Headphone Specs Explained

Everything you need to know about the five most important headphone specs!
Driver Size/Type: 0.30
Impedance: 1.38
Sensitivity/SPL: 2.64
Total Harmonic Distortion: 3.23
Frequency Response: 4.05
Full guide: www.themasterswitch.com/headph...

[@TGMinnieeMee]

Just delete every other headphone specs explanations from the internet now. This is all you need

[@Juanixtec]

There are some imprecisions in the definitions of Impedance and Sensitivity Impedance is HOW difficult is to send power to the transducer Sensitivity is how much power gets transformed into sound. High impedance headphones are less sensitive to NOISE and distortion. They are both necessary measurements for knowing how loud a headphone will play and what amplifiers will benefit them better.

[@user-sr7fo5fe6x]

Brilliant video. Learnt more in your five minutes than 3 days of internet searching. Wish I'd found you six months ago.

[@TheMasterSwitch]

Aw thanks bud! Best of luck

[@Biskawow]

more useful then any other (probably payed for) review for headsets and headphones out there, ty sir.

[@nathantyrell4898]

Springloft studio is better

[@pxndxholic]

Detailed info, and for someone who speaks quite fast, I didn't have any issue understanding you, props to you, homie 👏

[@errolrocks6014]

man this is the best! simple and direct explanation i had ever watched. Thank you very much!

[@mic44lee44]

Thank You 😊 So Much and You Give a Quick Synopsis and It Helps Me to Listen 👂 Learn and Understand The Gentle Nuisances of How We Hear Reproduced Sound and What To Look For When Selecting Headphones or I E M’s Thanks Again

[@vere9652]

Wow, straight to the point, quick and easy. Perfection!

[@lordofolimpia1]

informative, quick and straight to the point. Thanks for this!

[@Battleguy02]

Amazing video. Best information and straight to the point while giving examples.

[@AllHailZeppelin]

I don’t think it’s at all fair to say that frequency response doesn’t matter. The numbers (lower to upper) don’t mean much, but the GRAPH of frequency response can be quite useful. Typically the flatter the better if you want as true as possible reproduction of sound. Unfortunately those graphs are rarely provided (or at least easily accessed).

[@LeopARTnik]

it was super helpful. Thank you

[@deltacx1059]

Frequency range is quite important to pay attention to if the response isn't wide enough to fill your range if hearing then you are going to miss out if your source is pushing a sound (say 25 or so hz ) but your headphones only go down so far (say 50 hz) you could end up with some weirdness at the ends of the range. This is very unlikely to happen with higher end headphones but I have had it happen with the cheaper budget ones.

[@G.Abongee]

Thanks Rob for this video. You finally helped me understand what is trully important. All in practicl Nutshell. Salute you from Colombia South America.

[@jellyj.4599]

This was super helpful and very well worded, thank you

[@tonygonzales726]

Beautiful explanation!!! Thank you!!! Now I understand!!!

[@amitsarkar5780]

Beautifully presented. Thanks 🙂

[@davidakulian]

Thank you! That's how things should be explained. Simple, short and to the point.

[@Bombatron]

Clear lucid explanation - thank you!

[@Moonrocks93]

Informative and quick. Enjoyed the video man, thanks.

[@TheMasterSwitch]

You're very welcome!

[@Alex-ub6od]

This was clear and to the point. I appreciate it boss!

[@99yearsago37]

Great video i was lost about the driver size thing, thought it was the most important thing but now i know that its not everything

[@enzoys]

This is just the best, amazing informative video

[@user-vk5fi6hh1r]

Hello Rob how is it going, can you help me with that? I have an interface from Focuesrite 2i2 2nd Gen the question is can it feed the beyerdynamic dt 770 pro 250 completely, if it is not can the interface at least drive it?

[@Cyborgcupine]

loved this very informative in seconds

[@SmolarczykS]

This is great explained everything I need to know in 5min

[@DolorsMusic]

thanks man i am really understanding better now

[@krisbali5076]

Concise, fast, clear.. to summarise => great thanks!

[@robboffard3997]

Kris Bali word, thank you!

