Headphones
Posted: Sat Sep 28, 2019 1:58 pm
Don't use them (at the moment) but never say never.
What are the best type of headphones to use with NVA amps ? I would guess high impedance models are most suitable as the NVA amps provide headphone use via a 1K resistor from the power amp output.
This is a quote from somewhere else about this arrangement. Could be all bollocks. Any views on this
"AIUI this results in the headphone output having a high output impedance (low damping factor). This means that:
a) the amplifier will have less efficient power transfer into lower impedance headphones; and
b) the amplifier will cause in frequency response colourations with headphones that have variable impedance curves (put simply the frequency response will mimic the impedance curve to some extent).
To minimise these effects it is generally recommended that a headphone amplifier's output impedance be less than 1/8th of the headphone's nominal impedance.
Output impedance can of course be used to tailor the sound to taste. Sennheiser's HDVD800 headphone amp, for example, has an output impedance of 43 ohms, presumably because they feel this is the optimum match for their HD800 headphones, which many would argue sound 'overdamped' (i.e. too fast and lean) when driven by a headphone amp with very low output impedance."
What are the best type of headphones to use with NVA amps ? I would guess high impedance models are most suitable as the NVA amps provide headphone use via a 1K resistor from the power amp output.
This is a quote from somewhere else about this arrangement. Could be all bollocks. Any views on this
"AIUI this results in the headphone output having a high output impedance (low damping factor). This means that:
a) the amplifier will have less efficient power transfer into lower impedance headphones; and
b) the amplifier will cause in frequency response colourations with headphones that have variable impedance curves (put simply the frequency response will mimic the impedance curve to some extent).
To minimise these effects it is generally recommended that a headphone amplifier's output impedance be less than 1/8th of the headphone's nominal impedance.
Output impedance can of course be used to tailor the sound to taste. Sennheiser's HDVD800 headphone amp, for example, has an output impedance of 43 ohms, presumably because they feel this is the optimum match for their HD800 headphones, which many would argue sound 'overdamped' (i.e. too fast and lean) when driven by a headphone amp with very low output impedance."