I'd like to buy a good set of cans but don't know if my reciever will be able to drive them properly.
Oct 25, 2012 at 6:57 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 15
0waterbouys

0waterbouys

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So here is my dillema. I have been looking at grabbing the Beyerdynamic DT880's. I would be playing them through my vintage Technics SA-600 but am unsure if they would be under/over powered by the amp and if they would really be getting their full potential being played through it.

Here are some specs I have dug up on the receiver:

http://www.stereomanuals.com/vintagetechnics/receivers/sa600.htm


Any help would be awesome, thanks!
 
Oct 25, 2012 at 7:33 PM Post #2 of 15
As long as it is the 250 ohm, i don't think that any receiver should have a problem with it. Get the dt880 pro over the premium. it has more bass and more clamp. I would say that the 880s are MORE comfy with the added clamp, and the headband is better.
 
Oct 25, 2012 at 7:51 PM Post #3 of 15
I was worried about needing an amp for these cans, but as long as I'm not running them through my desktop PC I should be fine? Seeing as I do most all of my listening through that receiver I was hoping not to need any additional proprietary equipment. Am I correct in that assumption?
 
Oct 25, 2012 at 7:53 PM Post #4 of 15
I bought the DT880 600ohm cans a while ago with the intention of running them out of my Onkyo TX-SR707 and while the receiver handled them okay I was less than thrilled with the overall sound.  I had to really crank the volume and I never thought it sounded very good.  I don't do a whole lot with a desktop setup, my primary listening is through an SACD player integrated into my home theater setup.  As a result I ended up getting the Little Dot MKIII to power the 880's.  I would think as Gallade475 mentioned, that your receiver should handle the 250ohm version of the 880's just fine, however as I've experimented with multiple receivers I've found they are not the most ideal for driving headphones.  
 
Oct 25, 2012 at 8:01 PM Post #5 of 15
where did you plug your cans in? the phone jack or the back if receiver?
 
70 watt is wayyyyyyyy to much for a headphone. a 250ohm cans only need couple hundred of milliwatts which is 10^-3 watts. 
 
Oct 25, 2012 at 8:57 PM Post #6 of 15
Quote:
mingus ah um said:
I bought the DT880 600ohm cans a while ago with the intention of running them out of my Onkyo TX-SR707 and while the receiver handled them okay I was less than thrilled with the overall sound.  I had to really crank the volume and I never thought it sounded very good.  I don't do a whole lot with a desktop setup, my primary listening is through an SACD player integrated into my home theater setup.  As a result I ended up getting the Little Dot MKIII to power the 880's.  I would think as Gallade475 mentioned, that your receiver should handle the 250ohm version of the 880's just fine, however as I've experimented with multiple receivers I've found they are not the most ideal for driving headphones.  
Click to expand...

 
     I would say that vintage receivers like his technics model are excellent at driving headphones. Vintage receivers generally have much better sound quality than newer receivers, mostly because new receivers are checklist designed and not with sound in mind.
Quote:
x63wang said:
where did you plug your cans in? the phone jack or the back if receiver?
 
70 watt is wayyyyyyyy to much for a headphone. a 250ohm cans only need couple hundred of milliwatts which is 10^-3 watts. 
Click to expand...

     Of course he's going to use the headphone jack. I'd say that the dt880 pro would work very well out of his headphone jack, if not a little smoothed over treble. (just the technics house sound)
 
Oct 25, 2012 at 9:01 PM Post #7 of 15
Quote:
0waterbouys said:
So here is my dillema. I have been looking at grabbing the Beyerdynamic DT880's. I would be playing them through my vintage Technics SA-600 but am unsure if they would be under/over powered by the amp and if they would really be getting their full potential being played through it.
Here are some specs I have dug up on the receiver:
http://www.stereomanuals.com/vintagetechnics/receivers/sa600.htm
Click to expand...

Chances are that when you plug the headphones into the receiver's headphone jack, the speaker amplifier(s) stop driving (powering) the speakers and switch over to driving the headphones,
so there should be more then enough power for the headphones.
Yamaha's cheapest receiver, the RX-371 ($180) is rated for headphones up to 450-Ohms, and your only using 250-Ohm headphone with your receiver.
Chances are you would do damage to your ear drums from the loud volume before you would damage the headphones (mostly).
 
Where on the computer are you plugging in the receiver, are you using the motherboard's built-in audio?
Motherboards come with low costing DACs (Digital to Analog Converter).
Are the headphones for music only?
How about movies or gaming?
 
Oct 25, 2012 at 9:28 PM Post #9 of 15
Quote:
0waterbouys said:
They are for music only.
Click to expand...

Hifimediy Sabre ($52), external USB DAC, I think it uses the same DAC chip (Tenor TE7022) as the ODAC
http://www.ebay.com/itm/140847495065?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649
 
Oct 26, 2012 at 1:35 PM Post #10 of 15
So if I want to play some music off my desktop PC I'm thinking of getting a Meier amp but dont really know which one I should go with. Hopefully under 500 USD. Any ideas? Also will I need a better soundcard in order to provide a better source? I'm playing mostly FLAC but am unsure if i'll need any other equipment besides the amp and the phones.
 
Oct 26, 2012 at 3:27 PM Post #11 of 15
Quote:
0waterbouys said:
So if I want to play some music off my desktop PC I'm thinking of getting a Meier amp but dont really know which one I should go with. Hopefully under 500 USD. Any ideas? Also will I need a better sound card in order to provide a better source? I'm playing mostly FLAC but am unsure if I'll need any other equipment besides the amp and the phones.
Click to expand...

If it's only for music 2-channel stereo, then a internal sound card or external USB or S/PDIF DAC would work about the same.
The USB DAC I listed before ($52) comes with the same DAC chip (Sabre ES9023) and USB receiver chip (Tenor TE7022) as the ODAC.and
 the ODAC ($155) is a well liked DAC.
 
Oct 26, 2012 at 4:31 PM Post #13 of 15
Quote:
0waterbouys said:
Alright, thanks man. I wont need any other equipment to drive the cans if playing from this DAC plugged into my PC?
Click to expand...

This USB DAC can drive basic low Ohm headphones on it's own, but I would assume you would connect this USB DAC to the receiver or headphone amplifier.
 
Oct 26, 2012 at 7:20 PM Post #14 of 15
connect it to the technics receiver? how? What headphone amp should I be looking at? I said earlier that I thought about grabbing a Meier but didnt know which model. I thought you were suggesting this USB DAC for those purposes, no?
 
Oct 26, 2012 at 7:42 PM Post #15 of 15
Quote:
0waterbouys said:
Connect it to the Technics receiver? how? What headphone amp should I be looking at? I said earlier that I thought about grabbing a Meier but didn't know which model. I thought you were suggesting this USB DAC for those purposes, no?
Click to expand...

To connect the USB DAC to the Technics receiver, just need a 3.5mm (1/8", mini-jack) male to RCA (red/white) cable.
3.5mm on the USB DAC to the RCA inputs on the back of the Technics receiver.
 
Or hook up any external headphone amplifier (like the Meier) you like to the USB DAC.
 
You can try using the receiver first, if that does not work for you, get the Meier.
 
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