[@Agnostic_Mind]

Hey thanks for the content -can you talk about sound profile also ?

[@drarn96]

The articles in the description are amazing

[@robboffard3997]

Aw, thank you!!!

[@Kinoky]

hey, for gaming headphones. how do u know it has a good “360” sound. like for example : You can hear where the bullets are shooting from

[@oyehoyesyaapa]

Brilliant, cheers for the video and the article.

[@TheMasterSwitch]

You're welcome!

[@ricardoloureiro9253]

Hi, I have seen your site, why I dont see a review for the Headphone AIWA ARC 1 ?

[@simweiliangwilliam8801]

If I have a pair of earbuds has 2 of 6mm moving coil driver and the impedance is 32π sensitivty is 106 ± 2dB frequency Response 20- 20000Hz will the sound or bass better ??

[@clovisdacruz6078]

Hi Rob. Could you please elaborate on how high impedance headphones can better express the sound?

[@yoshilink9756]

Amazing video no cc no bullshit and straight to the point.

[@hunzhurte]

2:20 I have used beyerdynamic DT 770 pro headphones with 250 Ohms with my phone before and it was completely fine.

[@mightymulatto3000]

Isn't the reference 0vDB for sound related to pressure of .0002 dynes per square centimeter? Or are they using milliwatts for some other reason?

[@DiavolO18]

@themasterswitch does laptops and PCs make more power to drive headphones than smartphones? 3,5mm jack is everywhere the same, but does host procude more power? Like PC and laptop?

[@2ndLastJedi]

Thanks Rob, I hope your qell. I have a question or two. Why do my HyperX Cloud II headset with 60 ohms go louder than my Superlux HD681 with 32 ohms? Using the on board audio from my z590 Gigabyte UD motherboard? How can i make them louder because even with Windows at 100 they are to quiet! I've installed Equaliser APO but raising the gain goes into the red with the little graph at the bottom. I hope you can help me.

[@nevermind5865]

for headphones that has a higher impedance, dont some manufactures include their own amplifiers some how?? what would be the power that can a phone supply for the headphones? can you provide equations regarding power output from phones and expected input for headphones with higher impedance? Thanks. I really appreciate your video, it really helped me a lot understanding many of these concepts

[@simweiliangwilliam8801]

How can I know my earbuds is which type of driver ?? N if THD is

[@fondoo]

Thank you sir for the video explanation

[@adeebmd5701]

I have a yamaha amp that i forgot its model it literally can get hot produces a 20hz-20khz sound output and the dolby atmos is not to my liking cuz im not using the 5 speaker set up that it can do cuz im too poor to buy speaker stands and my room is cluttered as heck with wires here and there With my speakers at only 8 OHMs i hear the distortion sometimes is it possible to lower the output power to the speakers

[@johne5543]

Question: would high impedance phones (eg, 250 ohms) sound good on a typical AV receiver of the last 10 years or so? Thanks.

[@tastypavo8845]

Great video, very informative

[@Venom-oh3vd]

awesome explanation

[@octavian8277]

Are jbl e55bt good headphones?

[@yamink786]

Actually, I came on this video from your detailed article. And I think your video makes more sense

[@Jeff-fc7nf]

WOW, this was literally everything I needed to know, thanks a shit ton.

[@dark_energy68]

Such a nice video, I am just surprised he only has 3.77k subs!

[@mightymulatto3000]

Frequency response would make all the difference if baseband audio was used to modulate a higher frequency in order to achieve higher channel capacity. Shannon Hartley theorem states. C= B log2 (1 + S/N) C being channel capacity in bits/s B being bandwidth in hertz S/N being the signal-to-noise power ratio. In the above using baseband audio frequencies would be a limiting factor since they are lower. Modulate a higher frequency and all the gain outside the audio bandwidth becomes necessary. Headphones with built-in amps like the Blue Sadies would need the higher frequency response if amplifying modulated signals and then detecting baseband signals for final delivery of audio. The question is then what is the benefit of delivering more audio in the same amount of time?

[@rheacreado7019]

This guy is the boss of bosses in this area of expertise.I am a everyday Headphone user , Incline to buy a new head phone. To the point information for the lay person. I have watched several hours of you youtube videos absolutely science based. Any info on audio I will refer to this chanell.

