Amp output impedance? 100€ AMP EU/GER

Equipment / Electronics / Gear / Accessories Headphone Amps
1

Hello everybody, as I’m located in Germany my choice of gear is not as plenty as in other places.

Right now I’m in the process of planning an upgrade to my setup. I want to get a new DAC and AMP, the DAC is pretty much decided on at this point (Shiit Modi 3 if I can get a reasonable deal otherwise the Pro-Ject DAC Box S USB).

To set the stage: I want to use the following headphones:

  • Philips Fidelio X2 (32Ω, 100 dB SPL/mW, 10,15 mW for 110dB SPL)
  • AKG K712 Pro (62Ω, 105 db SPL/V, 51mW for 110dB SPL)
  • Sennheiser HD660 S (150Ω, 104 db SPL/V, 26mW for 110dB SPL)

while also having the option to have a speaker amplifier connected (the t.amp E-800, 10 kΩ input impedance, sensitivity: 0.77 V / 26 dB / … 1.4 V) but to be honest, the speakers connected to that thing are not even close to anything “audiophile”, so the sound quality here is not of utmost importance.

The amps I looked at to this point are:

  • SMSL Sanskrit PHA
    availability can be kind of tricky
  • Pro-Ject Head Box S
    no problem with availability

both seem to have more than enough juice to push all headphones further than they or my ears could handle, but I’ve not been able to find out about their output impedance. I was told, that the output impedance of the amp should not exceed 1/8 of the headphones impedance (4Ω in my case).

Could any of you educate me on the real importance of this metric and how/if I can figure this out for the 2 specific amps?
Obviously I would be grateful for other recommendations in this price segment with availability in Germany / the EU as well.

Thanks for taking the time to read. Have a nice day.

2

What about a smsl m100 for a dac? Or a topping d10 would be nice. I wouldn’t recommend a modi because it is pretty outdated at this point and doesn’t sound that great imo because of some issues it has.

This is a long shot, but could you get a liquid spark, jds labs atom, or a magni heresy? The PHA has some issues and didn’t sound that great to my ears tbh. The head box was good but I feel like you could get better for your money

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The m100 would be an option indeed, does not cost more either, that’s gonna kick the modi from my withlist. d10 not so much, since I would like the option to use an optical connection to my DAC, forgot to mention that in my original post.
Monolith liquid spark is not available in Germany and would be hit by a hefty import fee which I’d rather avoid. JDS Atom could be an option (if the UK is still in the EU by the time I make the purchase :joy: ). Magni Heresy looks solid (and pretty) as well - I think you changed my mind on this one, too :slight_smile:

And hey the Magni Heresy specifies the output impedance!

Thanks for hitting me with the knowledge! I’m sure I’ll be satisfied with that gear!

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Well that’s great then :+1: The m100 is a sweet little dac, can recommend for sure

The heresy is much improved over the old magni 3, can easily recommend now. The atom sounds a bit better imo (nitpicking at this point) but with less power

5

Hello,
I have a Schiit Magni 3 when you are interested.And i live in Germany so you can get Tax free.Give me a Pm when you would.