[solid12345]

The unit does have a switch on the bottom to switch between 0 or 100 ohm output impedance (would have been SOOOO much better had they placed it elsewhere to make switching it easier!). On the 0 ohm setting it works well with the low impedance cans I tried it on, but I definitely preferred it on the higher 100 ohm setting in general.

So I picked this up on a whim off eBay this week because I have just about every major Beyer model there is and being a fanboy it just makes sense I should own an amp built especially for them. That being said is it really a worthwhile to go and switch constantly to 0 ohm to run my planars? Right now my daily driver is a sony ta-zh1es which is just euphoric with my low impedance phones but does struggle a bit in the power department with 250-300 ohm and up phones. I’ll probably run it as a preamp to give a little bass boost and warmth to the A2.

 

[plakat]

So I picked this up on a whim off eBay this week because I have just about every major Beyer model there is and being a fanboy it just makes sense I should own an amp built especially for them. That being said is it really a worthwhile to go and switch constantly to 0 ohm to run my planars? Right now my daily driver is a sony ta-zh1es which is just euphoric with my low impedance phones but does struggle a bit in the power department with 250-300 ohm and up phones. I’ll probably run it as a preamp to give a little bass boost and warmth to the A2.

I switched mine to 0ohm the day I received it… I think the 100ohm setting is only useful for those Beyerdynamic models tuned with that output impedance, while the 0ohm allows for much more general usage.

 

[solid12345]

I switched mine to 0ohm the day I received it… I think the 100ohm setting is only useful for those Beyerdynamic models tuned with that output impedance, while the 0ohm allows for much more general usage.

Funny I got mine yesterday and finding the opposite, 100ohm setting works better even with low impedance phones like my Hekse, just more rich and dynamic. Where the amp really shines though is those hard to drive 600ohm Beyers, I acquired a 1980s DT990 recently and honestly it can put many modern day phones to shamel even better than the modern 990…

 

[NickT23]

Funny I got mine yesterday and finding the opposite, 100ohm setting works better even with low impedance phones like my Hekse, just more rich and dynamic. Where the amp really shines though is those hard to drive 600ohm Beyers, I acquired a 1980s DT990 recently and honestly it can put many modern day phones to shamel even better than the modern 990…

What happens if you try on a low impedance on a 100ohm in your opinion ?

 

[solid12345]

What happens if you try on a low impedance on a 100ohm in your opinion ?

This was the surprising thing, my Beyer T1 did not lose a whole lot of volume switching to the 0 position even though it is 600ohm. Dynamics though dropped a little. you’ll have to experiment, I did find the bass on my T70 overly harsh and scratchy at 100 but pleasant at 0. In a general sense, 100ohm is bass heavy and 0 bass-lite/more treble. It was interesting running the HEKse in both modes that it almost sounded like two different headphones, at 100ohm it was engaging, musical, warm and meaty in the bass, very concert-like. At 0 a more refined, pleasant sound, like wine tasting for music. If there is any complaint I have at all is it is a pain in the ass to reach under the amp and flip the switch constantly and it’s not the easiest switch to grip on to, I have to use a pencil tip or some other tool to maneuver it. I’d love to constantly play around with all my HPs and this makes it a chore. Otherwise I am very happy with the amp and this solidifies my belief that having house-branded amps is the way to go if you’re a fanboy of a particular line of products. Plus it’s fun to experiment as I’ve been running my Sony Tazzy and Hifiman EF400 in as the DAC sources.

This mixing and matching opens up way more room for customization than having one Uber expensive god-tier amp for all, although the latter is obviously more space and wallet efficient (although if you bargain shop used you can get a few branded amps for the price of one GSX-mini or ifi Ican for instance). Im so convinced now on this paradigm I went ahead and bought a used Sennheiser HDV800 and just ordered a new Audio-Technica BHA100 to expand sound signatures and feed my phones on those brands too, now it’s a question of do I dare get a Focal Arche too to break the bank!