[@klagons]

Amazing video thanks a lot man

[@simweiliangwilliam8801]

Some earphones don't have THD is it important n I have a 6mm Dual moving coil inear earphones isit better it Impedance 32π and sensitivty 106±2π dB

[@labass3055]

You definitely need to consider the frequency range with respect to the bass response. Although it is claimed that the human ear can't hear certain lower frequencies, there's a difference between hearing and 'feeling'.

[@jazbronoh5873]

Yep, my 10hz 🎧 just skyrockets 100,000hz evrytime I snort my preworkout supplement.

[@ccotunai]

The linked article says nothing about driver types.

[@chrishalle1982]

Is Total Harmonic Distortion = Klirrfaktor?

[@tormaid42]

You should use the decibel sensitivity not ohms to gauge drivability. Planars often have

[@scottza]

^

[@Lehra7]

Hi Rob. First of all thank you so much for this detailed video I was searching for an ages. Nobody explained the headphones mathematics as simple as you have done it. I personally like your starting expression like total harmonic distortion "wooooooooo" that was very funny. I laughed around 100 times. Cheers for making this video. You are so great and funny. I like your way of presenting things. Best of luck for more future videos. I am hoping for more good technology stuff. Keep it up bro. Love from India 🇮🇳

[@TheMasterSwitch]

Realised I never replied to this. So sorry. THANK YOU!!!

[@trousle4719]

this is a important video, like, generally a important video thanks

[@truthseeker6804]

very good video. people get lost in the marketing names and headphone designs.

[@Dave_Outside]

I always thought size matters. Bigger is better as my wife says 😀 For instance a 12” subwoofer certainly produces more impactful bass than a 6” sub. So since a headphone “driver” is nothing but a very small speaker why wouldn’t the same rule apply?

[@JordanMcCaughey]

What you explained in the final part IS NOT frequency response. Frequency Response is specifically how the headphones react or the volume at which sound is produced at individual frequencies. This needs to be more clear; a frequency range is not important as you stated (however it would obviously want to be reaching 20kHz for obvious reasons) but it IS NOT the same thing as a frequency response. There are countless resources online that will show you the frequency response of particular headphone drivers, they are a map of the characterisation of an audio driver (how ~bassy, trebley or middy the overall sound is; reference/studio headphones are generally flat).

[@aspilobo]

Thank you so much

[@deltacx1059]

Bigger driver/speaker = nore max power but there is a point where you can't feed them enough power and a point where it's just going to hurt having them that powerful. Also the bigger they are generally the slower they can react due to the mass of the driver.

[@simweiliangwilliam8801]

Hi, I have a pair of inear earphones, speaker size is 9mm , Impedance: 16Ω ±15% Sensitivty : 92dB ± 4dB what is SPL at 1000Hz 1mW ?? Is this earphones base good

[@XRayTube]

No response, 😑 that sucks.

[@thevrwarrior]

thank you

[@musikalniyfanboichik]

Thank you mate :)

[@hannahjoygregorio5046]

thank you for the informative video. quick question, do I need to get a dac? I'm currently using a fiio x5 3rd gen. I alternate it with Sony xb950n1 and tennmak pro. sony for bass heavy songs and, well the tennmak if Im already uncomfortable wearing headphones. I'm looking for a crispier sound output. do you think I should upgrade IEM/headphones or get a dac? any model recommendations is highly appreciated :)

[@TheMasterSwitch]

Hey Hannah - we'd say yes! Your setup sounds great, but you don't mention your sound source. An external DAC is always going to improve things. Try any of these: www.themasterswitch.com/best-dacs

[@hannahjoygregorio5046]

thank you very much :)

[@TheMasterSwitch]

You're quite welcome!

[@DibIrken]

your fiio already has a built in DAC. Hooking it up to another DAC switches up the DAC preference. They won't add up to make 2 DACs working at the same time. Only one of those chips will convert the digital file to analog sound. What you may not realize is that your ipod, your phone, your fiio, your blutooth earphones, have their own DAC chips inside. All digital players do. It just depends on how the manufacturers tune it or how well the chip decodes to analog. Try to save the same file on your ipod, your phone, your fiio, then hook each on your external DAC. They should all sound the same because the DAC used has now switched to the external DAC.

