Do I need an amp? How much power do headphones ACTUALLY need? - Myths about power

Do you need an amplifier? How much power do you really need? And what misconceptions exist about hard to drive headphones in general?

Measurement Index

How to read headphone measurements

How to EQ Headphones

The Limits of EQ

Become an expert on headphones

0:00 - Intro
0:43 - Headphone specs
1:40 - How much power do I need?
4:09 - Myth 1: High Impedance = Hard to Drive
5:13 - Myth 2: Volume knob indicates headroom
7:04 - Myth 3: I need lots of power
7:45 - Myth 4: High powered amps are better at low power than low powered amps
9:59 - Myth 5: Class A watts are better than others

[Kuzushi]

I'd like to see a video on how using an amp vs not using one affects the sound quality of headphones, i.e. what things can I look for to know whether my headphones are underpowered, or how much performance am I leaving on the table by not using an amp on a headphone that is supposedly hard to drive.

[maestherc]

Very succinct, very clear and very *needed* tutorial on this subject.

I design vacuum tube amplification gear professionally, and the subject matter you cover here is *very* commonly misunderstood by audio enthusiasts.

Kudos!

[brockercheddlie]

would love a vid of an explanation of the differences between class a, a/b, d amps

[Jack-dirc]

This is super insightful even for someone who has been in the hobby for 5 years. Thank you golden.

[dangerzone]

Also you should have mentioned that the impedance of dynamic headphones varies significantly with frequency.

[razisn]

Technically sensitivity should be expressed as a function of voltage not power, the way many (but far from all) speaker manufacturers express it nowadays. If you express 'sensitivity' as a function of power (wattage) what you are actually describing is 'nominal' efficiency. Nominal because it depends on impedance and the quoted impedance is 'nominal' because it often varies with frequency.

[Lishtenbird]

I'd like the topic of balanced cables for headphones explored in a similar way.

[ardatubes]

Finally, a clear explanation of impedance and sensitivity and current for headphones and DACs. Thank you for the video!

[gdemirjian]

Great video, Cameron. I use a digital db meter ($20 Amazon) and shoot for 80-85db at abut 50-60% amp volume at low gain setting (I typically only use high gain for a little more note weight at low listening levels, like the old-fashioned loudness function). After doing this with about a dozen sources I have gotten to know my headphone driving need rather well. Now I can more easily look at the impedance and sensitivity of a headphone and basically know the ballpark power source needed.

[CheapMessiah]

This is a great video, favorited for future reference as it saves a lot of writting time when explaining to people how headphones work.

Personally i found out that people tend to understand better the concept of power to sound pressure conversion when you explain to them that the headphone impedance determines the amplifier maximum power, and then sensitivity is how efficiently a driver can convert that power to sound pressure. For some reason explaining it as "steps" makes that information easier to digest.

[richardshevkun]

I've been waiting for such a vid to spread around for an eternity. Tanks a lot

[tharun]

I'm a returning viewer and the arrival of Mr.GoldenSound has been golden. His technical expertise is very much welcome and I wish more reviewers in the space would take a more precise approach sometimes.

[guillermoleoni]

Thank you, it is the clearest explanation on this subject that I have seen!

[howardskeivys]

Excellent explanation. Clear, concise and articulate. More explanatory videos like this would be great.

[ranelime]

I really enjoy your thorough descriptions. You have a way of delivering lots of information in an entertaining way!

[BunnyslippersEUC]

My Rupert Neve RNHP, fed a 5V signal from from dac, can power most headphones. It's a very small amplifier. The noise floor (hiss) is high, so it is not suited for sensitive IEM. It sounds very detailed. It is still my benchmark.

The JDS el amp ii has more gain, but less current. It also sounds very dry and sterile, compared to the Rupert Neve. I mainly use it for games and it looks awesome.

I bought a secondhand amplifier from Musical Fidelity. And it sounds a bit less detailed, slightly warm but more open (also bigger soundstage), compared to the Rupert Neve. It takes away the edge in the highs in songs. It sounds wonderful. It is class A, but turning the nob past 50%, the amp does introduce noise. It is a big unit.

I also got a tube amplifier. The Cayin (14 kg) with Russian tubes can power anything Dynamic. But you need at least 40 Ohm headphones to eliminate the tube his. The Beyerdynamic dt 990 pro 600 is notorious for sounding sharp, but is great on a tube. The Koss KSC75 also sounds great on the Cayin.

The most inefficient and affordable headphones are the Fostex T rp series. Because of the small planar magnetic drivers, these headphones are very inefficient.

[HiFiInsider]

A good amp with output transformer will have no problems with any impedance load. IMHO, the sensitivity rating is a more important factor to look at when researching headphones.

[kwicksandz]

I have resisted the urge of upgraditis with my amp because lots of people at release called it the last amp you will ever need (thx 789). I’ve seen certain audio reviewers say it’s boring or clinical but it has always worked for me and having 3 outputs that run simultaneously has been great for listening parties with guests. It can run my hd800, q701, hd650 and many others to ear bleeding levels at the same time😂

[louiev.]

A lot of my music library of the 80s doesn't get remasters so I have music that's so quite then the next track gets absurdly loud

[TimpBizkit]

High impedance means it doesn't draw enough power (but theoretically you could run lots of them in parallel on one amp so it's not the same as low sensitivity or efficiency). Low sensitivity means it needs lots (comparatively) of power to get loud, although sometimes sensitivity is measured in terms of voltage needed to get loud - which can also mean high impedance cans simply receiving less actual power, not just inefficiency.