yo, as the topic states ive got Sennheiser hd580 headphones. I'm just wondering whether the audigy2 platinum front panal is powerful enough to drive these 300ohm headphones.

some reviews Ive read stated they are, but I'd like to hear some opinions =)

thanks

oh and hi im new.

I tried my 580s on a friends Audigy 2 about 12 months ago. The sound quality was a little thin, although I didn't feel it was terribly underpowered. I'd suggest using an external amp to get the best out of them though.

Welcome to HA!

Ah thanks. I've got this big old 500watt amp, its a Hitachi HA-5300 (power stage class 'E').

I really have no idea what a class E amp is, and would that be perfectly adiquate for powering these headphones from?

thanks for the reply again.

Hiya - had to comment, as I replaced my faithful 480's ('clam shells') which served me from '92 tirelessly with 580's about 12 months ago.

Do cans come any better? Maybe, but at what price? They send me, every time.

Have to say, tho', I bought a Creek OBH-11 (power, silence, smoothness) at the same time , and I'm never looking back.

Get a headphone amp!


ciao,
RF

Class E is Pulse Width Modulation amplification. It's normally used in RF transmitters and power electronics (motor controllers, etc). Class E has some serious potential shortcomings which make it difficult to implement one without extremely high (in audio terms) harmonic distortion. They also don't do very well on Signal to Noise Ratio.
Wikipedia - Electronic Amplifiers
Wikipedia - PWM

Your class E box could make a competent PA amp but I would certainly not recommend it for headphone listening. However there are a lot of very affordable hadphone amps available and it is very simple to build your own, if you feel that your Audigy is not good enough.
Try Headroom - they make some great amps. A friend of mine built himself an Elliot DOZ headphone amp. It's very simple and cheap and sounds great - instructions (and PCB sales) are on Rod's Site. I listen through an opamp based amp of my own design.