RaneNote

UNDERSTANDING HEADPHONE POWER REQUIREMENTS

Understanding Headphone Power Requirements

Headphone Sensitivity Listing of Headphones HC 6 Power vs. Loudness HC 4 Power vs. Loudness Table of Common Sound Pressure Levels

INTRODUCTION Much confusion abounds regarding headphone power requirements. This Rane Note is intended to disperse some of the mist surrounding headphone specifications and hopefully give you a clearer understanding of how much power is really needed for your application.

Dennis Bohn Rane Corporation

RaneNote 100 1983 Rane Corporation

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HEADPHONE SENSITIVITY Headphone manufacturers specify a sensitivity rating for their products that is very similar to loudspeaker sensitivity ratings. For loudspeakers, the standard is to apply 1 watt and then measure the sound pressure level (SPL) at a distance of 1 meter. For headphones, the standard is to apply 1 milliwatt (1 mW = 1/1000 of a watt) and then measure the sound pressure level at the earpiece (using a dummy head with built-in microphones). Sensitivity is then stated as the number of dB of actual sound level (SPL) produced by the headphones with 1 mW of input; headphone specifications commonly refer to this by the misleading term dB/mW. What they really mean is dB SPL for 1 mW input. Think about these sensitivity definitions a moment: headphone sensitivity is rated using 1/1000 of a watt; loudspeaker sensitivity is rated using 1 watt. So a quick rule-ofthumb is that you are going to need about 1/1000 as much power to drive your headphones as to drive your loudspeakers since both of their sensitivity ratings are similar (around 90110 dB SPL). For example, if your hi-fi amp is rated at 65 watts, then you would need only 65 mW to drive comparable headphones. (Actually you need less than 65 mW since most people dont listen to their loudspeakers at 1 meter.) And this is exactly what you find in hi-fi receiverstheir headphone jacks typically provide only 10-20 mW of output power. Take another moment and think about all those portable tape players. They sound great, and loud. Why, you can even hear them ten feet away as the teenage skateboarder that ran over your foot escapes. Power output? About 12 mW.

THE LIST As an aid in finding out how much power is available from either the HC 6 or HC 4 Headphone Consoles, we have compiled a listing of popular headphones. Included is a column giving the maximum SPL obtainable using the HC 6 or HC 4 and any particular headphoneultimately, it all gets down to actual SPL. The power rating really doesnt matter at alleither its loud enough or it isnt (of course it has to be clean power, not clipped and distorted). The SPL numbers shown are for maximum continuous SPL; for momentary peak SPL add 3 dB. Note that the maximum achievable SPL varies widely for different models and manufacturers, ranging from a low of 107 dB to a harmful 146 dB! The table also shows there is very little relationship between headphone impedance and sensitivity, and that power output alone means nothing, since in one case 80 mW produces a maximum SPL of 107 dB, yet in another case the same 80 mW yields an SPL of 124 dB! Sensitivity (dB) is the measured sound pressure level with 1 mW of power. The Max Power (mW) columns are typical continuous average (rms) power, 20 Hz-20 kHz, with THD less than 0.1%. If headphones are not yet owned, or replacements are desired, use this listing as a guide for selecting headphones with sufficient sensitivity for the maximum desired SPL. Note: headphones with an impedance of less than 32 ohms are not recommended for use with the HC 6 or the HC 4.

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Manufacturer AKG

Model K141M K240M, K240DF K270S K301 K401, K501 ATH-COM1, ATH-COM2, ATH-908 ATH-910 ATH-P5 ATH-M40 ATH-D40 ATH-M2X, ATH-M3X DT150 DT211, DT311 DT250 DT411 DT 531 DT431, DT331 DT770PRO, DT990PRO DT801, DT811, DT511 DT901, DT911 T-5 T-7 T-20 T-40 SR 325 H DS-701 A/250, A/200, A/130, TD/80 R /200 R /100, R /45 R /90, H D/2, SB /15 R /80, R /35S, R /20, Porta Pros R /70B, R /55B, SB /50, SB /35 R /40 R /30S R /10 TD/75 TD/65 TD/61 QP 805 H D 400, 433, 435, 470 H D25 H D445 H D25SP H D265, 525, 535, 545, 565 H D455, 475 H D465 H D 570 H D580, 600 M DR-V100M K2 M DR-85 M DR-V600, M DR-D77 M DR-CD10 M DR-CD550, CD750 M DR-CD6 M DR-CD850, CD950 M DR-CD1000, CD3000 M DR-D33, M DR-D55, M DR-7504 M DR-7506 M DR-7502 ST PRO, DJ PRO 1000 PH-6 R H5MA R H1 R H2 R H3 R H10M R H40M

