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Least efficient / lowest sensitivity headphones?

post #1 of 5
12/12/11 at 1:59pm
Thread Starter 

I am working on a project and I need some data.

 

I need to know the least efficient headphones I am likely to run into from the Head-Fi community.

Headphones that require a special interface like electrostatics wouldn't apply - only those that can be powered via a standard 1/4" plug.

 

The least efficient headphones I am aware of are the HiFiMAN HE-6. The manufacturer says these require 2W output power. Is this the most demanding load out there?

 

Thanks in advance!

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post #2 of 5
12/12/11 at 1:59pm

Hifiman has the least efficient headphones that I know about.

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post #3 of 5
12/12/11 at 2:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by sbradley02 View Post

I am working on a project and I need some data.

 

I need to know the least efficient headphones I am likely to run into from the Head-Fi community.

Headphones that require a special interface like electrostatics wouldn't apply - only those that can be powered via a standard 1/4" plug.

 

The least efficient headphones I am aware of are the HiFiMAN HE-6. The manufacturer says these require 2W output power. Is this the most demanding load out there?

 

Thanks in advance!


2 W isn't necessary. They have a sensitivity of 83.5 dB/mW and an impedance of 50 ohms. They need about 450 mW to reach a very loud 110 dB. 2 W is over 116 dB.

 

The most inefficient headphones, ignoring electrostatics, is the AKG K1000. 120 ohm impedance, and 74 dB/mW sensitivity. It needs 4 W for 110 dB. But they're basically speakers strapped to the head.

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post #4 of 5
12/12/11 at 2:12pm
Thread Starter 

So we have a single pair of headphones at 4W/chan then we go down the next worst which is ~ 0.5W/chan?


 

Thanks

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Head Injury View Post


2 W isn't necessary. They have a sensitivity of 83.5 dB/mW and an impedance of 50 ohms. They need about 450 mW to reach a very loud 110 dB. 2 W is over 116 dB.

 

The most inefficient headphones, ignoring electrostatics, is the AKG K1000. 120 ohm impedance, and 74 dB/mW sensitivity. It needs 4 W for 110 dB. But they're basically speakers strapped to the head.



 

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post #5 of 5
12/12/11 at 2:19pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by sbradley02 View Post

So we have a single pair of headphones at 4W/chan then we go down the next worst which is ~ 0.5W/chan?


 

Thanks


There's some other regular AKGs that are really inefficient, but I don't know how inefficient.

 

The HE-6 might be less efficient than Hifiman's specs lead me to believe. Tyll measured them at 20 mW for 90 dB, which is 2 W for 110 dB, but that doesn't make sense with the published 83.5 dB sensitivity, whether it's per mW or per V.

 

Beyer DTXX0 600 ohm are inefficient, at 600 ohm impedance and a rather average 96 dB/mW sensitivity. Not as bad as the HE-6. AKG K240 Sextett needs nearly as much voltage as the HE-6, maybe more if Tyll's HE-6 measurement is off.


Edited by Head Injury - 12/12/11 at 2:21pm
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