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Which headphones??

Okay, so I'm now leaning towards getting a nice headphone set-up. I am thinking that I'll probably get a couple pairs of headphones when It's all said and done because there just seems to be benefits and negatives about different designs.

Initially, I'd just like to use the headphone amp in my z dac. I am looking at a pair of sennheiser hd 598 new in box for $200 on c-list. These cans seem to get good reviews but I figure I'll want something with a closed design later on so that I can block out exterior sounds also.

I really want something with a great soundstage and imaging, I want it to sound as good as my stereo system, or close to it!

Thanks for your help with this one!!
b_limo

Showing 1 response by almarg

almarg's avatar
almarg
9,670 posts
 
How do you tell a headphones "sensitivity" rating?
Sometimes it is explicitly specified, as sound pressure level (in db) for a 1 volt input.

In other cases it may be specified as SPL for an input of 1 mw (1 milliwatt, which is 0.001 watts). To convert that to voltage sensitivity use the equation

P = (Vsquared)/R

Where P is power, in watts.
V is voltage, in volts.
R is impedance, in ohms.

For example the T70 is spec'd at 250 ohms, 104 db/mw.

The voltage required to generate 104 db would be:

V = Square root of (0.001 x 250) = 0.5 volts.

To calculate the SPL that would be produced in response to a 1 volt input, so that you can compare to other phones which are spec'd based on a 1 volt input:

1 volt/0.5 volts = 2

db = 20 x (logarithm of the ratio of two voltages) = 20log2 = 6 db

104 + 6 = 110 db SPL for a 1 volt input

Best regards,
-- Al
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