Sennheiser PC37X randomly goes bad after disconnecting the cable ?
Greetings, Yesterday I was using my headset like normal with my macbook, just listening to music and on a call with people like usual, and the headset was perfectly fine. The stock wire that came with the headset is extremely long and yesterday it annoyed me very much that it kept getting tangled with itself, so I decided to see if the cable is replaceable. I pulled out the cable from the headset and saw the adapter, and looked online for a replacement. Upon plugging it back in, the audio sounded extremely muffled and washed out. Im not sure what I did wrong to make it mess up like that as I've always taken good care of it, ive had it for about 2 years and its always just been chilling on my desk, but anywho I thought the cable just went bad and ordered a replacement. The replacement came, and the issue is still persistant, so I am not sure what the issue is I've tried multiple different headsets and the issue is not with the port, and I also tried it with my windows laptop and...
Apr 23, 2024
HD800 from Inner fidelity: Volts RMS required to reach 90dB SPL: 0.242 Vrms Power Needed for 90d BSPL 0.16 mW
HE500 from Inner fidelity: Volts RMS required to reach 90dB SPL: 0.310 Vrms Power Needed for 90d BSPL 2.04 mW
(removed Vrms reference for DAC/AMP as it was DAC section... good catch hugazebra!)
Conclusion: The HE500 requires more wattage/voltage than the HD800, this is due to the technology employed and inherently the sensitivity of the drivers. The vast majority (if not all) dynamic driver designs will be easter to drive than double-sided planar magnetic designs. I would agree the HD800 is harder to find a good amp pairing than the 500 but that's due to it's clinical precision and treble presentation... not because it is harder to drive.
To reach the same reference headroom, you need:
HE500: 10 ^ ((115 - 87.5) / 10) = 562mW @ 38 ohms HD800: 10 ^ ((115 - 96.8) / 10) = 66mW @ 300 ohms, assuming mid-bass impedance of 640 ohms you'll need about 141mW @ 300 ohms if scaling is linear and you're not current capped.
Getting 141 mW at 300 ohms is much harder than 562 mW at 38 ohms.
I don't dislike the O2, in fact I think it's the best for the price point. But the OP's claim was whether the O2 was powerful enough for the HD800, my standpoint is that factoring in amplifier distortion and clipping headroom, I agree it is not enough for the HD800.
It's a tough one isn't it? :P
Frame of reference: Preferred amp for these high impedance/current hungry headphones is with a Schiit Lyr + 1969 Phillips MiniWatt SQ's. The soundstage is incredible with those tubes... used to be fairly good deal but can't be found much under $300 a pair these days....
TLDR... nope not super easy to compare as there are also things like slew rate, phase linearity, capacitance, etc...
Advice: Trust your ears and buy from people with a good return policy!
Edit: If you use a projector, get yourself a power center with a battery backup or UPS designed for home theater. If a projector loses power while running at best you will lose some lamp life at worst you will straight up lose the lamp. One power outage while running and the power solution pays for itself (bulbs range from $200-$500)