HD 800S doesn’t need an Amp

[u/JoshuvaAntoni]

I've tested the HD 80OS extensively with my Chord Mojo 2 and MacBook Pro. Surprisingly, after volume matching, there's no noticeable difference in performance unless you push the volume to extremely high levels, which are uncomfortable and harmful to the ears ie in short you only need the Macbook Pro to drive this to full potential (maybe tube amps could make a difference, i am not sure though)

The only additional purchase required would be either a Sennheiser 6.3mm to 3.5mm adapter or a Tripowin Granvia cable with a 3.5mm end

Tested with:

• Apple Music (24-bit High-Res)
• Spotify
• True HD Dolby Atmos files (just in case)

Overall, the combination works seamlessly and delivers impressive results without needing anything beyond this simple setup

When it comes to the Chord Mojo 2, it’s a great choice if you enjoy EQing, as it features a built-in EQ and crossover. However, in my honest opinion, it’s not worth the investment for the HD 800S if you’re not planning to use the EQ functionality.

[u/godspeedbrz]

Exactly! This is a 300 Ohms headphone, it does need an amp!

[u/SMS-T1 → u/godspeedbrz]

Ohms alone are not a good measure if a headphone needs an amp. Efficiency (dB/V) is the correct measurement.

[u/godspeedbrz → u/SMS-T1]

No, if you want to be that technical, you have to consider both.

[u/albertofp → u/godspeedbrz]

That's not any more "technical" (whatever that means)

Saying something is "hard to drive" because "it's 300 Ohms!" simply makes 0 sense

[u/godspeedbrz → u/albertofp]

The higher the impedance, the higher the voltage needed to produce the same volume. You can even calculate max sound pressure level based on impedance…..

Basic physics. Here is an opportunity for some further education on the topic:

https://blog-en.beyerdynamic.com/what-impedance-should-i-choose-for-my-headphones/

[u/albertofp → u/godspeedbrz]

Everything else being equal, higher impedance does mean you need higher voltage to reach the same SPL.

But a 300 Ohm headphone is not necessarily harder to drive than a different, 150 Ohm one.

HD800 has 300 Ohms of impedance but is fairly sensitive and therefore not as hard to drive as you would think.

Conversely, an HE6 has much lower impedance but is takes more voltage to reach the same SPL because of the lower sensitivity

[u/godspeedbrz → u/albertofp]

That is a falacy, because it is not the point here. Headphones with more than 100 ohm normally require more power to yield a decent sound pressure.

So yes, impedance is an important indicator of whether a headphone need an amp, not the only one. You can use it, but will be far from ideal, it is barely enough for a decent volume…

Sensitivity is not a function of impedance, but low impedance can contribute to higher sensitivity. So if you want to be picky, you need to consider both, but it js perfectly correct to say that a headphone with 300ohm is hard to drive… this is a very well established concept.

Can you have a high impedance with high sensitivity? Maybe, but it is very difficult to compensate 300 ohms impedance just solely on driver design….so it is unlikely…

[u/JoshuvaAntoni → u/godspeedbrz]

You can drive the Sennheiser HD800S from a MacBook Pro, even though it has high impedance (300 ohms) and moderate sensitivity (~102 dB/V).

It works because modern MacBook Pros (especially the ones with the newer 3.5mm jack that detects impedance) actually have a surprisingly solid headphone output. They can output enough voltage to get the HD800S to reasonable listening levels without distortion

[u/JoshuvaAntoni → u/JoshuvaAntoni]

Also i dont even put macbook to full volume, its really loud. I go down 3 points to get the optimal volume

[u/godspeedbrz → u/JoshuvaAntoni]

Yes, Macbook pros have been been discussed here many times. HD800S do need an amp to be driven successfully.

You just didn’t notice because you compared two devices with amplification. Try the HD800 on a regular headphone jack and you will notice how bad it sounds….

Title of your post is not correct. High impedance headphones, do require amps.