All of the above means that, with a gain of 2 with the Mini^3, the loudness at 90% level would be the same as halfway on the CMoy at a gain of 11, right?
Does all of the above mean that a gain of 5 would be better for the volumes i listen to?
Thanks
Be a part of the community.
It's free, join today!
For figuring out gain, output impedance only matters if it is more than about 1/4 of the load impedance.
For example: there will be very little difference in gain due to output impedance between 2 amps with 1 and 6ohm output impedance with a 32ohm load.
If one amp had a 120ohm output, and the other a 3ohm output and the same 32ohm load the output impedance will have a significant effect on gain, and must be taken into account.
On that note, amps with lots of global feedback generally have VERY low output impedances - usually in the single-ohm range.
I dont think power gain is the right term here, but Im not sure what is.
Loudness does follow power, which follows the SQUARE of voltage into a constant impedance.
Doubling voltage output quadruples output power into the same load.
As long as the amp plays as loud as you want it cleanly Id say your doing OK. Its always nice to have a bit of extra spin in the pot & some extra power on tap to handle an especially low voltage source or a recording that was mixed with an unusually large amount of dynamic range.

No, with a gain of 5 on the Mini^3, 90% loudness will be the same as 60% on the CMOY.
I would recommend gain 8.
wouldnt gain of 8 on a mini3 high performance, especially for iems, be complete overkill?
Err, you tell me. You used a gain of 11 on the CMOY.
IIRC, Your IEMS have higher impedance than normal IEMS. Maybe they need it?
Because you said "on a mini3 high performance", you still don't seem to be getting it.
As I said. A gain of 11 on a CMOY is the same as a gain of 11 on the mini^3.
The M^3, a much more powerful amp comes with a default gain of 11.
Beta22 has a default gain of 8.
Since a gain of 11 on the CMOY only seemed slightly overkill.. a gain of 8 on the mini^3 should be just what you need.
The question is... is a gain of 11 overkill in general or not
is a gain of 8 in general over kill or not.
(You can add an IEM qualifier int here, but not a Mini^3 one)
You can always change your mind and switch out the resistors
Buy resistors for all four (or more) configurations. See which one you like best.
They are really cheap. No use sweating over it.
A gain of 11 on a CMOY is the same as a gain of 11 on the mini^3.
No it's not.
The OPA2132 is not a rail to rail op-amp and would require a 20 volt supply to swing as much voltage as a Mini3 does from a single 9 volt battery (even more if the CMoy has the R5s). ![]()
Err, sure.. But as far as actual volume, they should be equal, right?
I never meant to imply the performance of a CMOY would match the Mini^3.
Yup. Sensitivity matters dB/mW, the power is where it matters. So, even if its high impedance, it can have high sensitivity. Vice Versa. Depending on how high the output impedance is, would limit the voltage to the load, not to mention the current is effected.
Look up Bode plot. Real gain is
Power gain, in decibels (dB), is defined by the 10 log rule as follows:

where Pin and Pout are the input and output powers respectively.
A similar calculation can be done using a natural logarithm instead of a decimal logarithm, and without the factor of 10, resulting in nepers instead of decibels:

When power gain is calculated using voltage instead of power, making the substitution (P=V 2/R), the formula is:

In many cases, the input and output impedances are equal, so the above equation can be simplified to:

and then the 20 log rule:

This simplified formula is used to calculate a voltage gain in decibels, and is equivalent to a power gain only if the impedances at input and output are equal.
In the same way, when power gain is calculated using current instead of power, making the substitution (P = I 2R), the formula is:

In many cases, the input and output impedances are equal, so the above equation can be simplified to:

and then:


EDIT: Although.. I am thinking that maybe the output impedance matters in all this.
The gain is a voltage gain.. but I think the loudness works with the power gain.
So, I think this is wrong.
Ok, so, it's 20* instead of 10* for voltage gain. I've fixed above.
The conclusion is the same.. 90% of the pot to get to the same voltage.
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/tubes-valves/32334-db-into-voltage-gain.html
I am still thinking output impedance matters in all this....
I might try gain of 4-5 rather than 8.
If its possible do it on the cmoy first, where changing gain resistors is easier than on the mini-3.
what does a frequency based graph have to do with anything here?
Which of those 3 defines real gain? The power and current gains (considered separately as there is not necessarily any relationship) are generally in the "whoa a lot range" for an active amplifier. Easily in excess of 60db for most.

I might try gain of 4-5 rather than 8.
If its possible do it on the cmoy first, where changing gain resistors is easier than on the mini-3.
what does a frequency based graph have to do with anything here?
Umm gain over the whole spectrum? Its just an example.
Which of those 3 defines real gain? The power and current gains (considered separately as there is not necessarily any relationship) are generally in the "whoa a lot range" for an active amplifier. Easily in excess of 60db for most.
Power. dB/mW?

Err, you tell me. You used a gain of 11 on the CMOY.
IIRC, Your IEMS have higher impedance than normal IEMS. Maybe they need it?
Because you said "on a mini3 high performance", you still don't seem to be getting it.
As I said. A gain of 11 on a CMOY is the same as a gain of 11 on the mini^3.
The M^3, a much more powerful amp comes with a default gain of 11.
Beta22 has a default gain of 8.
Since a gain of 11 on the CMOY only seemed slightly overkill.. a gain of 8 on the mini^3 should be just what you need.
The question is... is a gain of 11 overkill in general or not
is a gain of 8 in general over kill or not.
(You can add an IEM qualifier int here, but not a Mini^3 one)
You can always change your mind and switch out the resistors
Buy resistors for all four (or more) configurations. See which one you like best.
They are really cheap. No use sweating over it.
err, no. that wasnt me