solderdude
Grand Contributor
102dB peak level for DT880-600 means about 85dB average on well recorded music.
Decently loud but not very loud for sure.
Loud enough for 'normal' listening.
For the HD600 2V = 110dB peak which is loud enough but as soon as people EQ in some bass it drops quickly.
One would like to stay away from any clipping levels with opamps.
2V is possible with a single 9V battery. With 2x9V on high Z headphones (>150 Ohm) 5V is possible and should be enough for very loud and distortion free HD600/HD650/HD58X/HD660S listening.
The HD560S can get by on a single 9V.
My rule of thumb:
When you want to play uncomfortable loud (for 30 secs. or so) and not run into clipping issues the headphone should be able to reach 120dB SPL
When you want to play comfortable loud (duration of a complete song) without issues then 105-110dB SPL is enough.
When you want to play at 'normal' to moderately loud listening levels 90-95dB SPL should be reached.
Note that dBSPL is not the same as Phon. You may need more dBSPL in the bass than one might think. Especially when a few dB extra bass is used.
People often say 90dB is loud... yes a 90dB 1kHz tone is very loud. Much louder than the average 90dB sounds you often see in those SPL tables.
85dB bass notes and 70dB mids superimposed sounds 'normal' but you need to have an amp that can put out enough voltage.
This is why I made this list so headphone owners can see what they need for their on- and over-ear headphones (IEMs is never a power problem).
Removes the guessing, assumptions and calculations per headphone.
Decently loud but not very loud for sure.
Loud enough for 'normal' listening.
For the HD600 2V = 110dB peak which is loud enough but as soon as people EQ in some bass it drops quickly.
One would like to stay away from any clipping levels with opamps.
2V is possible with a single 9V battery. With 2x9V on high Z headphones (>150 Ohm) 5V is possible and should be enough for very loud and distortion free HD600/HD650/HD58X/HD660S listening.
The HD560S can get by on a single 9V.
My rule of thumb:
When you want to play uncomfortable loud (for 30 secs. or so) and not run into clipping issues the headphone should be able to reach 120dB SPL
When you want to play comfortable loud (duration of a complete song) without issues then 105-110dB SPL is enough.
When you want to play at 'normal' to moderately loud listening levels 90-95dB SPL should be reached.
Note that dBSPL is not the same as Phon. You may need more dBSPL in the bass than one might think. Especially when a few dB extra bass is used.
People often say 90dB is loud... yes a 90dB 1kHz tone is very loud. Much louder than the average 90dB sounds you often see in those SPL tables.
85dB bass notes and 70dB mids superimposed sounds 'normal' but you need to have an amp that can put out enough voltage.
This is why I made this list so headphone owners can see what they need for their on- and over-ear headphones (IEMs is never a power problem).
Removes the guessing, assumptions and calculations per headphone.
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