Ohms, Impedance and hz???

[mrigank.pawar]

Hi all. I am a proud Cowon s9 user. I'm looking for new pair of headphones. I saw Sennheiser's HD 202 and HD 212 at a store here. They looked great.

But, I don't understand what the technical specs mean. For ex.:

Nominal impedance 32 Ohm
Frequency response (headphones) 12.....19000 Hz
THD, total harmonic distortion <0,2 %
Sound pressure level (SPL) 112 dB(SPL)

Above are the specs for HD 212. Please help me to decide as I'm not sure if the higher the Ohm the better the headphones and higher the dB better the sound!

Any replies will be highly appreciated. Thanks.

[CrowdAds]

[Kirby1356]

Don't both headphones have 32Ohm?

[Tommifier]

I've got an S9 too, though I must say my headphones are pretty much a polar opposite.

Those sound like decent specs for the S9. Really, the only spec you should pay attention to is impedance. It'll decide how hard your headphones are to drive to loud levels. 32 Ohms is pretty normal though, and should be a piece of cake for the S9.

[Marvin the Martian]

Originally Posted by Tommifier

I've got an S9 too, though I must say my headphones are pretty much a polar opposite.

Those sound like decent specs for the S9. Really, the only spec you should pay attention to is impedance. It'll decide how hard your headphones are to drive to loud levels. 32 Ohms is pretty normal though, and should be a piece of cake for the S9.

Sensitivity can play as big a role as impedance...they both need to be considered. My SR60i's and PX100's are both 32ohm impedance, but the PX100's sensitivity is higher, so it takes less power to produce an equivalent volume level. I think either of the 'phones the OP mentions should be easily powered by an S9.

[mrigank.pawar]

Originally Posted by Marvin the Martian

Sensitivity can play as big a role as impedance...they both need to be considered. My SR60i's and PX100's are both 32ohm impedance, but the PX100's sensitivity is higher, so it takes less power to produce an equivalent volume level. I think either of the 'phones the OP mentions should be easily powered by an S9.

Do u think I should buy the PX100 or the HD 202 or the HD 212 pro?
Are there any other recommendations (not too expensive)?

[Marvin the Martian]

Originally Posted by mrigank.pawar

Do u think I should buy the PX100 or the HD 202 or the HD 212 pro?
Are there any other recommendations (not too expensive)?

Well, that depends on where you think you'll be listening most often. I've heard that the 212 is super bass heavy(some people like that, of course) and that the 202 is more balanced overall than the 212. The DarkSide can tell you about those two and their sound. I do know they have really long cords, more suited to listening at home.

The PX100 is smaller, with a shorter cord, and more suited to portable use. They fold up into a hard case if you need to travel with them, and they don't need an amp. They are plenty loud right out of a DAP. I use mine all the time.

[mrigank.pawar]

Originally Posted by Marvin the Martian

Well, that depends on where you think you'll be listening most often. I've heard that the 212 is super bass heavy(some people like that, of course) and that the 202 is more balanced overall than the 212. The DarkSide can tell you about those two and their sound. I do know they have really long cords, more suited to listening at home.

The PX100 is smaller, with a shorter cord, and more suited to portable use. They fold up into a hard case if you need to travel with them, and they don't need an amp.

Oh ok. I don't want a long cord as I will be purchasing the headphones for outside use. I guess I'll buy PX100.

I mostly listen to rock music but I occassionally listen to Indian Classical/Fusion music (heard of Shakti?), Hip-Hop and Trance tracks. Is HD 202 better for that or PX 100?

[Marvin the Martian]

Originally Posted by mrigank.pawar

Oh ok. I don't want a long cord as I will be purchasing the headphones for outside use. I guess I'll buy PX100.

I mostly listen to rock music but I occassionally listen to Indian Classical/Fusion music (heard of Shakti?), Hip-Hop and Trance tracks. Is HD 202 better for that or PX 100?

I think most people would say that the PX100 is better than the HD202 for anything except for isolation from outside noises. I prefer to be aware of my surroundings, so I don't get hit by a car or something. I think they work well for hip-hop, and electronic music too.

It's worth mentioning too that the PX100 are light and comfortable, and some people complain the 202 squeezes their head like a vise.

[mrigank.pawar]

Originally Posted by Marvin the Martian

I think most people would say that the PX100 is better than the HD202 for anything except for isolation from outside noises. I prefer to be aware of my surroundings, so I don't get hit by a car or something. I think they work well for hip-hop, and electronic music too.

It's worth mentioning too that the PX100 are light and comfortable, and some people complain the 202 squeezes their head like a vise.

Hmmm. That's what I thought. The PX100 won't be too good to isolate outside sound. I mostly use public transport.

