[rheiber]

So, if it IS around 30, what does that mean then?

 

[davidsh]

The bass will be sloppy and uncontrolled

 

[davidsh]

The bass will be sloppy and uncontrolled

 

[rheiber]

So you recommend a headphone amp?

 

[chewy4]

It might not even be that big of a deal at all. Probably just a minor bass boost.
 
I would reccomend trying to get a hold of Creative and asking for the output impedence measurements of the Z. It's supposed to be an audiophile grade soundcard so it could very well be quite low.
 
Or ask the folks at the computer audio if any measurements have been done.

 

[proton007]

Just for reference, the Xonar STX has output impedance of 10-11 OHms.

 

[rheiber]

The only answer I got from creative was what I already knew about the amplifier ohms.....grrrrr

 

[obobskivich]

I've been looking at the HD-598s. And have heard good things about the ATH-AD900. My only reservation is spending so much on something with only a 1 or 2 year warranty. If Koss had any good headphones for my needs I would go with them ( I live in Milwaukee ). Can you guys give me an idea of how long the headphones should last?

The TBSE and MV1 are both good headphones, but the 701 are likely a better match for you. The MV1 are the better of the two Koss 'phones if you're curious. If you had more money, the ESP/950 would be an easy suggestion. That said, the 701 are pretty close to that level of performance, and I think you'd like them quite a lot.

Don't get me wrong, TBSE and MV1 are both good, but I think the 701 will do better due to their larger soundstage and somewhat better detail retrieval. If you weren't into classical I'd be happier suggesting the MV1. I haven't heard the Pro4/AAAT (the open, TOTL, dynamic can from Koss) so I can't comment there - I have not read good things about them though. *shrug*

I'm assuming isolation isn't a problem by the way - if it is, that changes things (and the MV1 suddenly become very appealing imho).

Wanted to know. The Sound Blaster Z has a headphone amp. 33 to 600 ohms. And now I'm reading about this 1/8th rule regarding amps to headphones... Will the 598 experience any problems?

No, they shouldn't. Based on the specs (and having been around), I'll bet you a buffalo nickel the Z has a TPA6120 on it, and that the Zout is going to be around 10R - which will be no problem even with very reactive headphones like the HD 650 or low impedance headphones like the MDR-F1. It will just mean a slight change to FR with reactive headphones (but reactive headphones just kind of suffer this no matter what).

The 1/8th rule is kind of a twisted marketing joke gone bad.

I think the 33 to 600 is the output impedance...I'm new to sound technical stuff. Couldn't find anything specifically saying output impedance.

No, the output impedance will be a single value - 33 to 600 is Creative's stated operating range for the amplifier, and given that we know it's a chipamp and they're spec'ing 32-600 and 80 mW into 600R, there's only one chip I know of that fits that description: TPA6120. And I've never seen a 6120 deployed with Zout lower than 10R. That said, it's a good amp and will drive more or less anything with ease. Be careful with super low impedance cans (they're sort of rare and most of them are sensitive enough that they ask for so little current that it isn't dangerous), but otherwise you'll be fine. The K701 H598, MV1, TBSE, or A900X would all be fine with such an amplifier.

The bass will be sloppy and uncontrolled

Low Zout in no way correlates to "tight bass" (because electrical damping is a fantasy) - reactive loads will notice an FR deviation with higher Zout (and really deviation isn't a fair word here - what does the manufacturer actually assume they're plugging into? Some headphones assume Zout to be 120R in design, others do not) which can sometimes mean more bass (or less treble, or whatever - it depends on the impedance curve) but you aren't going to somehow gain or lose "control" in the amplifier.

Generally having Zout much higher than Znom of the load is a bad idea because it can let noise in, and putting a load on an amplifier that it isn't rated to drive (e.g. it isn't stable) is a bad idea because it can let the magical smoke out (lol), but otherwise there's really no problem with Zout not being nine-zeros flat. If the load is reactive enough, and Zout is high enough, again, you'll see FR deviation (which has to exceed ~2 dB to even be noticeable, but it's nothing you'll hear and go "wow that's really off!!!" unless you're A/B'ing).

So you recommend a headphone amp?

The Z already has one, in effect - it'll do just dandy with any of the cans mentioned in this thread.

And for the uninitiated, by "Zout" and "Znom" and so on, I am not referring to the Sound Blaster Z (I just realized where that may seem confusing - THANKS CREATIVE!); I'm referring to Impedance (Z).

 

[rheiber]

Thank you. This is becoming a chore. Finding products in stores locally is not easy, simply because I like buying things locally and supporting business'. Though I was considering buying from TTVJ. Just been waiting on a reply to my email about a price match for the 598s.

 

[obobskivich]

Yeah, finding a lot of higher end headphones in local stores is usually a chore - there's plenty of good online retailers though, such as Amazon or J&R, that are worth noting. I don't have any experience with TTVJ though.

 

[rheiber]

And of course now my Logitech speakers I have had for about 5 years are starting to give out...So now I need to go buy some speakers...these one were 5.1 but I am starting to think that is very unnecessary so I would like to find a good 2.0 set...if possible with a subwoofer, I am RMA'ing my headset I had so I will just use that, but the speakers are out of warranty so I need to replace those.