CHANGSTAR: Audiophile Headphone Reviews and Early 90s Style BBS

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Author Topic: Driving to "full potential"  (Read 5670 times)

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Thujone

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Driving to "full potential"
« on: March 14, 2014, 12:26:06 AM »
I'm curious what pirates think of phrases like these that are constantly used to shut down "lesser" amps. As far as I'm concerned, an amp's #1 goal is to get your headphone to listening levels. Beyond that, picking out your favorite is a matter of budget, pairing, distortion, noise, or anything else coloring the analog signal.

Bonus question: what's the point in having gobs and gobs of overhead power? Is there a legitimate reason why HF is so hung up on "more power = better"?
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Maxvla

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Re: Driving to "full potential"
« Reply #1 on: March 14, 2014, 12:36:52 AM »
It's true for most headphones and really evident on some. People on HF can get ridiculous about it, but sometimes it is extremely important. The people using 1000W monoblocks for HE-6 have clearly missed the point, though.

Headroom is a real thing and is important, but excess of a headphone's potential use of that headroom is just that, excess.
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Armaegis

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Re: Driving to "full potential"
« Reply #2 on: March 14, 2014, 12:39:53 AM »
Because it all comes down to swinging around your epeen and giving everyone else a black eye.
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Thujone

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Re: Driving to "full potential"
« Reply #3 on: March 14, 2014, 12:55:04 AM »
Quote from: Maxvla on March 14, 2014, 12:36:52 AM
It's true for most headphones and really evident on some. People on HF can get ridiculous about it, but sometimes it is extremely important. The people using 1000W monoblocks for HE-6 have clearly missed the point, though.

Headroom is a real thing and is important, but excess of a headphone's potential use of that headroom is just that, excess.

Saying it's important with no basis or description makes you fit right in with the crowd.
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Maxvla

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Re: Driving to "full potential"
« Reply #4 on: March 14, 2014, 12:57:07 AM »
You asked a general question. I made a general answer.
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TMRaven

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Re: Driving to "full potential"
« Reply #5 on: March 14, 2014, 01:36:56 AM »
Head-Fi confuses 'scales with power' with 'scales with quality.'

Most any amp will give the adequate power and headroom that headphones require.
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Thujone

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Re: Driving to "full potential"
« Reply #6 on: March 14, 2014, 01:59:09 AM »
This is my belief as well, Raven. Having owned the Emotiva mini-X (it's a trap!) and done extensive listening on the Vali, I think the power argument is a little... stretched. It's not like every ortho has the inefficiency of the HE-6 by default.
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funkmeister

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Re: Driving to "full potential"
« Reply #7 on: March 14, 2014, 03:00:21 AM »
"Headroom" is something that I'm accustomed to needing on the input side (recording), not the output side (listening). I just do some basic math and I've never been unable to exceed 90dB on anything I can hook up some cans to.

Marv likes speaker amps for some of the Hifiman stuff, if I remember correctly. I like 'em for their damping properties, in theory only. I've never hooked up headphones to one.
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Marvey

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Re: Driving to "full potential"
« Reply #8 on: March 14, 2014, 03:15:54 AM »
I've only found that moar and moar power helped with the "vice like control of the driver" aspect on the HE-500, HE-5, and HE-6. Just those three. No others. I do wonder if this has to do with the really coarse traces on the diaphragms of HFM headphones...

But in my experience, all other headphones, including orthos like LCD2, LCD-X, Abyss, T50RP variants, etc., seemed to do just fine (or did the best) on high quality headamps of a watt or less.

Think of it like HP ratings on a car. HP sells, but most people never use it. Not to mention most streets won't support the use of such power safely.

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Maxvla

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Re: Driving to "full potential"
« Reply #9 on: March 14, 2014, 03:41:05 AM »
My experience is the opposite, but perhaps that's because invariably every higher quality amp I listen to is more powerful than the last as the trend seems to be going.
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