explain ohm and why it matters for headphones

[vangsfreaken]

so... i'm really tempted to upgrade from my siberia v2 to something more serious, but i don't know a shit about headphones... i got a basic understanding of sound (the physics behind it, why khz matters, size of the elements, and such) but i have no idea why ohm matters. would someone mind explaining it in a simple way? (or write a freaking book about it, doesn't matter as long as it's understandable) 

 

in case it should matter: i'm currently using a xonar dx and the siberia v2, and i'm considering upgrading to the xonar phoebus and some sennheiser hd 598's (or something around that price, recommendations are always welcome)

[Guest]

Ohms is the measurement for resistance or the level at which electrons are slowed travelling through materials. The higher the resistance, the more difficult it is to send a signal through and maintain the signal strength. Resistance matters when looking more at matching speakers with amplifiers - a 600w load at 2Ohm is a lot easier to push than a 600w load at 8Ohm. 

[Langdon]

Basically what Windspeed said.

Also, for the love of god, don't get a Phoebus.

[Reuben]

Ω

[MayflowerElectronics]

Basically what Windspeed said.

Also, for the love of god, don't get a Phoebus.

+1

If you don't know, learn. The internet is a powerful resource. A good start is reading the FAQ at the top of the audio forum.

[Saladin]

Ohms are a measure of electrical resistance, this resistance is expressed in two ways (simultaneously, as they are connected) the first is as heat (more resistance=more heat waste generated from the system) and the second is as power inefficiency (in high resistance situations it takes more energy to 'push' the electrons). So what does this mean for Audio, it mean that at high resistance you need more power driving them.

[vangsfreaken]

Basically what Windspeed said.

Also, for the love of god, don't get a Phoebus.

i know, i'm paying for the looks... but it matches my system, which matters a lot

[ShearMe]

So what does this mean for Audio, it mean that at high resistance you need more power driving them.

*More voltage to reach the same power level.

i know, i'm paying for the looks... but it matches my system, which matters a lot

You'll be best off with a headphone of 80 ohms or more if you want a proper dampening factor.

[Saladin]

*More voltage to reach the same power level.

Sorry, I should have been more clear.

[ShearMe]

Sorry, I should have been more clear.

No, what you said was just plain wrong.

[Saladin]

No, what you said was just plain wrong.

I know I was trying to dumb it down and went too far.

[MayflowerElectronics]

i know, i'm paying for the looks... but it matches my system, which matters a lot

That's not a very smart decision. For the most part you wouldn't even see it. Much better things can be purchased for the money.

[vangsfreaken]

That's not a very smart decision. For the most part you wouldn't even see it. Much better things can be purchased for the money.

the phoebus costs around 1400 NOK, and pretty much any other option available for me would be a soundcard around 7-800 NOK plus an external headphoneamplifier, and at that point i'd end up at almost the same... hifi is so expensive here in norway that it's a little sickening.

[MayflowerElectronics]

the phoebus costs around 1400 NOK, and pretty much any other option available for me would be a soundcard around 7-800 NOK plus an external headphoneamplifier, and at that point i'd end up at almost the same... hifi is so expensive here in norway that it's a little sickening.

 

You don't need anything for siberia's. When you upgrade, most headphones do OK on on-board audio.

[vangsfreaken]

You don't need anything for siberia's. When you upgrade, most headphones do OK on on-board audio.

Even my phone runs the siberia's fine, but the reason I created this thread is because I'm planning on upgrading to a better Headset

[ShearMe]

Even my phone runs the siberia's fine, but the reason I created this thread is because I'm planning on upgrading to a better Headset

 

i hope you mean headphones

[vangsfreaken]

i hope you mean headphones

Yes, my tablet on the other hand doesn't agree. I'm just to tired to actually notice when SwiftKey screws with me

Edit:I obviously screwed up more than one word... I should go to bed.

[vangsfreaken]

Okey, final question before I go to sleep. I do now have a basic understanding of ohm, but how does it affect sound? If it's just how easy the headphones/speakers are to run, why are there so many options? Why not just choose whatever is easiest to run? (or possibly why).

[mr moose]

Okey, final question before I go to sleep. I do now have a basic understanding of ohm, but how does it affect sound? If it's just how easy the headphones/speakers are to run, why are there so many options? Why not just choose whatever is easiest to run? (or possibly why).

Because if the headphones are too easy to drive, the amp will loose the ability to control them, that's when you get either boomy bass, no bass or both unevenly.  It also effects higher freq. but that is less noticeable.  

 

Think of it like trying to play an FPS game with mouse sensitivity so high you can't accurately aim.  You need a certain amount of resistance to make aiming controllable.

 

edit: if that analogy doesn't work for you consider a car with lots of power but no grip on the road, it would just wheel spin and when it does take off it can't break without skidding.  A certain amount of grip on the road (resistance) is needed so you can control the car.

[h264]

Okey, final question before I go to sleep. I do now have a basic understanding of ohm, but how does it affect sound? If it's just how easy the headphones/speakers are to run, why are there so many options? Why not just choose whatever is easiest to run? (or possibly why).

 

 

This is a graph of headphone impedances vs frequencies on various headphones.  Like you suggested, 95% of modern headphones are very low impedance already at under 80 Ohms, but like Mr. Moose said in order to design a detailed driver, it gets harder as the materials get lighter and the impedance (nominal Ohm rating) decreases in kind.  The Beyerdynamics Custom One Pros are an example of an extremely light driver that's still detailed, so take the analogy that you need a lot of Ohms with a grain of salt.  It's just easier to design a good driver at a higher Ohms, but not necessarily better.  Also, some headphones, like the HD800 have a higher impedance SPECIFICALLY for high-end high output impedance equipment like fancy OTL triode tube amps.  As much as Sennheiser would rather cut the impedance, they can't because they won't even work with this old (and new *sigh*) gear.

[vangsfreaken]

Because if the headphones are too easy to drive, the amp will loose the ability to control them, that's when you get either boomy bass, no bass or both unevenly.  It also effects higher freq. but that is less noticeable.  

 

Think of it like trying to play an FPS game with mouse sensitivity so high you can't accurately aim.  You need a certain amount of resistance to make aiming controllable.

 

edit: if that analogy doesn't work for you consider a car with lots of power but no grip on the road, it would just wheel spin and when it does take off it can't break without skidding.  A certain amount of grip on the road (resistance) is needed so you can control the car.

ah, thank you! that was extremely simple 

 

 

 

 

This is a graph of headphone impedances vs frequencies on various headphones.  Like you suggested, 95% of modern headphones are very low impedance already at under 80 Ohms, but like Mr. Moose said in order to design a detailed driver, it gets harder as the materials get lighter and the impedance (nominal Ohm rating) decreases in kind.  The Beyerdynamics Custom One Pros are an example of an extremely light driver that's still detailed, so take the analogy that you need a lot of Ohms with a grain of salt.  It's just easier to design a good driver at a higher Ohms, but not necessarily better.  Also, some headphones, like the HD800 have a higher impedance SPECIFICALLY for high-end high output impedance equipment like fancy OTL triode tube amps.  As much as Sennheiser would rather cut the impedance, they can't because they won't even work with this old (and new *sigh*) gear.

 

aha, so ohm doesn't always matter, it just depends on the producer... got it