I just discovered that the HD 218 and PX100 are the same price at minidisc.com.au
Do you suggest the HD 218 over the PX100?

Also, could Darkside help, too?

[The DarkSide]

Originally Posted by mrigank.pawar

Hmmm. That's what I thought. The PX100 won't be too good to isolate outside sound. I mostly use public transport.

I just discovered that the HD 218 and PX100 are the same price at minidisc.com.au
Do you suggest the HD 218 over the PX100?

Also, could Darkside help, too?

HD 202's are great for more even listening (beware the 10 foot cord), the HD 212's are REALLY bass heavy - stay away from them (mine are really dusty - and they also have a 10 foot cord), the PX100's are wonderful for listening on the go - no real isolation can be an issue for some (I modded mine w/PX200 pads), never heard the HD 218's - I like the look though (but that doesn't mean they sound good).

All in all, for portable use, get either the PX100's or the HD 218's (cable length is 1.4 meters). I'd try the HD 218's simply for the isolation factor alone.

BTW, this is all IMO, YMMV.

[mrigank.pawar]

Originally Posted by The DarkSide

All in all, for portable use, get either the PX100's or the HD 218's (cable length is 1.4 meters). I'd try the HD 218's simply for the isolation factor alone.
\

The ultra-long wires are a huge problem. Regarding the 218s, I think the bass issue can be resolved by using custom EQ. Apart from the bass, do they sound good?

By the way, nobody has answered my question yet! What does Low/High Impedance or Frequency signify???

[dfkt]

Originally Posted by mrigank.pawar

Nominal impedance 32 Ohm
Frequency response (headphones) 12.....19000 Hz
THD, total harmonic distortion <0,2 %
Sound pressure level (SPL) 112 dB(SPL)

Impedance is average and should give little issues. A bit of bass roll-off, background hiss, stereo crosstalk is normal with an impedance like that.

Freq response is defined by a retard, or the marketing department. No headphone reaches 12Hz - none, not even the best or most expensive out there. 19kHz on the other hand is rather realistic.

The THD is nothing to write home about, but not that bad either. Anything over 1% is really troublesome, anything in the 0.001% range is really good.

The SPL means you can get deaf by using those phones on any average MP3 player, no worries about insanely loud volume.

[mrigank.pawar]

Originally Posted by dfkt

Impedance is average and should give little issues. A bit of bass roll-off, background hiss, stereo crosstalk is normal with an impedance like that.

Freq response is defined by a retard, or the marketing department. No headphone reaches 12Hz - none, not even the best or most expensive out there. 19kHz on the other hand is rather realistic.

The THD is nothing to write home about, but not that bad either. Anything over 1% is really troublesome, anything in the 0.001% range is really good.

The SPL means you can get deaf by using those phones on any average MP3 player, no worries about insanely loud volume.

Thanks for that.
So, if I've got 2 phones in front of me, one's 16 ohms and another is 32 ohms. Which 1 should I go for?

[h1a8]

Originally Posted by mrigank.pawar

Thanks for that.
So, if I've got 2 phones in front of me, one's 16 ohms and another is 32 ohms. Which 1 should I go for?

Generally, the lower the impedance (ohms) and higher the sensitivity then the more loud the phones are, the more the bass roll off is, and the more hiss (for some players).

I would go for the 32ohm phones if that is the only information I know about the phones. But other info is indeed needed to make a good decision.

[The DarkSide]

I'd go w/the 32ohm hp's myself.

[mrigank.pawar]

K guys. thnx for the info. I probably will buy PX 100; unless there are any other suggestions regarding other brands within the same price range...

[h1a8]

Koss Portapros or Sportapros are pretty good since you are considering the PX 100. Look them up on Amazon. The portapros come with a lifetime warranty.

[mrigank.pawar]

Originally Posted by h1a8

Koss Portapros or Sportapros are pretty good since you are considering the PX 100. Look them up on Amazon. The portapros come with a lifetime warranty.

Oooo! They're really good lookin! Do they sound as good as they look?
They're 60 ohms and have a higher frequency than PX 100.
Portapros are AUD 125 and Sportapro are AUD 95!

[The DarkSide]

The ONLY problem is that the Koss Porta Pros leak too much sound. I'm not sure if there's a pad mod either, but the do sound good otherwise.

[Marvin the Martian]

Originally Posted by mrigank.pawar

Oooo! They're really good lookin! Do they sound as good as they look?
They're 60 ohms and have a higher frequency than PX 100.
Portapros are AUD 125 and Sportapro are AUD 95!

That's been an ongoing debate for years......is the best portable PortaPro, or PX100? I've never heard PortaPros, so I can't compare them to PX100....but PortaPros do have that lifetime warranty, which could come in handy.