 

[plakat]

100Ohm is problematic only with headphones with uneven impedance... in that case it will change the frequency response. With planar drivers it should do nothing, with some multi-ba in-ears it can be a total fail (due to wild impedance swings).
In the end its nice to have the option -- even if I personally don't use it.

 

[gryffe]

Hi, can I ask a question about using the Beyerdynamic A2 hooked up to a Mytek Brooklyn Bridge DAC/Amp which has an inbuilt headphone amp



I have the Brooklyn Bridge and love it hooked up to the Brooklyn Power amp and playing back through speakers. However I'm not a fan of its inbuilt headphone amp so I'm going to buy a headphone amp. I'm assuming this will be workable and I'm getting a Beyerdynamic A2.
What would be the best way to hook up the Brooklyn Bridge to the Beyerdynamic headphone amp and bypassing the Bridges inbuilt headphone amp? I assumed it would just be RCA connection from the Brooklyn to the Beyerdynamic, but the doc from the Beyerdynamic seems to suggest that it can connect to a power amp???
So to cut to the chase should I connect the headphone amp to the Brooklyn Bridge or the Brooklyn Power amp, and how exactly should I connect it up?

Any suggestions gratefully accepted, cheers

Have attached screenshots of relevant doc from Beyerdynamic A2 Headphone amp manual

 

[plakat]

Hi, can I ask a question about using the Beyerdynamic A2 hooked up to a Mytek Brooklyn Bridge DAC/Amp which has an inbuilt headphone amp



I have the Brooklyn Bridge and love it hooked up to the Brooklyn Power amp and playing back through speakers. However I'm not a fan of its inbuilt headphone amp so I'm going to buy a headphone amp. I'm assuming this will be workable and I'm getting a Beyerdynamic A2.
What would be the best way to hook up the Brooklyn Bridge to the Beyerdynamic headphone amp and bypassing the Bridges inbuilt headphone amp? I assumed it would just be RCA connection from the Brooklyn to the Beyerdynamic, but the doc from the Beyerdynamic seems to suggest that it can connect to a power amp???
So to cut to the chase should I connect the headphone amp to the Brooklyn Bridge or the Brooklyn Power amp, and how exactly should I connect it up?

Any suggestions gratefully accepted, cheers

Have attached screenshots of relevant doc from Beyerdynamic A2 Headphone amp manual

Input 1 on the A2 just has a hard-wired through out where the signal is available for connecting any component with RCA inputs, but in most cases only components with its own volume control would be usable. Connecting active speakers there would mean that the source (input to the A2) would send a variable signal and you would have to set the A2 near max volume -- doesn't sound like a good idea to me and might introduce additional noise.

The drawing on the second screenshot shows the intended use: put the A2 between your source and your normal amp. You can also use a rec-out RCA from your amp if you have an existing setup.

 

[gryffe]

Hi @plakat thanks for reply.

The Brooklyn Bridge DAC/amp has its own volume control.

I'm not very technical when it comes to connections between amps etc, I understand it at a basic level only. So just to make sure I have followed your reply properly - should I connect RCA cables between Input 2 of the Beyerdynamic A2 and the RCA output of my Brooklyn Bridge DAC/amp?

Forgive my ignorance, but I didn't understand your comment about active speakers, not that I have those anyway.

 

[plakat]

Hi @plakat thanks for reply.

The Brooklyn Bridge DAC/amp has its own volume control.

I'm not very technical when it comes to connections between amps etc, I understand it at a basic level only. So just to make sure I have followed your reply properly - should I connect RCA cables between Input 2 of the Beyerdynamic A2 and the RCA output of my Brooklyn Bridge DAC/amp?

Forgive my ignorance, but I didn't understand your comment about active speakers, not that I have those anyway.

No problem at all. I'll try to keep it simple.

I've had a look at the manual, but unfortunately I was unable to determine if the RCA outputs on the Mytek are line level or preamp out... line level would be better to feed the A2. But since you're using it with what looks like a power amp, it might only have preamp outputs...

