headphones Headphone switching

[Maksimkoz]

Hello! I have a pair of Steelseries Arctis 3 Bluetooth Edition.

What is best with my motherboard (MSI B360 PRO-VD) a 32 Ohms or 80 Ohms DT 990 PRO?

[GuiltySpark_]

I'm confused, what does the Steelseries have to do with this? 

 

Anyway, most motherboards these days can handle 80 Ohms just fine but you wouldn 't really gain anything. If you plan to never use an external amplifier, just get the 32 Ohm option. 

[Maksimkoz]

5 minutes ago, rickeo said:

I'm confused, what does the Steelseries have to do with this? 

 

Anyway, most motherboards these days can handle 80 Ohms just fine but you wouldn 't really gain anything. If you plan to never use an external amplifier, just get the 32 Ohm option. 

I meant that is it worth to switch from Steelseries Arctis 3

[H713]

Very likely. I've never actually heard a Steelseries Arctis 3, but the DT990s are well-respected headphones designed with sound quality as a primary concern. If possible, it's best to demo them before purchasing (since everyone has different taste in headphones).

 

Don't get hung up over impedances. The impedance is more of an issue for amplifier designers. With low impedance headphones (16 or 32 ohms especially), the power will most likely be limited by how much current the output stage can source. With high impedance headphones, the voltage rails will likely be the limiting factor.

 

Neither necessarily sounds better than the other, and neither is necessarily more difficult to drive. A lot of high-impedance headphones are also rather inefficient, but this isn't always the case.