Glossary: Headphone Types

Headphones are generally the most important piece of equipment in your portable audio setup although most people usually use the cheapest set possible and spend big on their playback device. There are various types of headphones coming in at a huge range of prices, all have their distinct advantages and disadvantages, and in this post we’ll be looking at each type.

Zero 09 Version DAC/Amp

Review:  Zero 09 Version

Item: Amplifier (Headphone)

Price: £120

The Zero is a headphone amp made in Hong Kong, there really isn’t much info on manufacturer or anything else for that matter. The amps come with a couple of different options for op amps and inputs. On the op amp front the choices are OPA2604, the cheaper model, and OPA627 the more expensive of the two. For inputs on top of digital coaxial and digital optical it’s possible to have a USB DAC added, great for old computer systems and laptops.

Having heard some good things about these amps and seeing as it has an inbuilt DAC, for the price I was naturally curious and took the plunge. I’ve opted for the OPA627 model with USB in order to use with my netbook.

Zero 09 Version

Glossary: Burn In

New headphones, speakers, amps and so on require use for around 100 hours in order to get the best sound quality, during this time sound characteristics can change, frequency range can increase, audio may become clearer.

Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 250 Ohm

Review:  Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 250 Ohm

Item: Headphones (Closed)

Price: £140 (click to buy from Amazon)   

Beyerdynamic are a German audio equipment manufacturer whose headphones are regularly used in recording studios. Unlike a lot of cheaper headphone manufacturers Beyer sell replacement parts such as new cables, headbands and so on for their headphones. Coming in at £140 they are more expensive than your average headphones but how do they weigh up for their price?

Beyerdynamic DT770s in all their glory.