Do ohms = sound quality?

[Spiffeye]

The Sennheiser Game Zeros were first released having 150 ohms, however, this was supposedly too much for phones and some computers to handle at full quality, so Sennheiser updated the headphones to 50 ohms. However, I was told that with the old 150 ohm model, the sound quality was flat and not very good when used on a device not able to manage 150 ohms, and that when used -then- on a device that -can- manage, the sound quality improved drastically. So does that mean that on the new 50 ohm model the sound quality will always be flat and not very good as the old 150 ohm model was on non-qualified devices?

 

I don't know much about sound or headphones, but I hope at least some of that made sense. If not please comment with a question or confusions and I'll try to clear it up.

Thanks in advance.

[Mark77]

No, ohms does not relate to sound quality.  It does related to the amount of energy an amplifier can transfer from its circuitry to the speaker device.  Per the Maximum Power Transfer theorem, power transfer is maximized when Z(output) = Z(input). 

[Ridska]

 

24 minutes ago, Spiffeye said:

The Sennheiser Game Zeros were first released having 150 ohms, however, this was supposedly too much for phones and some computers to handle at full quality, so Sennheiser updated the headphones to 50 ohms. However, I was told that with the old 150 ohm model, the sound quality was flat and not very good when used on a device not able to manage 150 ohms, and that when used -then- on a device that -can- manage, the sound quality improved drastically. So does that mean that on the new 50 ohm model the sound quality will always be flat and not very good as the old 150 ohm model was on non-qualified devices?

 

I don't know much about sound or headphones, but I hope at least some of that made sense. If not please comment with a question or confusions and I'll try to clear it up.

Thanks in advance.

Ohm resistance can play a part of sound quality ,

For example : I have the hyperX cloud gaming headset , That headphones ohm is rated at 80 ohms,

If i was to only drive 50 ohms , I could hear the mids and highs and the lows it but i would need to crack up the volume ( aka send more power ) , And sense i am driving it 50 ohms , The lower end or the bass end will be floppy and bit muddy, In this case , The hyperX clouds bass will be muddy and floppy , I don't know what will be the sennies g4me 0 situation is.

If i was to drive it to full 80 ohms, The base would clean up and become much tighter and better.

If you understood this please reply.

[Mark77]

Usually the problem with poor audio quality and/or speaker saturation is that of having *too small* of an amplifier, or ineffective power transfer from the amplifier to the receiver (ie: headphones, speakers, etc.).  So by matching to the 50 ohm amplifier output impedance, while keeping the same "size" of amplifier, the probability of clipping/amplifier saturation is lower.  Hence, better sound, especially in operating regimes that put a lot of energy into lower harmonics* for which impedance is already minimal. 

 

Of course, clipping is bad under all circumstances, and left unchecked and if excessive, will destroy the speakers/headphones.

 

* in more colloquial language, this is called "bass".

[ZetZet]

11 minutes ago, Ridska said:

 

Ohm resistance can play a part of sound quality ,

For example : I have the hyperX cloud gaming headset , That headphones ohm is rated at 80 ohms,

If i was to only drive 50 ohms , I could hear the mids and highs and the lows it but i would need to crack up the volume ( aka send more power ) , And sense i am driving it 50 ohms , The lower end or the bass end will be floppy and bit muddy, In this case , The hyperX clouds base will be muddy and floppy , I don't know what will be the sennies g4me 0 situation is.

If i was to drive it to full 80 ohms, The base would clean up and become much tighter and better.

If you understood this please reply.

bass not base

[Ridska]

Just now, ZetZet said:

bass not base

Thanks for pointing out my spelling mistake.

[SSL]

Oh boy.

 

Heavy misinformation and perpetuation of excessive preoccupation with impedance incoming.

[Dackzy]

ROFL I think we have corvered this many times.... The really simple answer is no.

[Naeaes]

24 minutes ago, SSL said:

Oh boy.

 

Heavy misinformation and perpetuation of excessive preoccupation with impedance incoming.

I personally came for the impedance=resistance misconception. Wasn't disappointed.

[FloRolf]

no, NO and NO

[Pomfinator]

I blame Beyerdynamic for this.

[Dackzy]

19 minutes ago, Pomfinator said:

I blame Beyerdynamic for this.

So god damn true  

 

[BoredErica]

To push back against what the first few people have responded with, no, it's unlikely that a lower impedance version of a headphone will sound different due to the difference in impedance. But it's possible the designer changed the way it sounds on purpose. When you lack the needed current/voltage you don't get missing bass or some vague bass problem, you get clipping. Try increasing the gain option in Audacity while playing a piece of music to see what clipping can sound like.

 

A higher impedance headphone can be more immune to some amp problems such as a high output impedance.

