Hello.
I want to get headphones for mixing and I have settled on the Sennheiser HD600. This set features a standard (for pro cans) 300ohm input impedance.
This is all nice and dandy, however, the headphone jack on my audio interface, a Roland Quad Capture, has an output impedance of 47ohm. A value which those of you who are aware of the technicalities, would be quick to notice is much too high to drive the Sennheiser properly and would result in unpredictable performance, boomy bass, distortion, etc.
The recommended output impedance for the Sennheiser HD600 is as low as you can get. 0 ohm if possible.
Practically, I could get a ~2ohm headphone amp for $100-$200 and get done with it, but I'm not willing to shell out this kind of money–quite near how much I spent on the interface itself.
After some research, I discovered unity gain buffers and how they can be used to lower the output impedance of a source–which on first sight sounds like a gift–exactly what I need to achieve my goal.
However from what I understand, unity gain buffers are not some plug-n-play component you can get off the shelf, but a circuit you have to design (and then assemble of course, which is the easier part).
I also understand it is quite a simple circuit so I feel this project is something I can accomplish. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Here are a few questions:
I think by getting answers to these unknowns from experienced folk like you guys, I can make a smarter decision. Thanks!
I want to get headphones for mixing and I have settled on the Sennheiser HD600. This set features a standard (for pro cans) 300ohm input impedance.
This is all nice and dandy, however, the headphone jack on my audio interface, a Roland Quad Capture, has an output impedance of 47ohm. A value which those of you who are aware of the technicalities, would be quick to notice is much too high to drive the Sennheiser properly and would result in unpredictable performance, boomy bass, distortion, etc.
The recommended output impedance for the Sennheiser HD600 is as low as you can get. 0 ohm if possible.
Practically, I could get a ~2ohm headphone amp for $100-$200 and get done with it, but I'm not willing to shell out this kind of money–quite near how much I spent on the interface itself.
After some research, I discovered unity gain buffers and how they can be used to lower the output impedance of a source–which on first sight sounds like a gift–exactly what I need to achieve my goal.
However from what I understand, unity gain buffers are not some plug-n-play component you can get off the shelf, but a circuit you have to design (and then assemble of course, which is the easier part).
I also understand it is quite a simple circuit so I feel this project is something I can accomplish. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Here are a few questions:
- Am I correct in my understanding that a unity gain buffer could solve my problem?
- Am I correct in my assumption that a unity gain buffer is something that would cost a few $ to assemble?
- Am I correct in my assumption that unity gain buffers, being a very simple component, do not alter the signal (ie. frequency response)? - again this is important to me as I'll be using it for mixing.
I think by getting answers to these unknowns from experienced folk like you guys, I can make a smarter decision. Thanks!
Last edited: