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Headphone and Amp Impedance (2011)

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Re: Headphone and Amp Impedance (2011)

#81

Post by eunice »

Aurornis wrote: post #51
dusted wrote: post #44

I find myself guilty of deep-diving into headfi-territory audiophilia once in a while, this time it got to me as well and I started thinking how neat it'd be to finally do it and get some high-end replacement for my 250 ohm dt990 pro cans, and I've heard both the hifman arya and sennheiser hd800s and know they are quite a lot better.. but THEN comes the amp question... and the rabbithole deepens.. and then the DAC an…

> but THEN comes the amp question... and the rabbithole deepens.. and then the DAC and in the end I give up, every time.. Well I have some great news for you! In 2024, you don’t need to spend mega bucks to get a good DAC or amp. You might not need one at all! One of the better performing and measuring DACs out there right now is the $9 Apple USB-C dongle: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/r..…

yeah, I have HD600s and I’m pretty sure I couldn’t tell the difference blind between my amp+dac setup or onboard audio on my desktop & thinkpad having a chunky volume nob on the desk is nice I guess

Re: Headphone and Amp Impedance (2011)

#82

Post by grumpyprole »

eunice wrote: post #81
Aurornis wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> but THEN comes the amp question... and the rabbithole deepens.. and then the DAC and in the end I give up, every time.. Well I have some great news for you! In 2024, you don’t need to spend mega bucks to get a good DAC or amp. You might not need one at all! One of the better performing and measuring DACs out there right now is the $9 Apple USB-C dongle: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/r..…

yeah, I have HD600s and I’m pretty sure I couldn’t tell the difference blind between my amp+dac setup or onboard audio on my desktop & thinkpad having a chunky volume nob on the desk is nice I guess

HD600 are hard to drive, they should sound notificably better on a dedicated headphone amp versus a ThinkPad. Many years ago I did this comparison and the difference was very significant, I've never used a stock headphone jack since.

Re: Headphone and Amp Impedance (2011)

#83

Post by grumpyprole »

snvzz wrote: post #71
mckirk wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was reading the parent comment and just could feel myself itching to recommend AudioScienceReview, but then was glad to see it was already the top answer. It's such a relief when you finally have some hard data to compare options in that snakeoil-laden field. I built my stack based on the reviews there, and I've been completely satisfied with my Topping D10 (for DAC) and JDS Atom (for an amp), which cost me like $2…

Sennheiser HD600 and Topping DX3Pro+[0] are the combination I recommend today. The Atom doesn't hold up as well as when it launched in today's market at that price point. That DX3Pro+ is a strongly measuring dac+amp single unit at the price. As for HD600, they're the time-proven, neutral, uncolored, accurate timbre kings. Great overall balance. 0. https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/t...

+1. Great advice

Re: Headphone and Amp Impedance (2011)

#84

Post by kragen »

formerly_proven wrote: post #78
kragen wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

yeah, rj-11 or 4p4c ('rj-9') are the other candidates, and they have some real advantages over 3.5mm jacks: - cables are available even from hardware stores, and also so are bus adaptors which connect two or three or five cables together, pin for pin; these do exist for 3.5mm jacks but are less common - spiral 4p4c cables are cheap and easily available - it doesn't short the power rails together as you're plugging it…

Reliability of 3.5mm vs phone jacks is probably pretty similar (500-1000 cycles?), 1/4” jacks, at least the good ones like Neutrik, brag about >10k cycles. I think there’s a reason audio patch panels used either 1/4” or Lemo. I expect far more reliable contact from RJ preloaded contact springs compared to 3.5mm, which are noisy when disturbed even when new. You could use 4P4C, the handset connector, instead of RJ11/6…

you might be right, but regular plugging and unplugging is a part of the normal usage of the cylindrical connectors in a way it isn't for the modular telephone installation stuff. the tabs do sometimes break off, but i think that's a question of abuse (dragging them backwards through a rat's nest) rather than wear or defects

(i assume by 'phone jacks' here you mean rj-11 and 4p4c, but https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phone_jack lists cylindrical 3.5mm and ¼” 'phone connectors' as well, because they originated in telephone switchboards)

you can actually plug a 4p4c plug into an rj-11 jack, or even an rj-45 jack; it enters and holds securely. it may damage the rj-45 contacts, but it will fit. but it's probably true that it's a less likely error for someone to make in practice, and i wonder if maybe the higher on-hook voltages aren't even passed through to the handset

another plus of the modular phone connectors is that they're significantly less work to attach to a cable than a 3.5mm plug, once you have the right crimping tool anyway. (you'll get a shitty connection until you learn to do it right.) otoh, the 3.5mm plug doesn't need a crimping tool

Re: Headphone and Amp Impedance (2011)

#85

Post by AlecSchueler »

proto-n wrote: post #47
anthomtb wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You need to pay hosting bills. Or keep a server running somewhere in your home.

Blogspot is google's blogging platform

And Google will happily delete your blog if it's associated with an inactive account:

https://support.google.com/blogger/thread/226117604/my-blog-...

