Headphones Question

[Guest]

Just wondering, if high power headphones are used with a low powered device, such as let's say... Sennheiser HD 650's and something like an MP3 player or a phone or something, would using a low powered device damage the headphones? I feel like the question is completely retarded, but I just want to be completely sure for power delivery and what not. I wouldn't want to damage a high end set of headphones on something so basic. 

[musama18117]

3 minutes ago, IAmLamp said:

Just wondering, if high power headphones are used with a low powered device, such as let's say... Sennheiser HD 650's and something like an MP3 player or a phone or something, would using a low powered device damage the headphones? I feel like the question is completely retarded, but I just want to be completely sure for power delivery and what not. I wouldn't want to damage a high end set of headphones on something so basic. 

It won't harm them but the headphones will not live up to their potential (they may probably suck).

[Guest]

No, it won't damage them.

[WereCat]

No, it won't harm them.

The headphones are power hungry which means that the device you are plugging them into must provide enough power to drive them properly. If it is not providing enough power then the sound will either not be loud enough or it will sound "bad" (not as good as it should).... usually both.

 

EDIT:

I just plugged my HD650's to my phone for the first time ever and they actually sound well considering I only have very low-quality MP3's there. It is also loud enough.

[Guest]

That's what I was thinking. Thanks guys!

[Guest]

6 minutes ago, WereCat said:

No, it won't harm them.

The headphones are power hungry which means that the device you are plugging them into must provide enough power to drive them properly. If it is not providing enough power then the sound will either not be loud enough or it will sound "bad" (not as good as it should).... usually both.

 

EDIT:

I just plugged my HD650's to my phone for the first time ever and they actually sound well considering I only have very low-quality MP3's there. It is also loud enough.

 

The HD 650 isn't that power hungry. It likes a bit of voltage, though.

[Guest]

-removed-

[WereCat]

1 minute ago, SSL said:

 

The HD 650 isn't that power hungry. It likes a bit of voltage, though.

 

Mids are slightly harder to drive and base quite a bit. There is definitely a difference between DAC and amplifier. Depends on what you listen to. 

However, it is not bad, definitely still very enjoyable.

[Guest]

26 minutes ago, WereCat said:

No, it won't harm them.

The headphones are power hungry which means that the device you are plugging them into must provide enough power to drive them properly. If it is not providing enough power then the sound will either not be loud enough or it will sound "bad" (not as good as it should).... usually both.

 

EDIT:

I just plugged my HD650's to my phone for the first time ever and they actually sound well considering I only have very low-quality MP3's there. It is also loud enough.

Just to be clear, high end/power headphones will only pull the power that they need out of the power available, right? 

[WereCat]

8 minutes ago, IAmLamp said:

Just to be clear, high end/power headphones will only pull the power that they need, right? 

 

 

 

If I am not wrong .... more volume = more power to the headphones. Headphones that require less power will be louder on the same volume level as headphones that require more power.

If your amplifier can give way more power than the headphones are capable of handling you would need to turn that volume knob to the point where it would harm your hearing to destroy the headphones if you are worried about this.

Even then it would probably not destroy the headphones unless you got some really crazy powerful amplifier.

[Guest]

25 minutes ago, WereCat said:

Mids are slightly harder to drive and base quite a bit.

 

I don't know what that means.

 

5 minutes ago, WereCat said:

If I am not wrong .... more volume = more power to the headphones

 

You're wrong. Or at least, imprecise.

 

5 minutes ago, WereCat said:

If your amplifier can give way more power than the headphones are capable of handling you would need to turn that volume knob to the point where it would harm your hearing to destroy the headphones if you are worried about this.

 

True.

 

5 minutes ago, WereCat said:

Even then it would probably not destroy the headphones unless you got some really crazy powerful amplifier.

 

Every headphone has a maximum power handing. Standard integrated audio will be unlikely to exceed it, but a modest amp like the Schiit Magni can easily damage a lot of headphones on the market.

[WereCat]

5 minutes ago, SSL said:

 

1.)I don't know what that means.

 

 

2.)You're wrong. Or at least, imprecise.

 

 

True.

 

 

3.)Every headphone has a maximum power handing. Standard integrated audio will be unlikely to exceed it, but a modest amp like the Schiit Magni can easily damage a lot of headphones on the market.

