I have a couple of amazon cheapo devices (one d/a converter and one class D amp) that have headphone outputs. Unfortunately, my headphones of choice are the good old Koss Pro4aa (despite the cauliflower ear and neckache, I love 'em) which have a 250 ohm impedance. The headphone outputs of these devices are designed for low impedance phones and I can't get loud volume with my phones. Does anyone know of a cheap and dirty inline audio transformer for headphone impedance matching?- a 10:1 ratio would probably be perfect.
3 posters
Headphone Impedance Question
scrotuss- Posts : 21
Join date : 2012-12-16
Peter W.- Posts : 1351
Join date : 2016-08-07
Location : Melrose Park, PA
You could probably make one - look for a 10:1 audio grade transformer (pair) from Hammond, Mouser or similar. But, better you should look into a pair of Grado low-impedance headphones - made in Brooklyn, NY - and go from there. They are open-air, over-the-ear devices and do very nicely.
I am in training this week, and so have no time to hunt around, but I keep a pair of 4AAA and Grados for the varying needs.
I am in training this week, and so have no time to hunt around, but I keep a pair of 4AAA and Grados for the varying needs.
Peter W.- Posts : 1351
Join date : 2016-08-07
Location : Melrose Park, PA
https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Hammond-Manufacturing/146G?qs=%2Fha2pyFadujjAj2IJ%252BEiJaIUU1X8aZFrscfmCblewjDRQjn%252B7EE%252B6A%3D%3D
Should do it. Probably directly from Hammond as well.
Should do it. Probably directly from Hammond as well.
scrotuss- Posts : 21
Join date : 2012-12-16
Peter W. wrote:https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Hammond-Manufacturing/146G?qs=%2Fha2pyFadujjAj2IJ%252BEiJaIUU1X8aZFrscfmCblewjDRQjn%252B7EE%252B6A%3D%3D
Should do it. Probably directly from Hammond as well.
Thanks Peter. That is more than what I was looking to do. I guess that people with high impedance cans are expected to go out and get a fancy headphone amp. I looked at the Grado site- Unfortunately, all open back phones... not what I need for my application. I might spring $60 for a pair of Status headphones on Amazon- they seem to be well regarded, if flimsy.
scrotuss- Posts : 21
Join date : 2012-12-16
Does anyone have any experience with one of these? It looks like the design has been around for a few years, and many have tweaked it.
Seems the one design feature cast in concrete is that it must fit into an Altoids box.
I was looking at a kit from JDS labs > https://jdslabs.com/product/cmoybb-diy-kit-standard/. It looks like a fun kit and it can be tailored to high impedance headphones.
Seems the one design feature cast in concrete is that it must fit into an Altoids box.
I was looking at a kit from JDS labs > https://jdslabs.com/product/cmoybb-diy-kit-standard/. It looks like a fun kit and it can be tailored to high impedance headphones.
Zimmer64- Posts : 123
Join date : 2013-01-29
Age : 60
Location : Switzerland
What is your source? If from a computer or phone, maybe a Cyrus Soundkey or a AudioQuest Dragonfly or an Apogee Groove is an alternative. Or a full fledged headphone amp.
scrotuss- Posts : 21
Join date : 2012-12-16
I checked and it seems that those products are DACs. I don't need a DAC. I've got a few devices (DAC, CD player, etc.) with earphone/headphone outs designed for low impedance phones, and I'd like to use my 250 ohm headphones- the low impedance outputs won't drive the phones sufficiently. Even the cMoy amp kit I'm looking at requires 18v ( pwr. supply or 2-9v batteries) in order to drive high impedance phones. I was hoping that someone sold a cheap'n'dirty inline matching transformer, but no dice.Zimmer64 wrote:What is your source? If from a computer or phone, maybe a Cyrus Soundkey or a AudioQuest Dragonfly or an Apogee Groove is an alternative. Or a full fledged headphone amp.
The sources I'm talking about here are not what I'd consider to be HiFi, so I'm more interested in size and convenience here..