Headphone and amplifier impedance, best practices #Audio
NwAvGuy posts discusses how the impedance of ones headphones vs. the output impedance of ones amplifier makes a difference to how the headphones will work best.
The output Impedance of headphone sources is one of the most common reasons the same headphones can sound different depending on what they’re plugged into. This important parameter is rarely specified by manufactures but can make a huge difference in sound quality and headphone compatibility.
All you really need to know is most headphones work best when the output impedance is less than 1/8th the headphone impedance. So, for example, with 32 ohm Grados the output impedance can be, at most, 32/8 = 4 ohms. The Etymotic HF5s are 16 ohms so the max output impedance is 16/8 = 2 ohms. If you want to be assured a source will work well with just about any headphone, simply make sure the output impedance is under 2 ohms.
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