Switch both units off, connect the "A out" RCA to either of the inputs on the A2, set both volume selectors to min and connect your headphones. Switch the Mytek on, then the A2. Select the correct input on your A2, play some source through the Mytek, start to increase volume on the A2 slowly. If you hear your source, the Mytek has line level outputs and you're done.

If nothing happens, set the A2 volume to 9 o'clock and slowly increase the Mytek volume. You should at one point hear your source, otherwise there's an error in cabling. If this step is needed to hear your source, you're still using the Mytek amp though... not much might be gained in this case.

 

[gryffe]

No problem at all. I'll try to keep it simple.

I've had a look at the manual, but unfortunately I was unable to determine if the RCA outputs on the Mytek are line level or preamp out... line level would be better to feed the A2. But since you're using it with what looks like a power amp, it might only have preamp outputs...

Switch both units off, connect the "A out" RCA to either of the inputs on the A2, set both volume selectors to min and connect your headphones. Switch the Mytek on, then the A2. Select the correct input on your A2, play some source through the Mytek, start to increase volume on the A2 slowly. If you hear your source, the Mytek has line level outputs and you're done.

If nothing happens, set the A2 volume to 9 o'clock and slowly increase the Mytek volume. You should at one point hear your source, otherwise there's an error in cabling. If this step is needed to hear your source, you're still using the Mytek amp though... not much might be gained in this case.

Hi @plakat, thanks for reply.

What about this info from section 10.2.14 of the Brooklyn Bridge manual, if I selected Line here would that put it into "line level"?

10.2.14 Analog Input(Analog Input Mode) -

A pair of unbalanced analog inputs can be selected in addition to all available digital inputs. As with other inputs, it can be routed via the analog stepped attenuator to both main outputs and headphones.

One of three modes can be selected:•

LINE - line level input•
P MM - phono premap, for Moving Magnet cartridges•
P MC – phono preamp, for Moving Coil cartridges

 

[plakat]

Hi @plakat, thanks for reply.

What about this info from section 10.2.14 of the Brooklyn Bridge manual, if I selected Line here would that put it into "line level"?

10.2.14 Analog Input(Analog Input Mode) -

A pair of unbalanced analog inputs can be selected in addition to all available digital inputs. As with other inputs, it can be routed via the analog stepped attenuator to both main outputs and headphones.

One of three modes can be selected:•

LINE - line level input•
P MM - phono premap, for Moving Magnet cartridges•
P MC – phono preamp, for Moving Coil cartridges

Unfortunately that seems to only change the Myteks input, not outs analog output... i.e. not the RCAs that point to the A2.

 

[gryffe]

Unfortunately that seems to only change the Myteks input, not outs analog output... i.e. not the RCAs that point to the A2.

Ok thanks, yeah I did wonder about that because selecting LINE would rule out selecting what setting to use for vinyl listening - eg P MM or P MC.

Guess this is actually not going to be practical, I thought it would be routine to connect a headphone amp to a main amp but it seems not. Looks like I need to find out if RCA ouputs on the Mytek are line level or pre out.

 

[plakat]

Ok thanks, yeah I did wonder about that because selecting LINE would rule out selecting what setting to use for vinyl listening - eg P MM or P MC.

Guess this is actually not going to be practical, I thought it would be routine to connect a headphone amp to a main amp but it seems not. Looks like I need to find out if RCA ouputs on the Mytek are line level or pre out.

I'd almost say they are preamp outputs unfortunately... everything points into that direction (the manual or the feature list never mentions line level output, but the combination with the power amp...)

The Mytek seems not to have a "pure DAC" mode of operation baked in unfortunately. You could ask Mytek support though, I might well be wrong in my assessment.

 

[gryffe]

I'd almost say they are preamp outputs unfortunately... everything points into that direction (the manual or the feature list never mentions line level output, but the combination with the power amp...)

The Mytek seems not to have a "pure DAC" mode of operation baked in unfortunately. You could ask Mytek support though, I might well be wrong in my assessment.

@plakat - thanks for taking the time to try to help, much appreciated.