 

Sighted evaluation explains the rest of the differences people claim (in other words, expectation bias) because their observations don't align with how these things work.

[seduce_me]

3 hours ago, Ridska said:

 

Ohm resistance can play a part of sound quality ,

For example : I have the hyperX cloud gaming headset , That headphones ohm is rated at 80 ohms,

If i was to only drive 50 ohms , I could hear the mids and highs and the lows it but i would need to crack up the volume ( aka send more power ) , And sense i am driving it 50 ohms , The lower end or the bass end will be floppy and bit muddy, In this case , The hyperX clouds bass will be muddy and floppy , I don't know what will be the sennies g4me 0 situation is.

If i was to drive it to full 80 ohms, The base would clean up and become much tighter and better.

If you understood this please reply.

Lol wut

[spwath]

4 hours ago, Ridska said:

 

Ohm resistance can play a part of sound quality ,

For example : I have the hyperX cloud gaming headset , That headphones ohm is rated at 80 ohms,

If i was to only drive 50 ohms , I could hear the mids and highs and the lows it but i would need to crack up the volume ( aka send more power ) , And sense i am driving it 50 ohms , The lower end or the bass end will be floppy and bit muddy, In this case , The hyperX clouds bass will be muddy and floppy , I don't know what will be the sennies g4me 0 situation is.

If i was to drive it to full 80 ohms, The base would clean up and become much tighter and better.

If you understood this please reply.

No, that's not all how it works. You won't be "running a 80 ohm headphone at 50 ohms". Your phone or computer does not output ohms, first because ohms are a measurement, not a thing, and because that's just not how it works.

3 hours ago, Naeaes said:

I personally came for the impedance=resistance misconception. Wasn't disappointed.

I'm unclear on the difference between the two. Mind clearing it up?

[Ridska]

4 minutes ago, spwath said:

No, that's not all how it works. You won't be "running a 80 ohm headphone at 50 ohms". Your phone or computer does not output ohms, first because ohms are a measurement, not a thing, and because that's just not how it works.

 

Then either my explanation is unclear or misguided.

So tell me , How does it work then ?

[spwath]

1 minute ago, Ridska said:

Then either my explanation is unclear or misguided.

So tell me , How does it work then ?

Impedance of the headphones is measured in ohms. This determines how hard it is to drive, electrically. However,a more important factor for determining if the appropriate volume Will be reached is sensitivity. So for the most part, one can ignore Impedance. 

 

[Ridska]

Just now, spwath said:

Impedance of the headphones is measured in ohms. This determines how hard it is to drive, electrically. However,a more important factor for determining if the appropriate volume Will be reached is sensitivity. So for the most part, one can ignore Impedance. 

 

But ignoring impedance can be a mistake as well.

The only time i can ignore the impedance is when the impedance is rated at 32 ohms. With the impedance like that , Any sorce can drive the headphone.

Here is an extreme example : If i was to buy the sennie HD 800 and just ignore the impedence and just plug it in my mobos audio female jack with an addapter , Would the mobo power it ?

No , becasue the impedence is rated at 300 ohms.

[Dackzy]

6 minutes ago, Ridska said:

But ignoring impedance can be a mistake as well.

The only time i can ignore the impedance is when the impedance is rated at 32 ohms. With the impedance like that , Any sorce can drive the headphone.

Here is an extreme example : If i was to buy the sennie HD 800 and just ignore the impedence and just plug it in my mobos audio female jack with an addapter , Would the mobo power it ?

No , becasue the impedence is rated at 300 ohms.

Most motherboards can power 300 ohm and the better ones can power 600 ohm.

[Ridska]

1 minute ago, Dackzy said:

Most motherboards can power 300 ohm and the better ones can power 600 ohm.

Then why deos amps exisit if is such as the case ?

[Dackzy]

Just now, Ridska said:

Then why deos amps exisit if is such as the case ?

Because Ohm is not the whole story, infact it is a very little part of the story.

Without a amp you would not have any sound  

[Ridska]

1 minute ago, Dackzy said:

Because Ohm is not the whole story, infact it is a very little part of the story.

Without a amp you would not have any sound  

Well'p , Im dummer than i thought.

Back to the drawing table then.

[Dackzy]

1 minute ago, Ridska said:

Well'p , Im dummer than i thought.

Back to the drawing table then.

Nah most people just think Ohm is the most important thing.

[BoredErica]

3 minutes ago, Ridska said:

Well'p , Im dummer than i thought.

Back to the drawing table then.

In my siggy there is a thread that looks at this.

 

BTW, Ohm sounds like some kind of Buddhist chant.

[Dackzy]

1 minute ago, Dark_wizzie said:

BTW, Ohm sounds like some kind of Buddhist chant.

LOL I have never thought of that.