Quest for Headphones!

KASR

KASR

Full Audioholic
So a perhaps a good follow up question: does the brand/model of receiver effect the way headphones sound???
 
mazersteven

mazersteven

Audioholic Warlord
does the brand/model of receiver effect the way headphones sound???
Yes. Headphones are like speakers. Some are harder to drive then others because of their Impedance. Some receiver just will not power certain headphones.
 
A

alexsound

Audioholic
So a perhaps a good follow up question: does the brand/model of receiver effect the way headphones sound???
Not so much the brand, but how good the headphone amp design is in the particular receiver. I have a Yamaha Rx-V2500 that IMO (and I'm SURE I'll get some c rap for this) sounds pretty poor through the headphone jack, at least when I turn the volume up. It starts sounding compressed and slightly distorted. My son has on Onkyo 603 that is basically half as expensive, but sounds better and doesn't distort or sound compressed when I turn up the volume on it. I have a pair of AKG240's hp's and a recently re-ear padded pair of Sony MDVR6's that I thought my daughter had thrown away, and both of these sound great through the cheaper Onkyo, but not so great through the more expensive Yamaha. Best way to find out is to go to a local retailer with many different models of receivers with whatever HP you decide to buy and try out each one, preferably with a music source, like a CD. At low volume, most will probably sound pretty much the same, but the real test IMO is when you turn up the volume. If the sound starts distorting, or sounding compressed the more you crank the volume, then at the very least, the HP amp design, doesn't have the output power for what you probably want.
 
KASR

KASR

Full Audioholic
Thanks for the additional info, guys! I have the Harmon Kardon AV154 - does anyone have any experience using headphones with an H/K?
 
KASR

KASR

Full Audioholic
Well, my wife must have been kidnapped by aliens and replaced cuz after I told her of the headphones I wanted to get, she fronted half the money herself!!!!!

Gonna go with the Sony MDR-DS1000 5.1 Surround Sound headphones

I'll give an update on the sound quality, etc. Thanks for all the helpful info!
 
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