[jeremy205100]

I have these and was wondering if they are dynamic or balanced armature? What's the difference exactly?

Also, these have 32 Ohm drivers and my Beyerdynamic COPs have 16 Ohm drivers. Why are these easier to drive than the COPs if they have higher resistance?
 
Thanks for any answers!

 

[tinyman392]

  I have these and was wondering if they are dynamic or balanced armature? What's the difference exactly?

Also, these have 32 Ohm drivers and my Beyerdynamic COPs have 16 Ohm drivers. Why are these easier to drive than the COPs if they have higher resistance?
 
Thanks for any answers!

 
They are utilizing a 9 mm dynamic driver.  They are rated at 32 ohms impedance.  The B&W C5 are easier to drive compared to the Beyerdynamic Custom One Pro because the B&W is probably more sensitive than the Beyer (both companies use a different unit for their sensitivity rating so direct comparison is a little tougher).  

 

[jeremy205100]

Doesn't impedance determine how hard they are to drive? What exactly does that mean compared to sensitivity?

 

[tinyman392]

  Doesn't impedance determine how hard they are to drive? What exactly does that mean compared to sensitivity?

 
Impedance is the resistance measurement of the headphone, more or less.  Sensitivity rating is the loudness output given an amount of voltage or power driven to the headphones.  They both will have to do with how loud a pair of headphones gets.

 

[jeremy205100]

I still don't really understand how they are different. Shouldn't one measurement describe the difference in loudness between two headphones given the same amount of power?

 

[tinyman392]

  I still don't really understand how they are different. Shouldn't one measurement describe the difference in loudness between two headphones given the same amount of power?

 
Sensitivity rating is designed to do that (given amount of voltage => loudness).  Impedance rating is only incorporated if the impedance is rated using power.  

 

[jeremy205100]

So what does resistance measure then?

 

[tinyman392]

  So what does resistance measure then?

 
It measures resistance to current.  Essentially, can show how efficient the headphones are with power.  Lower resistance means more efficient, but it can also generate a bit of noise (static) when plugged in with no sound.  Higher resistance generally is harder to drive (not always though).  Then there is the entire idea of the impedance with respect to frequency.  This can determine how a headphone will change with added resistance or output impedance of a source/amp.  

 

[jeremy205100]

I still don't really get the difference, they both seem like the same thing to me. Sorry for making you keep explaining this!

 

[tinyman392]

  I still don't really get the difference, they both seem like the same thing to me. Sorry for making you keep explaining this!

 
Sensitivity is a direct measure of loudness.  Impedance is a measurement of resistance.  They are related to one another (voltage vs resistance) in some ways.