[Outono Noite]

Noobie question here: Given the specs of an amp and pair of cans, what do I need to know about them in order to power my cans correctly. So, for example, if my headphone amp's specs are something like

0.43 V / 330 Ohms - how do I know if that will power, say, AKG K701s?

I dont even know if im in the right forum here, but since it does have a significant degree of importance on the headphone side as well, I figured this could be a good place to start.

 

[angler31337]

When it comes to amps, it makes a difference where in the system the resistance is appearing. While important from a systemic perspective, knowing the input impedance of an amp tells one rather little about how it will deliver the signal to your headphones. With that said, I do not pretend to be an electrical engineer, and so I will defer to you to my more informed colleagues for additional explanation. Anyone?

(As an aside, the 701s have a nominal impedance of 62ohms @ 1kHz, so they are reasonably easy to drive. In fact, basically any of the common dedicated headphone amps that I can think of should be more than capable of driving them quite well. Do you have a dedicated amp, or are these specs for the integrated amp on a different source?)

-Angler

 

[Outono Noite]

Thanks for the reply: This is the Phones source on my stereo system. I dont have any more info than what I posted first - thats why im asking here - I just dont know how to know if my cans will be powered correctly or not.

Stereo = Yamaha MCR-E600

 

[angler31337]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Outono Noite This is the Phones source on my stereo system.

Receivers tend to run pretty hot by headphone standards and often over-drive low impedance (and high sensitivity) headphones. I wouldn't think that you'd need to worry about being under-powered in this setup. With that said, if you hear an annoying amount of static/hiss when you plug your 'phones into the reciever, then you're probably over-driving them. There are remedies for that, as there are for most things.

Changing thoughts... I've not auditioned the 701s, but my guess is they'd benefit greatly from a dedicated headphone amp. If you really want your cans to shine (musically, that is) and want to be sure they're being fed an appropriate amount of juice, then you might think about investing in an amp. As with most solutions on head-fi, it will cost you a good bit of money, but then so did your 701s.

For a quick glimpse into the range of amping solutions, you might peruse the offerings of a few vendors; HeadRoom, Meier Audio, Ray Samuelson Audio, and HeadAmp Audio all come to mind. Note that those were just the ones that I thought of off the top of my head. If you're interested in going the amp route, you might head over to the amps forum and ask for any recommendations, given your 'phones and musical taste.

-Angler

 

[SennFan]

Rockhopper also makes some great amps.

If you're looking to go the portable route, check this out. An excellent value and great performance.

Good luck.