[yepimonfire]

my friend has the akg 217's and he drives them just fine from his ipod. ohms means a lot, but what also means a lot is the sensitivity rating. things do have scientific values and throwing statements out there without scientific data to back it up is absurd. until you can give me a scientific reason as to why they cannot be driven by an ipod then unfortunately i find your claims hard to believe. the only thing an amp does is increases the amount of volume you can obtain from them. 
 
Quote:

because OHM rating means nothing, it's all about current, the AKG k217's are I think 50 ohm's and a computer wont power them well at all, heck even my amp has a hard time powering them. But the little dot 1+ Powers them fine as it has a large output. an Ipod has a very small output power and the Beyer's need more power then they can provide to really get going. Don't believe me use them straight out of an Ipod, then out of a computer, then out of an amp and hear the difference for your self.
 

 

 

[DaBomb77766]

Quote:

my friend has the akg 217's and he drives them just fine from his ipod. ohms means a lot, but what also means a lot is the sensitivity rating. things do have scientific values and throwing statements out there without scientific data to back it up is absurd. until you can give me a scientific reason as to why they cannot be driven by an ipod then unfortunately i find your claims hard to believe. the only thing an amp does is increases the amount of volume you can obtain from them. 
 


 

While all an amp really does is increase the amount of power flowing to the headphones, increasing the volume is not the only thing they do.  If that were the case, then why would somebody want to use an amp for any reason other than to blow their eardrums out...?

No, some 'phones need more power than others to sound "right," otherwise they sound tinny and lack bass...that and the soundstage is often greatly decreased.
 
I do agree that judging a headphone's sensitivity based on impedance alone is absurd though, some have a relatively high impedance but very low sensitivity and vice versa.  Still, headphones almost always sound better through an amp, if you bypass the internal amp in an ipod with a LOD.  Unless the external amp you're using is also a piece of crap.

 

[yepimonfire]

okay, now how in the world can the amount of current supplied have anything at all to do with the soundstage? how can lower power have anything to do with the frequency response of the phones? if an amp changes the frequency response of the device it is driving, it is adding distortion. most amps don't do this. again, i want data to backup these claims.

 

[tyoung8]

http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/418614/beyerdynamic-dt880-32ohm-unamped-vs-amped

 

[WhiteCrow]

Think of it like this, the OHM rating is just the resistance of the cables and metals used, The driver required a certain amount of power to work properly, its like when a video card is underpowered, it will not preform well and can lead to artifacting*stretching things all crazy*. as I said listen to them through various sources and see the difference there is a reason the amp was created.

 

[yepimonfire]

the only thing an amp does is provide more power, more power=more volume. i still would like graphs or some other form of data proving your claims. oh "as I said listen to them through various sources and see the difference there is a reason the amp was created." and i have, which is exactly why i am able to come to these conclusions, if you hear a difference other then volume output it is purely placebo. and i know what ohms are, it is the resistance of the driver, and i also know that ohms and sensitivity say everything about how much power you need to supply a driver with.
Quote:

Think of it like this, the OHM rating is just the resistance of the cables and metals used, The driver required a certain amount of power to work properly, its like when a video card is underpowered, it will not preform well and can lead to artifacting*stretching things all crazy*. as I said listen to them through various sources and see the difference there is a reason the amp was created.

 

 

[grobbo91]

I'm still tossing up between the HD25-1 ii and the Ultrasone HFI-580. The main deciding factor right now is whether or not the HD25-1 ii requires amplification. It sounds like the HD25-1 ii is better for me sound wise and for portability, but I would rather the Ultrasones if they sound better without an amp.

 

 

[DaBomb77766]

Quote:

the only thing an amp does is provide more power, more power=more volume. i still would like graphs or some other form of data proving your claims. oh "as I said listen to them through various sources and see the difference there is a reason the amp was created." and i have, which is exactly why i am able to come to these conclusions, if you hear a difference other then volume output it is purely placebo. and i know what ohms are, it is the resistance of the driver, and i also know that ohms and sensitivity say everything about how much power you need to supply a driver with.


 

Impedance is actually different from resistance.  The resistance of dynamic drivers isn't linear - it changes depending on the frequency of the input.  The "ohm" value is generally derived from the resistance at around 1000hz, from what I understand.  It's quite confusing, really, since they use the same unit and all.
 
Anyway, I don't think arguing any more about this will solve anything.  I've honestly never seen anybody argue that headphone amps are worthless for anything but increasing volume output.  Either way, it seems the only way for you to have a different view is if you use a headphone amp yourself, which seems somewhat unlikely given your stance on them.
 
Whatever the case, the thread has been derailed enough.

 

[Eric_C]

HD 25-1 does not "need" amping. Impedance, sensitivity and personal experience with it has taught me that it will definitely work out of, say, an iPod or laptop. But there are 2 important points to note if you're considering it:
1. It's grossly overpriced in Singapore. Cheapest prices (worldwide) can be found in UK; check out Juno.co.uk, or even German website Thomann.de--but make sure you do your research and order the right model. HD 25-1 has many variants.

2. If you're serious about recording work, HD 25-1 has a bit of a reputation for being used in that capacity. Dunno about the Ultrasone. BUT: a great deal of mixing/producing work tends to be done with monitors, not headphones; again; do research on this first before commiting to getting headphones that you plan to use instead of monitors.

 

[yepimonfire]

Quote:

Impedance is actually different from resistance.  The resistance of dynamic drivers isn't linear - it changes depending on the frequency of the input.  The "ohm" value is generally derived from the resistance at around 1000hz, from what I understand.  It's quite confusing, really, since they use the same unit and all.
 
Anyway, I don't think arguing any more about this will solve anything.  I've honestly never seen anybody argue that headphone amps are worthless for anything but increasing volume output.  Either way, it seems the only way for you to have a different view is if you use a headphone amp yourself, which seems somewhat unlikely given your stance on them.
 
Whatever the case, the thread has been derailed enough.

most of the time with headphones this is not true, headphones generally maintain the same impedance throughout the spectrum. speakers on the other hand have varying impedance. impedance is not different from resistance because the only way to measure resistance is in ohms, which is impedance.
 
 

 

[WhiteCrow]

 
Quote:

most of the time with headphones this is not true, headphones generally maintain the same impedance throughout the spectrum. speakers on the other hand have varying impedance. impedance is not different from resistance because the only way to measure resistance is in ohms, which is impedance.
 
 

ummmm...no no headphones don't, most headphones have spiked from a base ohm rating to  a much higher impedance depending on the frequency. Check headroom.
 
 

 

[yepimonfire]

first off, i said MOST headphones. secondly, a higher impedance at a certain frequency means the headphones will draw less power at those frequencies to maintain the same spl.

 

[NoteWorthy]

Just go with the M50, cant go wrong with it. Alot of studio engineers use it and if ur using it on the go a warm amp is all might want  to get to achieve a fuller sound and tighter bass. On the other hand, an amp is NOT a requirement for an M50 since i can guarantee u its reli loud on its own
 
Oh and since ur in Singapore...go to Jaben@Adelphi if u havnt..audition headphones all day u want there and hag the price if needed xD