MD-NHI DUSTING IT OFF FOR USE

[joplin]

Hi

I can;t believe that for the last 2-3 yrs I have owned a high quality MD unit and was thinking that the Ipod touch was so much better. Yes it has lots of bells,whistles,videos,lots of useless apps and some good ones but in the end the Sony MZ-NH1 walks all over the Ipod touch when it comes to the most important thing I want the unit for(MUSIC)All my music is on CD and will be transferred to HI-MD in the highest quality format?

The only concern I have is this which I read today>>>>>>>>>>>

(Though one hassle with Hi-MD units is they don't drive high-impedance headphones well; their headphone outputs are too low. So if you are going with high-end phones with high-impedance, you may be disappointed at the max volume levels you can achieve with Sony devices, depending on your headphones.)

The phones I plan on using are the Westone UM3X(Headphones Details:)with my MZ-NH1

* Sensitivity: 124dB/mW, Frequency response: 20 Hz -18 kHz,, Impedance: 56 ohms

* Driver: Three balanced armature drivers with a passive three-way crossover.

* Soft padded pouch, replaceable Comply TM foam tips, and wax loop for cleaning. ( Foam Tips comes in Small, Medium and large sizes )

* The UM3X is ultimate universal-fit musicians' monitor, perfect for the on-stage performer.

* Equipped with a durable 50" stereo "Y" cord with a 3.5mm stereo jack

Will the headphones I've chosen work well with the MZ-NH1 and give me sufficent volume?

I think all these years I've been in the possession of a quality unite yet chasing something else thats better.

I can also use the Sony MZ-NH1 with my Onkyo MD-133 INTEC 275 Hi-MD Deck Recorder.

Looking forward to your opinions Pro/Con

Greg

[jmsla]

I don't know these headphones you are going to use so I can't comment directly about them. However, I use Grado SR60i and SR80i headphones which are fairly high impedance when on the go with my RH-1. To compensate for the weak output signal , I use a tiny headphone amplifier called a FiiO-E5. It's 1.5 inches by 1.7 inches and only .5 inches thick and weighs about as much as a quarter. It will show up in a Google search. Easily obtained for about 15 or 20 bucks.

Check it out, it works great, very clean amplified signal. It has an internal battery that charges through USB and holds a charge for a pretty long time under use. It's small and light enough that I usually clip it to my headphone cord. That's my solution.

Best,

-ja

[Azureal]

56 ohm headphones would not be considered high impedance. You should have not problems driving them at all. I have a pair of Grado 325i phones which are around 300 ohms which is not even considered high impedance. Over 1000 ohms would be the lower end of what might be considered high impedance. Most of Sony's MD units are designed to drive a load between 16 and 300 ohms with no issues.

[jmsla]

Point well made. You know a lot more about the technical specs. of this equipment than me.

True enough, my issues with low volume are related to my own live recordings. I have learned the hard way to err on the side of caution and set my manual levels low enough so as not to risk distortion. For me it's usually these recordings that require some boosting when I'm listening on the go. Especially during my subway commutes. For this issue, I have found the tiny yet powerful FiiO E5 a dandy solution.

Thanks for the clarification on my Grados. And congrats on that pair of 325i phones that you no doubt enjoy immensely.

Cheers,

-ja

[stargazer_tom1]

As the headphones you listed have a very high sensitivity all should be good. I have used 32 ohm headphones with only 112db/mw sensitivity and my nh1 powers them sufficiently. Very decent volume level and punch.

I also use the sennheiser ie7s which are in ear and prob similar to what you are interested in using. These are truly fantastic headphones and very good value.

Good luck with ur headphone huntin.

-tom