Or to put it another way, can a 16-32 Ohm headphone sound better than a 250-600 Ohm headphone within the same price range?
A higher impedance headphones will most of the time lead to improved amp measurements thanks to less current flowing into the circuit.
And a high impedance headphones might be related to very thin wire for the coil, which in turn, might mean they managed to make a lighter coil(or not), and that could have some amount of impact on the overall damping of the driver.
That's for the objective part. But in both cases, the objective impact could be far too small to be audible. And that's only relevant when considering that all else is equal, which is not the case with different headphones. There are too many other variables, potentially having much more impact(objectively and/or subjectively), for us to focus on impedance.
My very sincere advice for headphones is to try them and check how you like the sound, but also if they're comfy! And if you can't try them, to go for a frequency response close to one headphone you liked(might not be your best option, but at least you know you'll be fine with it, instead of trying your luck or trusting more or less partial reviews). Once you've settled on something with the signature you enjoy, then you might want to consider if you need an amp or not, comfort, the cost, what people say about comfort, and basically if it's worth purchasing in your opinion. But IMO, signature comes first.
Did I mention comfort?
Frequency response is a very important aspect of sound for subjective impressions. While impedance is... Impedance.
Oh, and price range doesn't correlate well with sound preference. Why, you ask? Because frequency response and price don't correlate all that well.
I think this is most of all a consequence of the way we use headphones.
In the past, this was a matter of using the headphone out of an integrated amp.
Internally, this headphone out is often connected to the amps driving the speakers.
To avoid frying your cans, a resistor is added reducing the power at the expense of raising the impedance.
A rule of the thumb is that the impedance of a driver (be it a headphone or a speaker) should be 8 to 10 times higher than the impedance of the amp. If not the damping is insufficient resulting in a bloated bass. https://www.thewelltemperedcomputer.com/KB/Damping.htm
Hence the need for high impedance headphones.
Today we have that touch screen controlled computer allowing you to surf the internet, navigated using GPS, view video’s, play music and as I recently discovered, you can even make a phone call.
Here the requirements are of course small, light and as frugal on battery life as possible.
This applies to the DAC and the amp as well.
The trick to play loud using an amp producing only a few milli watts?
Low impedance headphones.
Talking specifically abut over-ear headphones, is it generally the case that higher-impedance headphones tend to sound better, with the disadvantage that you'll need a headphone amplifier to drive them?
Or to put it another way, can a 16-32 Ohm headphone sound better than a 250-600 Ohm headphone within the same price range?
There's no direct causation there. The impedance just potentially changes how the amplifier reacts to the load, because power delivery varies based on current and voltage behavior of the amp, plus the damping factor ie how well the amp can control some driver distortion (note: a really bad driver that distorts on its own because it's a cheap cone will not get any help from a good amp).
"Potentially" because it is not always audible provided a good amp and any differences you hear has more to do with each headphone's response than either's interaction with the amp. Take a 93dB/1mW, 35ohm headphone against a 96dB/1mW, 300ohm headphone, and a good amp that does 1000mW into 32ohms and 350mW into 300ohms both at 0.005% THD, and it won't have damping factor loss at 35ohms while the lowered output at high impedance is offset by the higher sensitivity anyway. Conversely the higher output at lower impedance is offset by the lower sensitivity.
Just adding a thought here: I have the 6xx and the 4xx. One is high impedance dynamic and the other is low impedance planar. They are different, but the reality is that the planar is way harder to drive. They both need a lot of power. Impedance is only a small part of the equation. There's voltage and wattage and driver type and a lot else to consider, so I agree with what castle said, just try them and see what sound you like the best, and don't worry so much about the way the electricity powers them. Look at the amp specs, make sure it has power, and more importantly, make sure the headphones can get to high volumes with your amp, and that they sound "full" with your amp. If they do, you're probably driving them really well, which also means you don't have to worry about impedance.
P.S. Tube amps sound better with high impedance headphones. To me at least. Not really sure why, but that's my experience.
Just adding a thought here: I have the 6xx and the 4xx. One is high impedance dynamic and the other is low impedance planar. They are different, but the reality is that the planar is way harder to drive. They both need a lot of power. Impedance is only a small part of the equation. There's voltage and wattage and driver type and a lot else to consider, so I agree with what castle said, just try them and see what sound you like the best, and don't worry so much about the way the electricity powers them. Look at the amp specs, make sure it has power, and more importantly, make sure the headphones can get to high volumes with your amp, and that they sound "full" with your amp. If they do, you're probably driving them really well, which also means you don't have to worry about impedance.
P.S. Tube amps sound better with high impedance headphones. To me at least. Not really sure why, but that's my experience.
There are many different tube amps but will say most have the experience with either a hybrid or OTL . A hybrid is kind of like having a tube pre amp with a solid state output stage kind of simplified but I’m a simple man and tends to have low output impedance so they will play well with most headphones. The OTL tube amp ( output transformer less) tends to have a higher output impedance and that tends to favor higher impedance headphones because of damping factor . Damping factor basically means how the amp controls the driver. One of the reasons many people say planars are not very good with tube amps is for the most part they are usually low impedance and with a high output impedance tube amp has a low damping factor so the sound is a very bloated and muddy in the bass because of low damping the same with low impedance dynamics as well. Some OTL’s can also have more power output with higher impedance cans but it gets squirrelly with different topologies and tubes and I definitely don’t know enough to speak to that.
Now Tube amps with a output transformer they are a different story and again can run planars fine but tend to be much more expensive because of the transformer which tend to be expensive as they are much more specialized than say a drop down transformer and the like.
I will say a Bottlehead Crack and HD-650(6XX take your pick) is just a joy and have yet to find any that surpasses it. The Drop iFI ZenCan Signature 6XX is damn good though they got it going on but still like the Crack better but not by much.
Talking specifically abut over-ear headphones, is it generally the case that higher-impedance headphones tend to sound better, with the disadvantage that you'll need a headphone amplifier to drive them?
Or to put it another way, can a 16-32 Ohm headphone sound better than a 250-600 Ohm headphone within the same price range?
Nope, high impedance headphones do not sound better just because of high impedance.
High impedance headphones just worked better with older studio audio equipment (and tube amps).
Denon AH-D2000 headphones (Fostex drivers) get a lot of positive feedback and they are only 25-Ohms.
Nope, high impedance headphones do not sound better just because of high impedance.
High impedance headphones just worked better with older studio audio equipment (and tube amps).
Denon AH-D2000 headphones (Fostex drivers) get a lot of positive feedback and they are only 25-Ohms.
OTL tube amps and even some transformer-coupled tube amps have high output impedance and on low impedance loads that has a tendency to either make for molasses bass or tin can bass. Present a high impedance load and if there's any tweaking to the sound it's mild boost in the midrange down to the upper bass, ie the body on vocals and where a lot of the percussion is.
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
