Headphone ohms?

maxman65

maxman65

Member
For several years I've used audio technica m30x which quote 47ohms .(multitracking with a Tascam dpoo8ex) Recently these have gone and I'm considering another pair except I've just discovered the m40x are 35 ohms . Traditionally I have noticed I have to crank the headphone output high maximum . I need some technical advice . Does this mean the m40x are easier to power and consequently lower output volume needed from the dpoo8ex. Also if anyone knows the output spec of the Tascam headphone . Many thanks
 
Generally speaking with headphones, the lower their Ohm rating, the less power required to run them. So if you were to go with, say, a set of phones rated at 250Ω (or more), you'd probably need to get a separate headphone amp to push them.

Your DP-008EX headphone output is rated at 32Ω .
 
The lower ohm should be easier to drive.

If you look at something like the Beyer DT770, the 32ohm model is recommended for mobile devices, the 80 ohm are considered general purpose, and the 250 ohm are recommended for "professional devices" which most likely could put out higher levels.

The spec for the DP-008 is:

PHONES jack: Connector: 3.5 mm (1/8”) stereo mini jack
Maximum output level: 20mW+20mW (THD+N 0.1%, 32Ω)

It looks like the M40x might be a perfect match.
 
Excellent many thanks for your help . Will do . For any that are in the UK cex sell them for about £55 b stock . Anyone had experience with second hand headphones there ?
 
That's where Sennheiser HD25s win out - if you replace the earpads, the foam cover over the diaphragm also gets replaced so everything in contact with your ears is new. My HD25s had probably been used by hundreds of people before I bought them. I replaced the leatherette earpads with the more comfortable velour earpads.
 
Hi Maxman, unfortunately neither Beyer nor Sennheiser give a sensitivity figure for those headphones that I can find. I do find however that you ATs have a sensitivity of 96dB/1V and that is a bit low by today's standards I would say?Most dynamic headphones seem to be around 100dB/1V.
So, pretty much anything 32 Ohms is likely to be a bit louder on the DP. If you wanted a significant level boost look at the AKG K92 which are 32 R and have a sensitivity of 113dB/V. Even this deaf old codger only needs YTs at about 1/2 volume straight out of the laptop.

But! Headphone specifications are total 'king mess. Why do we have SO many impedance variations when it is now beer into water to make a cans amp easily capable of driving a standard impedance of say 80 Ohms? Nobody these days I would suggest needs to jack cans across a "600 Ohm" line? Surely there must be an optimum number of wire turns on the coils and an optimum coil 'mass'? Loudspeakers have been standard at 8 Ohms for 'hi fi' for decades with 4R for special purposes, e.g. ICE. Guitar amps were 16 Ohms historically but even there, some convergence to 8R can be seen. Why not for headphones?

Sensitivity figures are most often given as "dBs for 1V rms input" but a few mnfctrs confuse the issue with "dB/mW".

Dave.
 
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