The Asgard 2 will make close to 1W into the 70 Ohm impedance of the Z7.
How is that not enough power for a 102 dB/mW sensitive headphone?
How is that not enough power for a 102 dB/mW sensitive headphone?
The Asgard 2 will make close to 1W into the 70 Ohm impedance of the Z7.
How is that not enough power for a 102 dB/mW sensitive headphone?
It's not that it's not enough. It's too much. The Asgard favors voltage over current, which is good for high impedance (250+ ohm) headphones. It's not quite so good for low impedance headphones, which will get too loud too early on the volume control, preventing you from getting as much current into the headphone as you could with a lower voltage design.
It's almost always better to put as much current into something as possible, as it generally increases driver control and transient response. This is why planar-magnetics like the HE-6 respond so well to speaker amps, which are designed around low impedance loads and thus push a huge amount of current by design.
You mentioned that there is no difference between the HE6 and LCD-3 like there is for the HD800. The main reason for that is because of the flat impedance curve on planar magnetics which generally lead to the same response in either setting. However for dynamic drivers this changes because power is calculated with P=I²R instead of P=V²/R. In voltage mode the power drops with an increase in impedance whereas in current mode the power actually increases with impedance. A lot of this is covered in this article by Nelson Pass.
http://www.firstwatt.com/pdf/art_cs_amps.pdf
He argues that for single driver full range speakers a current mode amp makes a lot of sense. While there aren't too many speakers made like this, headphones are basically universally made this way.
I just found this on the Bakoon HPA-21 amp page (which btw, has both a high-current and a high-voltage headphone output) and the link to the FirstWatt article answers my questions.
Quote:
You mentioned that there is no difference between the HE6 and LCD-3 like there is for the HD800. The main reason for that is because of the flat impedance curve on planar magnetics which generally lead to the same response in either setting. However for dynamic drivers this changes because power is calculated with P=I²R instead of P=V²/R. In voltage mode the power drops with an increase in impedance whereas in current mode the power actually increases with impedance. A lot of this is covered in this article by Nelson Pass.
http://www.firstwatt.com/pdf/art_cs_amps.pdf
He argues that for single driver full range speakers a current mode amp makes a lot of sense. While there aren't too many speakers made like this, headphones are basically universally made this way.
The Asgard 2 will make close to 1W into the 70 Ohm impedance of the Z7.
How is that not enough power for a 102 dB/mW sensitive headphone?
Hey Robseth, it's € 367 over here. The site is in Dutch but according to their info they do ship to certain countries within the EU. It states you have to contact them for the possibilities and costs.
You can try calling them at +31 184 417267 or use the contact form. I hope the form speaks for itself but if not, please let me know.
Thanks I wrote to them and until yesterday there was no answear. However yesterday I got an email from them and placed my order. Thanks again.
Seems that my "go to" setup for my Z7s is my AK100II....simply amazing together!
I've only tried the Z1 once on the GS-X m2 with diy balanced cable, I extremely liked it, what is your views with this combo ?
Right now the z1 is my next purchase
After a busy few days and only having time to use the Z5 I am having a listen to the Z7 tonight and the Z7 definitely has more of a WOW factor for me. When I listen to the Z5 I hear I hear an amazing IEM but I don't get lost in my music as easily. The Z7 on the other hand is just so much more immersive I slip into the music just enjoying what I hear almost instantly. I am glad I have both because I think they are an amazing well matched set of products that are so clearly cut from the same cloth so I get to have a similar experience when out and about as when at home. But the big boys do edge out their portable counterpart in immersion.
Thanks for that. The Z7 will definitely be my next set of cans as soon as I have the extra cash for them. I was this close to getting a pair but there was a killer flash sale on the Sennheiser HD 650's a couple weeks ago that was just too good to pass up.
But soon they will be mine!