Hi all,
This one for the techies
Conventional wisdom states that there should be a damping factor of 8 or more between successive parts of the audio chain. For headphones this means that for optimal control amp output impedance must be less than 1/8th of the headphone's rated impedance. Any less and there may be undesirable effects like slow and bloated bass, roll off tops, and noise like hiss or hum.
But the innerfidelity published an article by the well-respected amp builder Dr Jan Meier that postulates that higher output Z (i.e. lower damping factor) may have sonic benefits. Now I'm fully confused.
My specific question is this ... in addition to Jessejon's ex-Xenithon Audeze LCD-2 I'm also considering getting a pair of LCD-X's for long term evaluation (OCD can be a wonderfully terrible thing). Now I dont intend changing my SPL Phonitor as primary HP amp for some time. The Phonitor has output Z of 8 ohms, and the X's are rated 22 ohms for a damping factor of less than 3. Theoretically a disastrous pairing, but then again I've read that the Phonitor / LCD-X partnership has uncanny realism.
In practice, what are the problems with low damping factors? Can it be remedied by wiring a tight-tolerance resistor (say 47 ohm) into the headphone cable?
Answers please
This one for the techies
Conventional wisdom states that there should be a damping factor of 8 or more between successive parts of the audio chain. For headphones this means that for optimal control amp output impedance must be less than 1/8th of the headphone's rated impedance. Any less and there may be undesirable effects like slow and bloated bass, roll off tops, and noise like hiss or hum.
But the innerfidelity published an article by the well-respected amp builder Dr Jan Meier that postulates that higher output Z (i.e. lower damping factor) may have sonic benefits. Now I'm fully confused.
My specific question is this ... in addition to Jessejon's ex-Xenithon Audeze LCD-2 I'm also considering getting a pair of LCD-X's for long term evaluation (OCD can be a wonderfully terrible thing). Now I dont intend changing my SPL Phonitor as primary HP amp for some time. The Phonitor has output Z of 8 ohms, and the X's are rated 22 ohms for a damping factor of less than 3. Theoretically a disastrous pairing, but then again I've read that the Phonitor / LCD-X partnership has uncanny realism.
In practice, what are the problems with low damping factors? Can it be remedied by wiring a tight-tolerance resistor (say 47 ohm) into the headphone cable?
Answers please