Re: Headphone and Amp Impedance (2011)

#86

Post by 0x008 »

Aurornis wrote: post #51
dusted wrote: post #44

I find myself guilty of deep-diving into headfi-territory audiophilia once in a while, this time it got to me as well and I started thinking how neat it'd be to finally do it and get some high-end replacement for my 250 ohm dt990 pro cans, and I've heard both the hifman arya and sennheiser hd800s and know they are quite a lot better.. but THEN comes the amp question... and the rabbithole deepens.. and then the DAC an…

> but THEN comes the amp question... and the rabbithole deepens.. and then the DAC and in the end I give up, every time.. Well I have some great news for you! In 2024, you don’t need to spend mega bucks to get a good DAC or amp. You might not need one at all! One of the better performing and measuring DACs out there right now is the $9 Apple USB-C dongle: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/r..…

what the fuck that USB-C Dongle has great Signal to noise ratio. wow. probably because it runs on battery?

Re: Headphone and Amp Impedance (2011)

#87

Post by 0x008 »

dusted wrote: post #44

I find myself guilty of deep-diving into headfi-territory audiophilia once in a while, this time it got to me as well and I started thinking how neat it'd be to finally do it and get some high-end replacement for my 250 ohm dt990 pro cans, and I've heard both the hifman arya and sennheiser hd800s and know they are quite a lot better.. but THEN comes the amp question... and the rabbithole deepens.. and then the DAC an…

In my humble opinion the sound of the headphones is just preference. Of course some people will tell you the arya is great or the hd800s or whatever, but in the end it just is a sound preference. Do you prefer airy highs or warm mids or whatever the terminology is.

When it comes to DACs and amps its just simple: get the one that has the best signal to noise ratio. Usually they should not alter the sound profile at all.

Also most DACs you will find on audiosciencereview for example have such a good signal to noise ratio (>100 or whatever) that is is imperceptible to the human ear anyway. You can go higher, but you won't hear a difference. And some of these cost less then 100$ or even less.

I would go for something that looks ok, is not too large and fulfills your user experience preferences.

In my example I bought separate DAC and AMP to have the best signal to noise ratio, but I have more cables and 2 boxes on the desk and the AMP is huge. I would rather go back for an integrated solution that maybe can also drive my monitors. But here we are...

it's not all about perfect measurements.

then, of course, if you buy into all the snake oil it's a different story ;-)

Re: Headphone and Amp Impedance (2011)

#88

Post by itsoktocry »

0x008 wrote: post #87
dusted wrote: post #44

I find myself guilty of deep-diving into headfi-territory audiophilia once in a while, this time it got to me as well and I started thinking how neat it'd be to finally do it and get some high-end replacement for my 250 ohm dt990 pro cans, and I've heard both the hifman arya and sennheiser hd800s and know they are quite a lot better.. but THEN comes the amp question... and the rabbithole deepens.. and then the DAC an…

In my humble opinion the sound of the headphones is just preference. Of course some people will tell you the arya is great or the hd800s or whatever, but in the end it just is a sound preference. Do you prefer airy highs or warm mids or whatever the terminology is. When it comes to DACs and amps its just simple: get the one that has the best signal to noise ratio. Usually they should not alter the sound profile at al…

>Do you prefer airy highs or warm mids or whatever the terminology is.

There is no terminology, that's the problem. What is "airy"? What is "warm"? You're right, subjective. We can only care about what can be measured.

Re: Headphone and Amp Impedance (2011)

#89

Post by Macha »

grumpyprole wrote: post #82
eunice wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

yeah, I have HD600s and I’m pretty sure I couldn’t tell the difference blind between my amp+dac setup or onboard audio on my desktop & thinkpad having a chunky volume nob on the desk is nice I guess

HD600 are hard to drive, they should sound notificably better on a dedicated headphone amp versus a ThinkPad. Many years ago I did this comparison and the difference was very significant, I've never used a stock headphone jack since.

This can vary across onboard sound devices, like for my HD600 headphones, I ended up doing a quick check across various headphones jacks and got very mixed results:

- 2 of my 3 monitors audio outputs: Good

- Desktop rear audio port: Good

- MacBook Pro audio port: Good

- Third (different model) monitor: Usable

- Desktop front audio port: Usable

- Framework laptop: Usable

- Nintendo Switch: Poor

- Surface Go tablet: Poor

Re: Headphone and Amp Impedance (2011)

#90

Post by mckirk »

snvzz wrote: post #71
mckirk wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was reading the parent comment and just could feel myself itching to recommend AudioScienceReview, but then was glad to see it was already the top answer. It's such a relief when you finally have some hard data to compare options in that snakeoil-laden field. I built my stack based on the reviews there, and I've been completely satisfied with my Topping D10 (for DAC) and JDS Atom (for an amp), which cost me like $2…

Sennheiser HD600 and Topping DX3Pro+[0] are the combination I recommend today. The Atom doesn't hold up as well as when it launched in today's market at that price point. That DX3Pro+ is a strongly measuring dac+amp single unit at the price. As for HD600, they're the time-proven, neutral, uncolored, accurate timbre kings. Great overall balance. 0. https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/t...

The DX3 Pro+ seems like a great recommendation, I might have gone for that as well if it had been available when I was researching.

And I concur regarding the HD600, it's a great choice for many people. I was trying out both a HD650 and the DT1990 before making my choice, and for me the 'precision' of the 1990s was just too enticing compared to the laid-back sound of the 650s -- but it was a hard choice, because sometimes you don't want precision, you just want comfortable listening, and there the HD600/650 really excel in my opinion.

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