Newbie Question: e2c & Vibez

Bi11

2007-05-11, 11:26 #1

Member since May 2007 · 3 posts
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Subject: Newbie Question: e2c & Vibez

Hi there,

I just got my Vibez (to replace a lost iriver H320). Very nice!

Here's my question:

I had spent the money on e2c ear buds for the iriver and was happy with them. However, I see references that the Vibez is "optimized" for 32ohm phones. The e2c specs they have 16ohms resistance, but googling 32ohm ones shows a vast array of very inexpensive ones (<$25). All things being equal (which I'm sure they're not), could these "cheap" headphones be somehow more sonically satisfying than the quite spendy e2cs?

Stupid question: I tried reading through wikipedia on all things ohm, but I'm stupefied. It seems that a higher ohm value implies *less* resistance, so the device's output can flow easier (e.g., through to your the ears). If this is right, would these goofy looking $30 64ohm Senn's be much more "eargasmic" than what I have now?

Thanks!

p0l1c4j 2007-05-14, 09:46 #2

Member since Mar 2007 · 12 posts · Location: Slovenia
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In fact, the more expensive the phones get, the higher the impedance, or, to put it another way - the small, portable ones have low impedance values, while the bulky, home-use hi-fi ones have higher impedance values.

Impedance determines how sensitive the phones are to voltage changes (when you change the volume).
Which I think means that plugging portable ones into a hi-fi receiver will get you very loud sounds at a low volume setting, and plugging high-impedance ones into the Vibez will give you a very quiet sound.
I also believe that the difference in volume when you change the volume on the device is smaller with higher impedance values, but that might be my own misinterpretation.

As for the sound quality, the impedance I think has nothing to do with it, directly. It's just that the cheaper, small, portable, low-impedance phones rarely compare to the more expensive, hi-fi, high-impedance ones, sound quality-wise.

And what I believe that "optimized for 32ohms" means is that the volume level was tested with such phones, and the sennheiser phones that come with the Vibez have such an impedance. Maybe the voltage/current is best suited for 32ohms.

That's what (I think) I know about the matter, so I'd like to ask somebody else to confirm, whether I'm right. Anyone?