 

1.) Bass has more punch on the same volume levels and mids are slightly more pronounced on my SMSL M6 compared to my onboard sound.

2.) I know I haven't explained myself very well as I don't know that much about these things.

3.) I and my friend tried to destroy cheap in-ear headphones on my amplifier and we haven't succeeded. I know that this is very small sample size Just our observation. Just for reference, the volume on my M6 goes up to 60 max. At 40 it is uncomfortably loud for my HD650's and thus I never even considered going higher. These in-ear headphones were at 60 for quite a while and survived. I was really expecting them to just die immediately.

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, WereCat said:

1.) Bass has more punch on the same volume levels and mids are slightly more pronounced on my SMSL M6 compared to my onboard sound.

2.) I know I haven't explained myself very well as I don't know that much about these things.

3.) I and my friend tried to destroy cheap in-ear headphones on my amplifier and we haven't succeeded. I know that this is very small sample size Just our observation. Just for reference, the volume on my M6 goes up to 60 max. At 40 it is uncomfortably loud for my HD650's and thus I never even considered going higher. These in-ear headphones were at 60 for quite a while and survived. I was really expecting them to just die immediately.

 

M6 is shit, so no surprise there. More mids and bass doesn't necessarily mean that those frequencies are harder to drive.

[WereCat]

1 minute ago, SSL said:

 

M6 is shit, so no surprise there. More mids and bass doesn't necessarily mean that those frequencies are harder to drive.

 

 

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

How is it shit?

 

[Guest]

...

[Dackzy]

26 minutes ago, WereCat said:

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

How is it shit?

 

 

low quality, not that powerful

[Guest Kloaked]

2 minutes ago, Dackzy said:

low quality, not that powerful

I bet Z did a video of it and liked it.

[Guest]

3 minutes ago, Kloaked said:

I bet Z did a video of it and liked it.

 

lel

[Dackzy]

5 minutes ago, Kloaked said:

I bet Z did a video of it and liked it.

oh fuck he actually made a video about it and he has linked it in his Reddit BS, so he must like it...

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, Dackzy said:

oh fuck he actually made a video about it

 

lmao. Probably couldn't tell the difference between it and any of the other chi-fi he shills.

[Guest Kloaked]

5 minutes ago, Dackzy said:

oh fuck he actually made a video about it and he has linked it in his Reddit BS, so he must like it...

ಠ_ಠ

[WereCat]

19 minutes ago, Dackzy said:

low quality, not that powerful

Low quality in what?

 

I had these choices:

Audinst MX1, Fiio E10k, SMSL M3, SMSL M6

 

Anything else was way above €200 since I would have to get it from other countries and would pay massive shipping fees and tax.

Just for reference... I really wanted Schiit but that was almost €300. If it was €200 it would be still quite a lot for my budget.

[Guest]

19 minutes ago, WereCat said:

Low quality in what?

 

I had these choices:

Audinst MX1, Fiio E10k, SMSL M3, SMSL M6

 

Anything else was way above €200 since I would have to get it from other countries and would pay massive shipping fees and tax.

Just for reference... I really wanted Schiit but that was almost €300. If it was €200 it would be still quite a lot for my budget.

 

Sorry to hear it. But... yeah.

[Dackzy]

9 hours ago, WereCat said:

Low quality in what?

 

I had these choices:

Audinst MX1, Fiio E10k, SMSL M3, SMSL M6

 

Anything else was way above €200 since I would have to get it from other countries and would pay massive shipping fees and tax.

Just for reference... I really wanted Schiit but that was almost €300. If it was €200 it would be still quite a lot for my budget.

 

 

Not to be mean, but the DAC isn't that great, not very transparent and the amp is weak and just low quality.

[WereCat]

11 minutes ago, Dackzy said:

Not to be mean, but the DAC isn't that great, not very transparent and the amp is weak and just low quality.

It's alright. I don't really understand what you mean by transparent but ok.

I definitely don't hear any noise at all and everything seems to me crystal clear.

It definitely sounds a lot better than my onboard.

 

I have nothing else to compare it to but from my understanding different amp/dac can't sound 2x better as it is not like comparing performance of CPU but subjective preferences matter in this case.

I have no doubt that I would like better quality equipment more but for what price?