To drive the Senns....

Posted by EdAInWestOC (A) on September 26, 2016 at 09:55:05

In Reply to: Where's the Bass? posted by jedrider on September 20, 2016 at 22:32:09:

You will need a headphone amp capable of significant voltage swing to successfully drive a high impedance headphone. Most headphone amps are based on SS circuitry and most of these are designed to drive lower impedance headphones.

The achilles heel in a SS headphone amp is its voltage swing capability, not its current capability (some have this issue as well). You will not be driving as much current through a 300 ohm load so the voltage output must be capable of driving the headphones.

A SS amp is not typically designed to handle that type of thing. Most of the amps that are useful with the 300 ohm Senns are tubed amps where the rail voltage is naturally higher.

The Bottlehead Crack OTL headphone amp is known to be a very good amp to drive 300 ohm Sennheiser headphones. See link below.

If you don't want to put together a kit you can try this headphone amp:
Little Dot Mk IV

Ed
Life is analog...digital is just samples thereof

Bottlehead Crack v1.1 OTL Headphone Amp (Open in New Window)

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Follow Ups Full Thread

Topic - Where's the Bass? - jedrider 22:32:09 09/20/16 (25)

What kind of bass? - genungo 15:38:53 09/27/16 (2)

Thank you. - jedrider 16:34:57 09/27/16 (1)

Head size and shape influences headphone fit, which in turn... - genungo 20:47:09 09/27/16 (0)

To drive the Senns.... - EdAInWestOC 09:55:05 09/26/16 (5)

RE: To drive the Senns.... - Bill Way 16:40:36 09/27/16 (0)

RE: To drive the Senns.... - jedrider 14:08:09 09/27/16 (3)

The complaint about Senns having no low end is common... - EdAInWestOC 08:14:13 09/28/16 (2)

True enough - genungo 08:59:54 09/28/16 (1)

RE: True enough - horn kid 09:34:16 09/29/16 (0)

Which Benz Ace do you have? - amandarae 11:06:54 09/24/16 (0)

Cart angle.. Tail down= more bass.. Also maybe cables? - Smelly_Socks 17:51:04 09/21/16 (0)

cart? - gkirkos 11:43:31 09/21/16 (0)

I don't think its the headphones - Awe-d-o-file 10:37:08 09/21/16 (6)

If I may. - Travis 10:59:11 09/21/16 (3)

watts - rrob 11:38:55 09/21/16 (1)

RE: watts - Travis 12:17:35 09/21/16 (0)

RE: If I may. - Awe-d-o-file 11:06:36 09/21/16 (0)

RE: I don't think its the headphones - jedrider 10:58:15 09/21/16 (1)

RE: I don't think its the headphones - Awe-d-o-file 11:02:59 09/21/16 (0)

Thanks. Found some of it! - jedrider 07:32:46 09/21/16 (3)

RE: Thanks. Found some of it! - Lew 08:30:38 09/21/16 (2)

RE: Thanks. Found some of it! - Waxxy 14:14:53 09/22/16 (0)

RE: Thanks. Found some of it! - mcgjohn@yahoo.com 09:34:17 09/21/16 (0)

You left out some info.... - EdAInWestOC 04:27:55 09/21/16 (0)

RE: Where's the Bass? - PAR 03:37:57 09/21/16 (0)

Follow Ups

To drive the Senns.... - EdAInWestOC 09:55:05 09/26/16 (5)

RE: To drive the Senns.... - Bill Way 16:40:36 09/27/16 (0)

RE: To drive the Senns.... - jedrider 14:08:09 09/27/16 (3)

The complaint about Senns having no low end is common... - EdAInWestOC 08:14:13 09/28/16 (2)

True enough - genungo 08:59:54 09/28/16 (1)

RE: True enough - horn kid 09:34:16 09/29/16 (0)

To drive the Senns....

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