Click to view our Accessibility Statement or contact us with accessibility-related questions

Do these need to be used with an AMP or dac/amp?

more_vert
Vote
4

Cancel
search
close
Robson
227
Jun 8, 2023
Yes. You are really doing yourself a dis-service if you don't use an amp. These may be low impedance and fairly "efficient", but planars are all current hungry. They just won't sound "right" without an amp imo. The Schiit amps are excellent suggestions...
BorisTheBlade
11
Dec 28, 2023
RobsonThere's a big common misconception that low impedance means efficient or easy to driver in audio. In reality it's not a particularly relevant measurement, especially with planars which typically require a ton of current. Low impedance can actually be more difficult to drive if your amplifier doesn't deliver enough power into a low impedance load. Then you have some amplifiers delivering a ton of wattage into say 16ohms, but with a severe lack of voltage. You're almost always going to be current starved in that case, and you're going to get distortion on planars. Planars thrive on amplifiers that can deliver a lot of power and current into a low impedance load between 16-32ohms.
(Edited)
VMIjam
12
Jul 4, 2021
No, but yes. You will hear music using them without a headphone amp, but it won’t be nearly as good as it could be. Planars may well have low impedance, but they need power to really show their stuff. For $99, the Schiit Magni (3, 3+, etc.) does the job nicely, as do more powerful (and expensive) options.
william.beasley
9
Feb 13, 2021
No, but definitely if you want the best results.
Related Posts
Trending Posts in Audiophile