OTL and power question

OTL's main obstacle, output impedance, can be overcome by sticking to high impedance HPs.
AFAIK tubes are limited in their current output aswell... is this directly related to the output impedance problem?
Since high impedance HPs are known to need less current than low impedance.

Something like the O2 amp, aside from sounding pretty unpleasant, has plenty of output current on paper to drive low impedance cans. However in my experience I didnt think it could drive any headphones very well, even 600 ohm.
When ''rolling'' op amps in the O2 the sound quality could be improved but most of the replacement op amps had lower output current, and appeared to struggle to drive the HPs even more, including 600 ohm.
Only amps with discrete transistors on the output sounded like they had sufficient power to drive the high impedance HPs, but with a clear increase in distortion which I assume is the issue with them.

Ive been interesting in buying or building an OTL amp but only if it can drive high impedance headphones similarly well to the transistor designs. Am I making too many assumptions about those experiences being related to power or do you need look towards transformer designs to get drivability like transistors?

I feel like a lot of the recommendations for OTL designs like the crack could come from a preference for the discrete, tube sound instead of the amp performance, which is still 'ok' for lower-end audio.

 

So... People love the sound of the Crack, but it's unlistenable/unusable because it doesn't produce 10W of power? The Speedball fixed 90% of any current issues that little amp has for most headphones. It seems you're far more worried about specifications than sound.

 

Not really, I'm worried why less power on paper (among other things) equalled worse sound, and the thread was made to see if in others experience that would make any sense.

I am saying people might love the crack because of reason other than power, which is still not bad, just its biggest weak point, possibly nonsense.

 

BTW I have no idea if the discrete SS amps I built/used are actually powerful, they just sound powerful, if you know what I mean.

 

The question is why was the thread made in the 1st place? This is the type of question that goes in the general advice thread.

Also, I don't believe you've introduced yourself here. It's helpful for us to get an idea of who you are.

As far as starting a new thread, it just helps us manage the sheer amount of info on a site like this. Easier to find stuff in the long run.

Not trying to be a dick (though I might be succeeding) just trying to point you in the right direction.

 

Your 600 ohm hp's would probably require fraction of the opamp max current in your O2 to reach loud levels. Anyways, in this case it will be voltage limited.

That is because opamps suck for audio amp use (not optimized, with a few exceptions) and discrete amps often have better designed power supplies.
There is thousands of ways to build a discrete amp, a lot less ways to use opamps in a circuit.

Only way you know what is sounding good is to try it out.
Wanking to spec sheets does not help with this.