[giovanne_25]

Hi guys. I'm looking for a headphone, open-back. I'll use it for gaming and watching movies. My device is PS4. Before, I used a AKG K702, but I could not drive it. I used a Creative Soundblaster amp to drive it but I failed. Now, I need an open-back headphone, easy to drive.

*Bonus Question: AKG K702 is 62 ohm, so it look drive to easy but I failed as I said. Where did i go wrong? Can not we understand whether it will be driven by looking at the impedance value?

Thank you!

 

[yong_shun]

Is there a gain switch in your amp? if yes, is the gain in your amp switched to high gain?

 

[serman005]

You might look into an HD598/9 or an X2. Maybe read about them and see what you think. One of them could work for you. Both easy to drive.

 

[Me x3]

AKG K702 is comparatively hard to drive because it's low sensitivity + low impedance (then it needs high voltage + high current from the amp)

Check HD598/9, Fidelio X2, AD900X, Soundmagic HP200, Hifiman HE400S

 

[giovanne_25]

How about AD500X ? it's price is up to one third of the others almost.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Hi guys. I'm looking for a headphone, open-back. I'll use it for gaming and watching movies. My device is PS4. Before, I used a AKG K702, but I could not drive it. I used a Creative Soundblaster amp to drive it but I failed. Now, I need an open-back headphone, easy to drive.

https://www.amazon.com/Technica-ATH...rd_wg=T1Qw7&psc=1&refRID=6KE5G1RD2E7QQZFK1B7M

https://www.amazon.com/Philips-SHP9...UTF8&qid=1522843348&sr=1-1&keywords=SHP-9500S

*Bonus Question: AKG K702 is 62 ohm, so it look drive to easy but I failed as I said. Where did i go wrong? Can not we understand whether it will be driven by looking at the impedance value?

Low impedance only means that for most amps, which have their peak output at 32ohms, you'll be closer to the level where they'll produce the most power.

That doesn't cover the sensitivity. The K702 is relatively low on the scale at 93dB/1mW. By comparison, the HD650 is 300ohms, but its sensitivity is 98dB/1mW. The AKG needs a little over 512mW, the Sennheiser needs a little under 256mW. So if you have an amp that does 1000mW at 32ohms and 300mW at 300ohms they'll still just be neck and neck for max SPL on that amp. If anything, the Sennheiser could make for less noise and distortion, but modern amps don't have to be on high impedance loads for that unlike older amps.

 

[samvafaei]

How about Sennheiser Game One? Its impedance is 50ohm, should be no problem to drive. HD599/598 would also be good alternatives, but they don't have a mic.

 

[giovanne_25]

How about Sennheiser Game One? Its impedance is 50ohm, should be no problem to drive. HD599/598 would also be good alternative, but they don't have a mic.

It looks a good alternative too, but I do not need a mic frequently, it's more expensive than others

 

[Me x3]

The AKG needs a little over 512mW

Max input power for the AKG is 200mW.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Max input power for the AKG is 200mW.

I'm going by sensitivity. If max input power ratings were all strictly followed then nobody even an O2 can make the diaphragm just pop off the suspension and nobody would use the Asgard (much less the Lyr).

 

[Me x3]

I'm going by sensitivity. If max input power ratings were all strictly followed then nobody even an O2 can make the diaphragm just pop off the suspension and nobody would use the Asgard (much less the Lyr).

I've owned the Asgard 2 along with matching Bifrost AKM 4490.
I've use it always in low gain with my former AKG K702.

In low gain the mentioned setup maxed at 145mW into 62 Ohm
I've never had to max out the volume, far from that indeed.

For most applications and listening levels, including loud (and not 100% healthy) listening levels you need 50mW for K702.
Power is vastly overrated. The quality of the amplifier on the other hand is the real thing and can have a very important impact on sound quality.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

I've owned the Asgard 2 along with matching Bifrost AKM 4490.
I've use it always in low gain with my former AKG K702.

In low gain the mentioned setup maxed at 145mW into 62 Ohm
I've never had to max out the volume, far from that indeed

Basically at the same level as ~60mW into the HD600.

For most applications and listening levels, including loud (and not 100% healthy) listening levels you need 50mW for K702.
Power is vastly overrated. The quality of the amplifier on the other hand is the real thing and can have a very important impact on sound quality.

Well it's not like I'm going for all out power either at the cost of THD+N, or going all out on power and low THD+N on something like the Lyr.

The idea still is that an amp with slightly more power (note that slight here isn't "a few mW's over" since every +3dB needs roughly double the power input), properly designed, would have less distortion and noise, hence going for something like the Asgard or Magni, without pushing the design that it starts to get higher THD or you get crossover distortion. Of course if you can get something that would basically be the First Watt for headphone amps - pure class A, ~75mW at 300ohms and ~200mW at 32ohms, very low noise, etc - then that also works. But as it is for $250 you can get pretty much inaudible noise and distortion on the Asgard anyway. I have the HD330 which has roughly the same (if not lower, since it's measured at 1000hz or so, where it has a slight boost) sensitivity as the K7xx series at 93dB/1mW, and yes, it can get very loud on a Xonar U3, but that doesn't mean it sounds good. I have a Meier amp that does way better, and yes, that's due a lot more to the low distortion and noise, but given the price of amps that can drive practically anything without getting offset with high THD+N nowadays, it's not like you're basically doing what made the First Watt necessary, ie, most amps sacrificing distortion and noise performance for watts.

OP was also using a soundcard, and it couldn't get loud enough for him. That's not a function of distortion (ie the quality of the circuit, including output impedance), and unless it was one of the USB-powered ones, these soundcards otherwise have a lot of power too, and not just from people misinterpreting fancy names for High Gain like "Extreme Pro Gamer Mode >150ohms" as an indicator for power output.