hey
i had fun learning about pcs and pc builds but im interested in headphones learning about ohms and such.
i want to be able to determine how good a headset is without looking at the price.(also same with soundcards)
thanks
-lee
http://www.head-fi.org/
http://www.innerfidelity.com/headphonereviews
I've found in my time that audio (especially in terms of headphones) is more personal preference than most things I've encountered. I've been able in the past to get a good idea of what I want by doing enough research, reading reviews, and correlating that with what I like. It almost always works out perfectly the exception usually being audio. I can read all the reviews, look at all the specs, decide on a pair and still end up not liking it. Hell my recently bought Audioengine A5+ were my most recent purchase regret. Glowing reviews, I liked what I heard from peoples listening notes, seemed like it would be the perfect set up but theres just something about the sound I don't like.
My advice would be to find a company or site with an excellent return policy and just try out whatever you can. I would really like to get more hands on experience with more headphones myself. Head-fi is an excellent resource and a great place to start.
Go to college and take a circuit analysis class. I am just finishing up the intro course in circuit analysis at my university, and we learned a lot about audio. In the labs we got to play with op amps and filters that were hooked up to an oscilloscope, and we also played music while the signal was being fed to the oscilloscope. It was really cool stuff! And learning about ohms? Uh, ohms is an SI unit for resistance. There is also something called ohms law which is V=IR. V being voltage, I being current, and R being resistance. This is useful if you want to find the voltage, current, or resistance across something, but doesn't relate to audio directly. All a resistor does, in most circuits that I know about, is burn of energy and produce heat. This may sound boring, but there are some cool uses! One that comes to mine is an AM radio. When an AM radio gets a signal from its antenna it feeds it through a diode and it then charges a capacitor. After the capacitor is charged, it sends current back towards the diode. But, a diode will only let current flow one way. In between the capacitor and the diode is a resistor connected to ground. The energy gets burned off on the resistor and it traces out the sinusoidal message that the radio station traces out. Then it sends that through an op amp, and you have your radio! Sorry I kinda went on a tangent there. For headphones resistance can effect the impedance. All this means is that if headphones have a higher impedance it takes less current to power them, but more voltage. You can see this in ohms law V=IR. This is why low impedance headphones are louder because they take less voltage to power, but more current. I am not sure in all of the details though as I said I am only in an intro to circuit analysis class, but I hope you learned something from this!
I second the www.head-fi.org comment. They are very helpful and nice to people willing to learn about audiophile stuff in general. The only thing that I have to recommend is that you need to LURK MOAR; don't create new threads for yourself, odds are someone already asked the question. :D
Here you go. I outlined the basics in this thread seeing as how I know how hard it can be to get simple straightforward answers and knowledge about it all.
https://teksyndicate.com/forum/other-hardware/upgrading-my-audio-need-help-headphones-gaming-and-metal/148150
http://nwavguy.blogspot.com/
This man speaks truth. Listed specs Are sometimes the most irrelevant thing when buying audio gear outside of making sure it is physically going to fit somewhere. Even Ohms are for the most part not of concern as most amps are built to handle a 4 ohm load (though the headphone world is weirdly a little more demanding at times).
Listed specs and pricing are about the worst way to buy audio gear, and while reviews can help point you in the right direction, the best way to find out what you like is simply to just try it for yourself. What may sound great to one person may be an annoyance to the next, so either try before you buy, or find a place with a good return policy. Really is the best advice I can give!