DAC/AMP for DT-770 250 Ohm

[Maxdiken]

Well I have owned the Audeze LCD-XC and they were my favorite Audeze. 1.3k usd though, large and heavy too.

Yeaaaaah well... I'd prefer looking for something more affordable if possible.

 

[Trell]

Yeaaaaah well... I'd prefer looking for something more affordable if possible.

I’ve the closed back Beyerdynamic DT1770 that’s sounds nice to me, though I prefer the open back DT1990. It’s more sensitive than the DT770 so it will go louder for the same voltage from a headphone amp.

DT 1770 Pro

back to Beyerdynamic back to measurements home published: Jul-16-2017, updated: Feb-24-2020 NO SMOOTHING is applied to the shown plots. Most measurement sites have some smoothing applied which ‘iro…

diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com

 

[Maxdiken]

I’ve the closed back Beyerdynamic DT1770 that’s sounds nice to me, though I prefer the open back DT1990. It’s more sensitive than the DT770 so it will go louder for the same voltage from a headphone amp.

DT 1770 Pro

back to Beyerdynamic back to measurements home published: Jul-16-2017, updated: Feb-24-2020 NO SMOOTHING is applied to the shown plots. Most measurement sites have some smoothing applied which ‘iro…

diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com

I haven't heard much good in favor of the DT-1770 when compared to the DT-770, is it justified or just are people just die hard DT-770 fans ?

 

[Trell]

I haven't heard much good in favor of the DT-1770 when compared to the DT-770, is it justified or just are people just die hard DT-770 fans ?

Some like it while others don’t. You’ll have try out for yourself how it sounds as well as how well they fit you.

In the headphone forum on ASR they’re several threads were posters asks about closed headphones.

 

[Maxdiken]

Some like it while others don’t. You’ll have try out for yourself how it sounds as well as how well they fit you.

In the headphone forum on ASR they’re several threads were posters asks about closed headphones.

Okay, I'll take a look around, but last I checked, it was either recommending <200€ head or over 800 bucks ones. Doesn't seem to be a lot of choices in-between for closed-back headphones besides DT-1770 and SRH1540. Might have to try one of these.

 

[Maxdiken]

Also, is high impedance something to strive for ? I see a lot of high-end headphones with relatively low impedances. I assume they are easier to drive but doesn't it sound less detailed compared to high impedance ones when trying to listen thoroughly ?

 

[unpluggged]

Also, is high impedance something to strive for ?

Not so much.

I assume they are easier to drive

The lower is the headphone impedance, the higher is the current the amplifier has to output at the same power. So it's the other way around.

doesn't it sound less detailed compared to high impedance ones when trying to listen thoroughly ?

Sometimes they may sound less detailed precisely due to the fact that the amp distorts more due to the higher output current into lower impedance load.

 

[Maxdiken]

The lower is the headphone impedance, the higher is the current the amplifier has to output at the same power. So it's the other way around.

Wow I really felt like the consensus around it was the opposite. Does that mean an amp is more important for lower impedance headphones ?

 

[unpluggged]

Does that mean an amp is more important for lower impedance headphones ?

Yes. It should have low output impedance and high current capacity. For high impedance phones, these requirements are not as strict, provided the amp outputs enough voltage to drive the higher impedance phones. And even if it does not, this would result just in lower than desired volume, not in amp clipping/saturation.

 

[Maxdiken]

Yes. It should have low output impedance and high current capacity. For high impedance phones, these requirements are not as strict, provided the amp outputs enough voltage to drive the higher impedance phones. And even if it does not, this would result just in lower than desired volume, not in amp clipping/saturation.

So how does one choose between low and high impedance when you have a capable amp ?

 

[JaMaSt]

So how does one choose between low and high impedance when you have a capable amp ?

Most IEM's, and many headphones, are below 32 ohm. So low gain would be what I would start with. Your DT-770 are 250 Ohm and would probably benefit from a higher gain setting.

Edit: By the way Solderdude runs the DIYAudioheaven web site referenced above. He's replied to this post.

https://diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com/headphones/measurements/brands-a-i/dt-1770-pro/

 

[Maxdiken]

Honestly I'm not sure what I should do. I can still return my DT-770 but I wouldn't know what else to take even if I were to spend 200€ more. I'm considering buying high-end open-back headphones in the future in addition to my closed-back ones but I still need the latter as my main ones. I'm not saying the DT-770 are not satisfactory to my ears, music sounds great (even better with some slight EQing) although I haven't listened to a lot of jazz nor classical music with them. The thing is that I haven't had anything else to compare to since my HyperX Cloud II, which is obviously not an ideal comparison.

 

[unpluggged]

So how does one choose between low and high impedance when you have a capable amp ?

By looking at more important characteristics, such as frequency response, distortion, sensitivity, comfort, build quality, and such

 

[Maxdiken]

By looking at more important characteristics, such as frequency response, distortion, sensitivity, comfort, build quality, and such

Talking about frequency response, I've been wondering... what's the point of having a frequency response higher than 20kHz ? Surely when some headphones go up to 40 or even 50kHz, there has to be some utility to it, but is it music related ?

 

[Trell]

Talking about frequency response, I've been wondering... what's the point of having a frequency response higher than 20kHz ? Surely when some headphones go up to 40 or even 50kHz, there has to be some utility to it, but is it music related ?

It’s a marketing tick in the box, nothing more. Pretty useless.

 

[Maxdiken]

I've decided to keep my Fiio K5 Pro ESS for now and I ordered the DT-1770 Pro to compare to my DT-770 Pro. To that I'll probably add open-back headphones such as the HD650 in the future for more variety. Thank you everyone for the insightful inputs!

 

[b7676]

So how does one choose between low and high impedance when you have a capable amp ?

With beyerdynamic, their higher impedance voicecoils are of superior quality (finer wire, more windings) and thus exhibit less distortion moving through the permanent magnet.

 

[unpluggged]

With beyerdynamic, their higher impedance voicecoils are of superior quality (finer wire, more windings) and thus exhibit less distortion moving through the permanent magnet.

Other than the damping factor differences, this appears to be more of a marketing thing.

Beyerdynamic DT 880 600 Ohm Review (Headphone)

This is a review and detailed measurements of the 600 ohm version of the Beyerdynamic DT 880 "semi-open" headphone. It was kindly sent to me by a member and costs US $198 on Amazon including Prime shipping. I am not a fan of the silver color on the pads but otherwise, this is a good looking...

www.audiosciencereview.com

A Comparison of Beyerdynamic DT 880 32 ohm, DT 880 250 ohm, and DT 880 600 ohm Headphones Page 2

The lower the output impedance of the amplifier, the less it will “feel” and be affected by the load reactance (phase angles).

www.stereophile.com

 

[Maxdiken]

Another question concerning RCA cables... are they mandatory for a stack and/or a combo and if not, what advantages do they give ? I'm not sure I understand if they are a replacement for USB/Coax/Opt either.