They might be Kings: Focal Utopia, Sony MDR-Z1R, HiFiMan Susvara, HE1000 V2 and MrSpeakers Ether Flow shootout

I just recently picked up a pair with the over ear VesperAudio pads. Was impressed with their sound quality and with those pads they're comfortable with great isolation. However, I found them to be shockingly hard to drive for being portable headphones. I couldn't even power them adequately out of my old DX50 and I was in the high 80's - low 90's out of my Cayin i5. For reference when I was using my old Ether C's out of the i5, I was only at mid 70's.
 
Just seems like a very puzzling decision by Audeze to not make them easier to drive.

 

Technically speaking, is there any benefit in making headphones with high(er) impedance?  Any benefit to the sonic quality?

 

Here is a 3D printed adapter to make these Sines converted from on-ear to over ear:

https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/4z23co/audeze_sine_overear_conversion_kit_3d_printed/?st=J1GWCW4B&sh=06f7641e

 

Nice pics!! What camera brand and model do you use?

As a glasses user I fear the Sine's on ear design when considering comfort. And I like over ear designs better for isolation. I'd totally buy an over ear, more comfortable designed Sine.

Been reading up on the Aeon, some prefer it's sound signature over the Ether C for rock and or modern music. That's right up my ally.

 

 

The higher the headphones's impedance the better control an amp has over it. Anything over the ratio of 8:1, Amplifier output impedance: headphone impedance, is good. So headphones with higher impedance are better with tube amps, which have a high output impedance.

 

 
You might be confusing things a bit here. The volume setting you require for a pair of headphones has to do with the gain settings of the amp. If a pair of headphones is being inadequately driven, you'll get, respectively:
 
Low impedance headphones: The sound blurs during complex passages in the music.
High impedance headphones: The soundstage collapses during complex passages in the music.
 

 
Thanks. I use a Nikon D750.

 

Thanks! I should have looked into this info before buying. Ugh!  I got lucky because it sounds pretty darn good.
If the impedance of Utopias are 80 ohms and Ragnarok, according to the manual, the output impedance of balanced output is less than 0.1 ohms so 0.1 to 80? I must be looking at the wrong impedance for the amp. My other amp WA8 is 45 ohms, so 45 to 80?  Again, I must be reading off the wrong impedance because both are not anywhere near ideal.

 

0.1 is fantastically ideal. The WA8 has a <1 Ohm output impedance, not 45. Both are fine.

 

The headphones frequency response is also a factor so a headphone that remains in control and reasonably flat will fare better even when theoretical impedance mis-matching occurs. I haven't looked recently, but doesn't the Utopia sport a very nice frequency response?

 

I think what you mean is the headphone's impedance. If that is flat, then indeed you wont get a change in frequency response with a high output impedance. It really only affects weird amps like the current output Bakoon models. Most high-output impedance amps are OTL tube amps which aren't designed for low-impedance headphones to begin with.

 

Moved to He 1000 blog

 

Yes, my bad that is what I meant. Thanks for catching that.

 

Not sure if anyone cares, but I put together an audio gear Amazon wishlist including many of the "They Might Be Kings" of headphones (the reviews for which again has been a great influence).

The list has three sections to it. There is the dream system, the more obtainable system, and the portable system. I read a ton online to assemble this list. Note that a few list items are educated guesses for the future.

http://a.co/1eup5G7

 

Please buy all of them and write a grand review after one year of use.

 

That's sort of the idea. I'm sure it will be some combination of the dream items, the more obtainable items, the portable items, and other new items not yet considered or announced. For example I have not yet considered any tube-based equipment, however, perhaps the Cavalli Audio Liquid Tungston will change my mind. Tubes seem like ongoing money and trouble to me - but I've never heard them yet so I'll reserve judgement. Next chance I get to go to NYC Can Jam I'm there. I've owned some decent audio items before, but this list take the hobby to a whole new level for me.

I'm starting a podcast network late this year called The Podcast Atlantis network. I own the Dot Com and social media on that . The topics will be split up into different podcasts all based on the Atlantis theme and logo. For Marvel movies and TV shows it will be called "Marvels of Atlantis". For headphones and stereos it will be called "Audio of Atlantis" and so on. I'm super excited!!