Output Impedance and How It Reshapes a Dynamic Driver
Keep the output impedance below one eighth of the headphone impedance and the amplifier stops changing the sound. Above that threshold the…
Cynthia Kuder
Amps & DACs
Cynthia Kuder
Balanced Outputs: What the Extra Voltage Buys You
Choose a balanced output only when the headphone needs more voltage or the cable run is long, and ignore it otherwise. A…
Cynthia Kuder
Choosing an Amplifier for High-Impedance Headphones
Look for voltage swing and a low output impedance, and a high-impedance headphone becomes straightforward to drive. The 250 to 600 ohm…
Cynthia Kuder
Volume Control Methods in Desktop Amplifiers and Where Noise Appears
Match the volume control method to your headphone’s sensitivity, because the type of attenuator decides where the noise and the channel imbalance…
Cynthia Kuder
USB DACs on Desktop Systems: Power, Ground Loops and Hum
Buy the DAC for its power arrangement rather than its converter chip, and most desktop noise problems disappear before they start. The…
Cynthia Kuder
Headroom, Gain Staging and Noise Floor in a Headphone Chain
Set the digital level first, then the analogue gain, then the volume control, and the noise floor drops before you change a…
Cynthia Kuder