Headphone impedance question

[sonicslinky]

I'm interested in purchasing a pair of Beyerdynamic DT 770s and have a question about impedance. The model is available in 250, 80 and 32 ohms. I want to use the headphones for both on the go and home use (mainly on the go with my phone). Should I go for the 80 ohms model or maybe the 32 ohms model and use an amp/receiver for home use? Any advice about impedance would be great, I'm eager to learn.
Thank you x

 

[Dunlop0078]

32 ohms would probably be best if you plan to use it with your phone. I have a pair of 50 ohm HD558s and my galaxy S6 can barely get them as loud as I want them, I always have the volume at max. My motherboards built i sound card is more than enough for my HD558s however I still use my Fiio E10K external DAC/AMP it's DAC is much better than the one on my motherboard, no noise floor at all.

So with the 250ohm model I would say your phone has little chance of being able to power them properly, 80ohms would probably even be pushing it. You could get a portable battery powered amp if you want to get the 250ohm or 80ohm to use with your phone, but then you have something else to carry around with you.

 

[ssddx]

depends on the power of your phones headphone amplifier, the sensitivity and the impedance of the headphones.

the amplifiers provided in phones vary quite highly. some have very strong amplifiers which seem to work with many headphones while others have very weak amplifiers which barely work with any headphones.

low impedance but low sensitivity headphones can be harder to drive than some high impedance high sensitivity headphones. the dt770 has fairly high sensitivity (lower than the hd558 though). you may certainly get audio out of them but you may be limited on volume and bass output.

generally what dunlop stated is true in many cases, if you simplify things.

ideally, the 32 ohm versions are what are meant for mobile use though they will not sound as nice as the 80 or 250 ohm models. the 80 is known to be the most bassy of them while the 250 is known to be the most smooth sounding. the custom one pro is also similar to the dt770 and can be used more for mobile use although it does not sound quite as good.

if you want to use them on the go and discover your phone is not enough to handle them, get a portable amplifier. some are small enough you can strap to the back of your phone. fiio's a3 at minimum should be fine.

 

[sonicslinky]

32 ohms would probably be best if you plan to use it with your phone. I have a pair of 50 ohm HD558s and my galaxy S6 can barely get them as loud as I want them, I always have the volume at max. My motherboards built i sound card is more than enough for my HD558s however I still use my Fiio E10K external DAC/AMP it's DAC is much better than the one on my motherboard, no noise floor at all.

So with the 250ohm model I would say your phone has little chance of being able to power them properly, 80ohms would probably even be pushing it. You could get a portable battery powered amp if you want to get the 250ohm or 80ohm to use with your phone, but then you have something else to carry around with you.

Thanks so much for the response!

 

[sonicslinky]

depends on the power of your phones headphone amplifier, the sensitivity and the impedance of the headphones.

the amplifiers provided in phones vary quite highly. some have very strong amplifiers which seem to work with many headphones while others have very weak amplifiers which barely work with any headphones.

low impedance but low sensitivity headphones can be harder to drive than some high impedance high sensitivity headphones. the dt770 has fairly high sensitivity (lower than the hd558 though). you may certainly get audio out of them but you may be limited on volume and bass output.

generally what dunlop stated is true in many cases, if you simplify things.

ideally, the 32 ohm versions are what are meant for mobile use though they will not sound as nice as the 80 or 250 ohm models. the 80 is known to be the most bassy of them while the 250 is known to be the most smooth sounding. the custom one pro is also similar to the dt770 and can be used more for mobile use although it does not sound quite as good.

if you want to use them on the go and discover your phone is not enough to handle them, get a portable amplifier. some are small enough you can strap to the back of your phone. fiio's a3 at minimum should be fine.

Thank you so much for the advice!