S9 + Sennheiser 280 Pro = ???

[steiner666]

I'm ordering an S9 and plan to use them along with these (64ohm) headphones:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16826106328

will they play nicely together? Will the S9 be able to drive these headphones enough or do i need an amp (something I'm hoping to avoid having to use). If i don't use an amp, will it noticeably effect battery life? If I wouldn't be able to use headphones with this much impedance, what limit should i look for different heaphones under, and could someone make a recommendation? I want the best sound i can get w/o having to tote around more than i have to...

Thanks!

[dfkt]

Unless you listen at insanely loud SPL you won't need an amp with the HD280, they should work with the S9. They might be a bit on the quieter side paired with some portable players, but the S9 should be beefy enough to drive them to satisfactory levels.

[steiner666]

awesome, thanks for the swift reply! I cant wait to finally have my FLAC library (at least a good chuck of it) on the go instead of the mp3 nonsense i've been tolerating.

[dfkt]

Not sure the HD280 (or human ears) are so precise as to hear any difference between FLAC and properly encoded MP3s on a portable player... I know I don't hear any on my home setup.

[ultrauber]

Originally Posted by dfkt

Not sure the HD280 (or human ears) are so precise as to hear any difference between FLAC and properly encoded MP3s on a portable player... I know I don't hear any on my home setup.

though it maybe placebo, placebo sounds good. what you perceive is all that really matters, eh?

[steiner666]

Well part of it is the zen mosaic that i'm using now, because i definitely notice some sort of distortion or clipping on every song i listen to on it. and the same mp3s DO sound better on my pc/stereo than on it. But i can definitely hear the difference between them and FLACs. Some bands more so than others (Nile and Arch Enemy's albums sound loads better). The hi-hats and cymbals are a lot crisper and the double kicks sound more like double kicks and and less like a constant bass tone.

But yeah, like you said, i'm sure the mp3's arent the best rips ever either...

[steagle]

steiner, shhhh, you'll summon the MP3's-Are-Just-As-Good-As-FLAC's Preachers! i've had that battle already there ARE several differences between compressed and non-compressed, some people just can't hear them, usually i think the reason is they've listened to MP3's for so long that their ears have adjusted to that frequency spectrum and it's physically hard, if not impossible for them to detect the more delicate frequencies outside of that range. go lossless whenever possible, it's better for your ears and your mind!

oh and to answer the OP, i use HD280s with my S9 all the time at home and they sound great. high end freq's aren't very good on 280's, but they are an "all-rounder" that will provide nice deep bass and balanced mids, so they mostly make up for the shortcoming. i think you will be pleased with them, and they will begin your journey into the world of higher end headphones one day