Sennheiser HD580, 600 amplifier question.. Will a Discman power them?

Eli

Super Moderator | Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
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Okay, so these need some form of amplification to work with something like a Discman or walkman, and probably sound card.. What kind of amplification are we talking about? As in, what kinda numbers?

RadioShaft sells a number of small amplifier kits.. 2.5W, 4W, 7W, 2x15W, 2x30W.. Would one of these work? Which one would be best?

 

Your standard sound card puts out ~5W. I'd buy the phones and see if you really need an amp before you purchase.

And if you have to, don't buy a radio shack (Optimus?) amplifier. The bad amp will probably make your nice phones perform like junky ones.
 

Eli

Super Moderator | Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
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You want me to buy the 'phones and see if I need an amp before I purchase? :)

I already know they need an amp from things like Discmans and Walkmans..

I don't think the small RadioShack amplifiers are crap. I've heard good things about them from someone who put one in his car.. Hehe..

Maybe you should look at their specs before jumping to conclusions.
 

geno

Lifer
Dec 26, 1999
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How small are these "Small Amps"? I'd love to get one because I have a nice pair of Kenwoods and I don't get great sound at high volumes.
 

I just figured if you're gung-ho enough to go spend a zillion dollars on a pair of headphones that you would want to make the best possible decision on it's peripherals.

I don't think a Walkman/Discman puts out more than a watt, so sound cards put out 5 times the wattage.

"Look at the back of the box" and see their how much they'll handle... If you want the best sound quality you usually get an amp that can RMS over the rating of the speaker, and then be careful with volumes.

BTW, small car stereos put out 2x30W. I couldn't imagine a pair of headphones taking more than 10W.
 

I don't know why, but I felt compelled to do the dirty work for you, and I went to Sennheiser's webpage. Lo and behold, Sennheiser doesn't even make a model SR80.

A different company, Grado, makes the model SR80.
 

Eli

Super Moderator | Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
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Laugh.. Okay, I feel dumb now.. Forgive me for not knowing my headphone models/terminology.. Hmm.. <G>


Which is better? The Sennheiser HD580s, or HD600s, or Grado SR80s?

Looking at Sennheiser's page, the only diffrence I can see is the HD600s go from 12-39kHz, while the HD580s are only 12-38kHz.

What's Grado's website?

Here's some specs on those RadioShack amplifiers, with links.

2x 15W Stereo Amplifier

THD: 0.07% (1W/1kHz)
S/N Ratio: 98dB
Input Sensitivity: 300mV/150kOhms
Size: 51x69mm
Price: 34.95 (Kit)

4Wrms Amplifier

THD: 0.05% (1W/1kHz)
Frequency Response: 20Hz - 20kHz (-3dB)
S/N Ratio: 86dB
Input Sensitivity: 40mV/150kOhms
Size: 34x55mm
Price: 12.99 (Kit)


2.5W Audio Amplifier

PowerAmp specs:
Input sensitivity: 150mV
Input Impedance: 20kOhms
Output Impedance: 4-8 Ohms

PreAmp specs:
Input sensitivity: 20mV (12V)
Input impedance: 200kOhms
Output Impedance: 1kOhms
Frequency Range: 60Hz - 15kHz
Maximum Output Power: 2.5W (4 Ohms / 12V)
Size: 42x32mm
Price: 12.49


2x 30W Amplifier

THD: 0.07% (1W/1kHz)
RMS Output: 2x15W/4 Ohm or 2x10W/8 Ohm
Channel Seperation: 70dB
Frequency Response: 7Hz - 60kHz (-3dB)
S/N Ratio: 98dB (Weighted A)
Input Sensitivity: 300mV/150kOhms
Size: Unknown
Price: Unknown


7W Amplifier

RMS: 3.5W/4 Ohm and 2W/8 Ohm
THD: 0.05% (1W/1kHz)
Frequency Reproduction: 20Hz - 20kHz
S/N Ratio: 86dB (Weighted A)
Input Sensitivity: 40mV/150kOhm
Size: Unknown
Price: Unknown

Heh..
 

DABANSHEE

Banned
Dec 8, 1999
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Who says a Sennheiser 580 needs a little amplifyer box to work with a walkman?

I've plugged em straight in to a walkman (using one of those adaptor jacks that convert the little tiny plug hole on a walkman to a HiFi jack hole) &amp; it worked bloody great.
 

Gaul

Member
Nov 3, 1999
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Eli,

Like Dabanshee, I don't use an amp. I plug them straight into the discman or whatever and they sound great. Some discman's have better headphone amps than others. Unfortunately it seems like you need a headphone amp to really crank it up with a discman(or other devices with crappy onboard amps). I plan on eventually investing in an amp from Headroom, but for now they sound just great. The difference between to 600s and 580s is negligible, so definitely go for the 580s as they are cheaper. The Grados just don't seem nearly as clear and transparent as the Sennheisers. But if you want to listen to hard stuff and CRANK it up then the Grados might be the better choice. However, with a headphone amp the Sennheisers will get just as loud as the Grados and sound better. I'd say go for the 580s and plan on getting an Airhead amp from Headroom in the future as that's what I'm doing. Hope this helps.