Here is a (passive) stereo cross-feed network for headphones that to me does an excellent job at improving listening to stereo recordings that are engineered for listening to with loudspeakers (the majority of recordings). As this is my design, I would naturally be biased in thinking that headphones listening using my network is greatly improved by the network. So I would like other listeners to try this and then report whether or not they like what it does.
The components of my network correspond to to the rated headphone impedance of the headphones that are to be used with it. See the attached figure. This is important, the network works properly only with headphones of a rated impedance that the network has been built for.
As the network is made up of only six 1/2W resistors, two non-polarized capacitors, and two inductors, this is fairly easy to try. However inductance of the inductor can become fairly substantial for higher rated headphone impedance. So this will be easier to try for lower rated impedance; inductor L1 equals 1 mH where the network is built for 32 Ohm rated impedance. The commercial coils intended for speaker system cross-over networks can be used in my network. The actual component values can be standard values as close as possible to the calculated values. DCR of the inductors can be up to but not more than the resistance of R3
Inserting the network between amplifier and headphones lowers volume somewhat, but unless you are already using a high volume control setting of the amplifier driving your headphones, most likely your current amplifier is adequate to drive your headphones through the network too.
Load presented to the amplifier by headphones connected to the network is never lower than the rated impedance of the headphones.
My design has a strong if unorthodox basis in acoustics. If interested in the derivation of the circuit design, see my article here:
http://www.zen22142.zen.co.uk/Design/Xfeed-Net.pdf
Please try my network and post the results of your listening test to this thread.
Thanks for trying (enjoy it),
Pete
The components of my network correspond to to the rated headphone impedance of the headphones that are to be used with it. See the attached figure. This is important, the network works properly only with headphones of a rated impedance that the network has been built for.
As the network is made up of only six 1/2W resistors, two non-polarized capacitors, and two inductors, this is fairly easy to try. However inductance of the inductor can become fairly substantial for higher rated headphone impedance. So this will be easier to try for lower rated impedance; inductor L1 equals 1 mH where the network is built for 32 Ohm rated impedance. The commercial coils intended for speaker system cross-over networks can be used in my network. The actual component values can be standard values as close as possible to the calculated values. DCR of the inductors can be up to but not more than the resistance of R3
Inserting the network between amplifier and headphones lowers volume somewhat, but unless you are already using a high volume control setting of the amplifier driving your headphones, most likely your current amplifier is adequate to drive your headphones through the network too.
Load presented to the amplifier by headphones connected to the network is never lower than the rated impedance of the headphones.
My design has a strong if unorthodox basis in acoustics. If interested in the derivation of the circuit design, see my article here:
http://www.zen22142.zen.co.uk/Design/Xfeed-Net.pdf
Please try my network and post the results of your listening test to this thread.
Thanks for trying (enjoy it),
Pete