Impedance in headphones vs. speakers - confused


I would really appreciate it if someone could explain the difference between impedance in headphones compared to speakers? I'm confused from the research I've done since it looks like the higher the impedance in speakers (such as 8 ohms) the easier they are to drive. Whereas it looks like the opposite in headphones. A 32 ohm pair of headphones (such as most headphones used for iPods) is easier to drive than say a 600 ohm pair which usually requires a headphone amp. Is that right?
nadman12

Showing 1 response by kijanki

Nadman12

Power delivered to headphones P=U^2/R, therefore in order to keep the same power/loudness, with higher impedance headphones, output voltage has to be also higher. Loudness becomes limited either by gain that is too low (tailored for common lower impedance earphones) or supply voltage (that is low in battery operated devices) - whatever occurs first.

Same exists for the speakers but in order to deliver more power (especially with SS amps) speakers are low impedance hence amp has to be able to deliver more current (since power is also P=I^2*R) and sometimes reaches amp's current limit.