I currently Have Hd600 for music, I bought hd 598 for its bigger soundstage for games and movies. I am using Sound Blaster's headphone output, as the say it can drive headphones up to 600 ohms, so this made me wonder can the headphone output be too powerful for Hd598 which is 50 ohms? and I read somewhere there was a formula to calculate best imandence out put rate according to the headphones's impedance.
Is Sound Blaster Zx too powerful for HD 598?
- Thread starter Arin7
- Start date
onevstheworld
100+ Head-Fier
No you won't blow up your 598, but sound accuracy will likely suffer.
This is probably the article you are recalling. http://nwavguy.blogspot.com.au/2011/02/headphone-amp-impedance.html?m=1
The rule of thumb is that your output impedance should be less than 1/8th of the headphone you are using, otherwise you're introducing distortion into your sound.
But you're confusing output impedance of the soundcard vs the impedance of the headphone.
The Sound blaster Z cards aren't that great for low impedance headphones. I believe the Zx and ZxR are 22 and 10 ohms respectively. That means the lowest resistance headphones you can use and get accurate sound are 176 and 80 ohms respectively. Their newer AE5 card is better in this respect with an output impedance of 1 ohm.
If you're just using the 598 for games and movies, all that may not matter though.
This is probably the article you are recalling. http://nwavguy.blogspot.com.au/2011/02/headphone-amp-impedance.html?m=1
The rule of thumb is that your output impedance should be less than 1/8th of the headphone you are using, otherwise you're introducing distortion into your sound.
But you're confusing output impedance of the soundcard vs the impedance of the headphone.
The Sound blaster Z cards aren't that great for low impedance headphones. I believe the Zx and ZxR are 22 and 10 ohms respectively. That means the lowest resistance headphones you can use and get accurate sound are 176 and 80 ohms respectively. Their newer AE5 card is better in this respect with an output impedance of 1 ohm.
If you're just using the 598 for games and movies, all that may not matter though.
Last edited:
ProtegeManiac
Headphoneus Supremus
There are too many problems with your assumptions there.
First, a soundcard manufacturer saying "can drive up to xxxohms" is like if Toyota claimed their 1.8L inline 4 can power any car. Technically, it can, but if you put that in a Tacoma and then put enough weight on the bed, you'll drive around at 4000rpm as opposed to if you put the 2.4L or 2.8L turbodiesel in that same pick up chassis.
Second, there's sensitivity. A 62ohm, 93dB/1mW headphone will need more power than a 300ohm, 98dB/1mW headphone. It's like comparing an R9 390 to a GTX 1060 6gb in terms of FPS vs power consumption and temperature (even if for example you slap on the exact same cooler on both).
Third, there's the max power input that the drivers can handle, which is typically very high, compared to...
...Fourth, the max actual SPL your ears can handle before you feel pain or instantly damage your hearing. So while you should get a good amp that can theoretically hit 120dB without noise and distortion becoming a problem, it's less about pouring all that power in there and more about managing audible distortion and noise.
Lastly, I'd be more worried about the output impedance of the soundcard than the output power at any impedance.
PurpleAngel
Headphoneus Supremus
Technically the SB-Zx's 22.-Ohm output impedance is not the best for working with 50-Ohm headphones (HD598).
(A headphone amplifier with an output impedance of 5-Ohms or less would be preferred, for best detail, in the audio, when using 50-ohm headphones)
But at most, the HD598, plugged into the SB-Zx, might get a slightly bloated (louder, less detailed) bass.
If you maxed out the volume controls on the SB-Zx, while using the HD598, chances are you would damage your ear drums, before damaging the HD598.
Thanks everyone for your answers, so basically I can use both my HD600 and HD598 with SB Zx for now and I it wont cause any damage or problems, right? but I may not get the best sound from HD 598, my ears are sensitive I can't get any higher than 35 percent with my 600s, I am planing to buy Woo WA7 but its really really expensive and out of my budget for now, but I know WA7 is perfect for 600s but I am not sure about the 598s.
So can I just plug 598 to the normal stereo output and get better sound?
ProtegeManiac
Headphoneus Supremus
No, you should plug it into the headphone output, which has an opamp functioning as a headphone driver chip on part of the circuit that leads to it. Here's the SBZ for example which has a separate line out and an amplified headphone output.
PurpleAngel
Headphoneus Supremus
Darkvoice 336SE OTL tube headphone amplifier ($215-$250).
Plug the head amp into the SB-Zx's Front Speaker output jack (for feeding the best signal to the 336SE).
The SB-Zx can not output it's SBX headphone surround sound, thru the speaker jack, but you will not need that feature for music or any other stereo audio source.
So plug the HD598 into the SB-Zx's headphone jack, for surround sound gaming and plug the HD600 into the 336SE for all other audio.
Guess you could also plug the HD598 into the 336SE, may or may not improve the HD598 sound.
Users who are viewing this thread
