4 or 8 ohm decision

MattTCG · 975

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Offline MattTCG

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on: February 25, 2018, 01:54:02 AM
I like to run dynamics (hd650 and hd800) as well as efficient planars (ETHER Flow and Aeon Flow). I'm wondering which configuration would serve best, 4 or 8 ohm. I don't, at this time, plan to use speakers as this is a dedicated headphone amp.

Are there any real differences between the two choices aside from more gain? Would 8 ohms offer a quieter background, provided that it provided adequate gain?

kindly...

Matt



Offline Paul Birkeland

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Reply #1 on: February 25, 2018, 05:28:09 AM
The quieter background will come from the 4 ohm tap, as will the better damping and lower distortion.  The 8 ohm tap will provide a bit more power.

Since you're mostly using headphones, I would just start with the 4 ohm tap.

Paul "PB" Birkeland

Bottlehead Grunt & The Repro Man


Offline MattTCG

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Reply #2 on: February 25, 2018, 05:56:22 AM
Thanks for the information. That was just what I was looking for.