Audio-Technica

Beyerdynamic

Fostex

Grado Hosa Koss

M B Quart Sennheiser

Sony

Stanton Telex Yamaha

Impedance (ohms) 6 00 600 75 100 120 40 40 40 60 66 45 250 40 80 25 0 250 40 600 250 250 44 70 50 50 40 40 60 60 60 60 60 60 60 60 60 60 90 38 3 00 32 70 52 85 150 60 100 120 300 32 40 45 32 45 45 32 32 45 63 45 32 600 32 32 32 60 40 32

Sensitivity (dB) 98 88 92 94 94 90 92 100 100 102 100 97 98 98 102 95 86 96 94 98 96 98 96 98 96 91 98 84 85 100 101 101 90 106 103 95 101 93 98 94 120 97 100 94 94 94 95 97 98 102 106 96 100 110 102 104 104 106 102 100 105 98 90 95 95 102 103

H C 4 Max Power (mW) 89 89 23 9 225 220 220 220 220 23 8 235 23 0 16 0 220 24 0 160 16 0 220 89 160 160 225 240 233 233 220 220 238 238 238 238 238 238 238 238 238 238 235 212 145 200 24 0 235 235 207 238 225 220 145 200 220 230 200 230 230 200 200 230 240 230 200 89 200 200 200 238 220 200

H C 4 Max S PL (dB) 117 107 115 118 117 113 115 123 123 126 123 119 121 121 124 116 10 9 115 116 120 119 121 120 122 119 114 123 108 10 9 123 124 124 114 13 0 127 119 124 116 120 117 144 121 123 117 118 118 110 118 121 125 129 119 123 133 125 127 127 129 125 123 124 121 113 118 119 125 126

H C 6 Max Power (mW) 80 80 380 285 290 440 440 440 400 295 435 175 440 360 175 175 440 80 175 175 435 385 425 425 440 440 320 400 400 400 4 00 4 00 4 00 400 400 400 340 440 80 450 380 390 35 0 190 4 00 285 29 0 80 450 440 435 45 0 435 435 450 45 0 435 400 435 45 0 80 45 0 45 0 450 400 440 450

H C 6 Max S PL (dB) 117 107 118 119 119 116 118 126 126 127 126 119 124 123 124 116 112 115 116 120 122 124 122 124 122 117 125 110 111 126 127 127 116 132 129 121 126 119 117 121 146 123 125 117 120 119 120 116 125 128 132 123 126 136 129 131 13 0 132 128 127 124 125 116 122 121 128 130

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Sound Pressure Level Equivalents

S PL-dB 140 13 0 120 110 100 90 80 70 Common Example Irreparable damage Jet aircraft taking off Threshold of pain / Thunder Threshold of discomfort Dirt bike / Riveter Start of unsafe levels Average factory Kids at play S PL-dB 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Common Example Normal conversation Elevator music Normal home background (kids asleep) Studio background Rustling of leaves / Quiet whisper Butterfly swoop Threshold of hearing

Permissible Noise Exposures

Extracted from the U.S. Department of Labor Noise Regulations

Duration Per Day, Hour 8 6 4 3 2 1 1 or less

Sound Level (dB), A-Weighting 90 92 95 97 100 102 105 110 115

Rane Corporation 10802 47th Ave. W., Mukilteo WA 98275-5098 USA TEL (425)355-6000 FAX (425)347-7757 WEB http://www.rane.com

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DOC 103086 PN 02212