DT880 250Ohm and an Asus STX?

[Deniz]

If I bought a DT880 250Ohm, would my Asus STX be able to drive it properly with it's headphone out?

[flognuts]

Negative. you'll need the m-stage as a minimum.

for $50 more your into ms-pro zone that don't need an amp.

[Marcus]

You'd be better off with the T70

[BusinessEvolution]

Its a mixed bag with the Asus STX, from everything I have read, the stx should do well with 250 Ohm headphones but the DT880 need more voltage than what the STX supplies get the best results.

[theeyealtering]

I haven't tried an DT880, but I have tried running my K702 off my STX. It achieved the volume all right, but the sound quality wasn't the best.
It all felt pretty flat and it sometimes sounded like the vocals were gargling.

Ultimately I think, despite what the box may claim, that the STX is only really suited to lower powered headphones.

[dingostolemyipod]

I haven't tried an DT880, but I have tried running my K702 off my STX. It achieved the volume all right, but the sound quality wasn't the best.
It all felt pretty flat and it sometimes sounded like the vocals were gargling.

Ultimately I think, despite what the box may claim, that the STX is only really suited to lower powered headphones.

The K/Q701/2 is a completely different load to a 250 ohm beyer, they're not comparable.
The AKGs are a very difficult load to drive, they need decent voltage swing, heaps of current capability and a low output impedance(which the stx does not have) to perform well.
250 ohm beyers need decent voltage swing, but have very low current requirements, and aren't too fussed about output impedance.

In terms of driving 250 ohm beyers, the STX doesn't have any trouble at all, it's got more voltage swing than the cans or your ears can handle. If you made a cmoy with a +/- 12V supply (rather than the usual 9V battery) it would do a decent job of powering 250 ohm beyers, but would completely suck at trying to power K701s.

...BUT (the big but) Sir Mixalot would like it
The STX isn't the best sounding amp imo. It's ok, but not great. It's a bit clinical sounding, and the highs lack sweetness.
This isn't a function of underpowering the headphones though, it's the same with iems, AD900 or DT990.

[BusinessEvolution]

I haven't tried an DT880, but I have tried running my K702 off my STX. It achieved the volume all right, but the sound quality wasn't the best.
It all felt pretty flat and it sometimes sounded like the vocals were gargling.

Ultimately I think, despite what the box may claim, that the STX is only really suited to lower powered headphones.

The K/Q701/2 is a completely different load to a 250 ohm beyer, they're not comparable.
The AKGs are a very difficult load to drive, they need decent voltage swing, heaps of current capability and a low output impedance(which the stx does not have) to perform well.
250 ohm beyers need decent voltage swing, but have very low current requirements, and aren't too fussed about output impedance.

In terms of driving 250 ohm beyers, the STX doesn't have any trouble at all, it's got more voltage swing than the cans or your ears can handle. If you made a cmoy with a +/- 12V supply (rather than the usual 9V battery) it would do a decent job of powering 250 ohm beyers, but would completely suck at trying to power K701s.

...BUT (the big but) Sir Mixalot would like it
The STX isn't the best sounding amp imo. It's ok, but not great. It's a bit clinical sounding, and the highs lack sweetness.
This isn't a function of underpowering the headphones though, it's the same with iems, AD900 or DT990.

The STX has a measured output impedance from the headphone jack of 10.7 ohms, thats fairly low isn't it? (well maybe not, a decent amp is around 8 and good amp around 2) Its max voltage is is 7.4 volts on the highest gain setting for >300ohm head phones. It should run most 250 ohm headphones pretty well, though from my reading and attempting to do calculations it falls short, depending on the desired loudness. If the STX headphone output had an impedance of 2, it would be pretty much be able to run all headphones pretty well.

my head's done in;
http://www.apexhifi.com/specs.html
http://www.head-fi.org/t/429371/the-bey ... hread/1635
http://www.stereophile.com/content/asus ... asurements

As for the highs lacking sweetness, you can change op amps for that.

[dingostolemyipod]

The STX has a measured output impedance from the headphone jack of 10.7 ohms, thats fairly low isn't it? (well maybe not, a decent amp is around 8 and good amp around 2) Its max voltage is is 7.4 volts on the highest gain setting for >300ohm head phones. It should run most 250 ohm headphones pretty well, though from my reading and attempting to do calculations it falls short, depending on the desired loudness. If the STX headphone output had an impedance of 2, it would be pretty much be able to run all headphones pretty well.

10 ohms is relatively low, and won't be an issue in a lot of cases, but for some especially troublesome low impedance headphones (K701, most orthos) it's not really great. Even typically great amps (for say top end beyers, senns) can struggle with hard to drive low impedance phones. Plenty of good amps (designed for both high and low impedance cans) have a sub 1 ohm output-Z.

As for the highs lacking sweetness, you can change op amps for that.

I've tried a few opamp combinations in my STX, and i've got the line-out sounding really good, the heaphone amp can't be changed however, and i was comparing the internal amp to external ones - as close to as an apples for apples comparison that can be done. There is an extra buffer stage when using the line out though, which is unavoidable.

[theeyealtering]

So, assuming you can narrow such things down to a number, what would be a good guide for the kind of output impedance ideal for driving the K701?

[flognuts]

all I can say is, I got an STX.

I bought the dt880's. Got them home, plugged them in and they sounded very underwhelming, plugged them into my corda swing and they still sounded underwhelming. So i changed them for the dt250's.

No way the stx is running the dt880's despite what the specs say

[dingostolemyipod]

So, assuming you can narrow such things down to a number, what would be a good guide for the kind of output impedance ideal for driving the K701?

I'd be looking at maybe 1 or 2 ohm or lower, but that's just pulling a figure out of my ass really.

[theeyealtering]

I bought the dt880's. Got them home, plugged them in and they sounded very underwhelming, plugged them into my corda swing and they still sounded underwhelming. So i changed them for the dt250's.

Don't discount the possibility that you just didn't like them.

[Drubbing]

No way the stx is running the dt880's despite what the specs say

You probably just don't like them, they still sound like they sound from lesser amps. I got lent a pair and they grew on me. But they'd still be down the list from the 250.

[Marcus]

The "ideal" output impedance is usually 0 ohms, although some headphones tend to do better with different impedance outputs.

With that said, it's not going to help you - shopping for amps and headphone matches based JUST on specs is an almost guaranteed way to get a setup you are underwhelmed with.

[green_avanti]

...BUT (the big but) Sir Mixalot would like it
The STX isn't the best sounding amp imo. It's ok, but not great. It's a bit clinical sounding, and the highs lack sweetness..

..the STX's negative attributes of 'clinical' and 'lacking sweetness' would definetly not be desirable with DT880's (or K701's). These 'phones present these aspects as high points and would sound terrible with any failings there. They demand good quality amplification - will not perform well with low-grade amplification. The same applies with MS-Pro's and the like despite their higher efficiency ratings. MS-1's might be bearable, but the MS-Pros would not. MS-Pros are too revealing of what the source quality is..

Kind regards

Graeme