Headphone sensitivity: what is it and which is better?

When choosing headphones, you need to focus on their technical characteristics. The most important of them are electrical resistance, power, sound volume (sensitivity).

Headphone sensitivity is an important specification, measured in decibels. The upper limit is 100-120 dB. The strength of the sound directly depends on the size of the core inside each device. The larger the core size, the higher the sensitivity will be.

Mini-devices do not have high sensitivity, since they physically cannot accommodate large cores. These include capsules, inserts, tablets. In devices of this type, high volume is achieved due to the proximity of the speaker to the eardrum.

In turn, over-ear and on-ear headphones have larger cores. There is also a flexible membrane inside such devices.

The same signal applied to different types of headphones will be played and heard differently. If the size of the cores is large, then the sound will be louder, and if it is small, then, accordingly, it will be quieter.

Sensitivity affects the quality of perception of the frequency range. So, this parameter affects the ability to hear sound well in places with increased external noise, for example, in the subway, on busy highways, with a large crowd of people in the room.

In different types of headphones, the sensitivity can vary from 32 to 140 dB. This indicator affects the volume of the sound in the headphones and is determined by the sound pressure produced.

The choice of headphones for sensitivity should be selected taking into account the signal source. The most common options are:

• mobile phone;
• mp3 player;
• computer (laptop);
• television.

If we talk about smartphones, then in most cases these devices are small in size. Therefore, you should choose appropriate headphones. But for a smartphone, you can buy not just headphones, but a headset (a device that supports the talk mode).

Most audio players come with headphones as standard. But their quality leaves much to be desired, so many users buy other gadgets. For an audio player, the optimum sensitivity is up to 100 dB.

When using a computer (laptop), headphones can be used for different purposes:

• watching movies and videos;
• listening to audio files;
• games.

In this case, overhead or full-size models are more often used. They have large cores, which means they have a high sensitivity (above 100 dB).

Sometimes headphones are used when watching TV, for example when there are small children in the house.

Different types of headphones must have a certain sensitivity. If we conditionally divide them into types, then each will have its own volume.

• In-ear. Used to listen to music on a smartphone. Ideally, the sensitivity range for such an accessory should be 90 to 110 dB. Since the in-ear models are inserted directly into the auricle, the sensitivity should not be high.Otherwise, the audio files will sound very loud, even there is a risk of negative impact on hearing.
• Overhead. Higher requirements are put forward for this type of device. Most overhead models have a sensitivity of 100-120 dB. Sometimes this figure reaches 120 dB.
• Full-size items are very similar to overhead items. Their only difference is that in the first version, the ear cushions completely cover the ears, while in the second they do not. In most cases, these products are classified as professional and sound great. The sensitivity level of full-size headphones has a fairly wide spread. So, this indicator can be in the range of 95-105 dB, and it can reach 140 dB. But this volume is maximum and even dangerous, since it can cause pain in a person while listening to an audio file.

High sensitivity headphones are most commonly used in music recording studios. This parameter has nothing to do with custom headphones, since it will be uncomfortable to listen to audio tracks in the player.

Whatever the headphones are, regardless of their type, size, manufacturer and other parameters, a sensitivity of 100 dB is considered optimal for human hearing. Accessories with this parameter are great for different types of signal sources.

In the next video, headphone sensitivity test.