[@Lehra7]

Hi rob.. one more thing. Can you suggest me some best headphones under 150 dollars for my iphone 7 and which I could use on my laptop also 😊

[@TheMasterSwitch]

Thanks for the compliment Vishnu! Check out our roundups on www.themasterswitch.com.

[@NateAustin19]

Thank you

[@amit27491]

Fantastic video. Pretty detailed but yet very brief. I just have 1 question, if the frequency response is like say 5Hz to 20kHz then does those headphones have a better bass output compared to a headphone with a range of 20Hz to 20kHz??

[@TheMasterSwitch]

Yes - but as humans can only hear down to 20Hz, it's unlikely to make a major difference!

[@amit27491]

yes but may be there might be an element of the thump in the bass notes making the bass punchy which personally I like. Thank you for your prompt reply :)

[@NateAustin19]

this literally makes no difference. I really hope you didnt base your choice on this lol

[@frog382]

@@TheMasterSwitch NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@GogetaKurasaki]

Thank u

[@clerenciamoudy2630]

what's the name of that white headbands headphone in the thumbnail?

[@romi9485]

Meze 99 classics i believe (though it is not the standard color)

[@jojimat9]

Good job

[@ayushlall2669]

Helpful

[@RihuwaMidori]

Informative

[@xGooglyYT]

What happened to this channel ... This looks like a million dollar potential channel

[@JjJj-ty7iy]

I know im years late but if the frequency go low as say 5ohms even though we can’t hear it i wonder if we can feel it

[@vere9652]

No, generally 20Hz is the lowest fq when you start to think you feel something, but you can't really indentify what. (Some would say, you can't hear it yet, rather you feel it). And the frequency is not 5 ohms, but 5Hz.

[@JjJj-ty7iy]

@@vere9652 bruh well idgaf no more as that is a year old

[@nomadiclife4921]

Very useful for me

[@roufali3178]

What's the physical significance of a earphone that go beyond 40KHz ......how that sounds 🤔

[@johnshadoe]

This looks like a high budget movie that deserves an Oscar because he explained all the terms in a way that almost everyone will understand.

[@fardoussaikat609]

I found a treasure which is this video in 2022.

[@rdn658]

nice

[@BlenderDumbass]

But most people IK do not even Have 20 - 20k hz headphones. They tent to have something like 100 - 10k hz because they have no money to spend or think sound is not important.

[@DibIrken]

Thank you for the frequency response myth bust! Same should go for physical media players and the source file and the recording equipment. People are all the rage for these high frequency file types. 96khz, 144khz, 250khz+, it's crazy! Neil young started it with the Pono and now Jay-Z with his Tidal. It just goes up and up and up and people somehow BELIEVE they can hear the sound better because of it and buy expensive gear when it all came down to tuning the sound on the driver and some EQ-ing. I only care about the part of the frequency that humans can hear and make sure that they were well captured/recorded to begin with. If your a bat or a dog then I don't see no reason why you shouldn't care about those higher frequencies.

[@robertfan332]

Flawless victory. Not a hiccup. Concise. Useful. Thanks! Um, apologies, while that was great, hopefully the following won't be too bumpy. I'd like to ask a question please. I'd like to understand something but am not even sure how to formulate the question. I'll try to be clear and concise. I have a pair of Grado 325e headphones that I bought because when I heard them they blew me away. As soon as I heard them I put down all the other headphones that I was auditioning that day. So I listen exclusively on smartphone. Over time I've listened less and less and when I ran into a brief rough patch financially I was ready to sell them. But that same week i had been gifted by a family member that week a Toshiba laptop for free. I plugged the 325e into them, streamed Amazon Music app songs and was blown away. In fact I had literally never heard sound so good before and felt like for the first time I was experiencing soundstage and separation and good imaging and impact. Now I wouldn't part with my Grado 325e for anything. My question is how could it be possible for a laptop with a, I believe a stock Realtek soundcard, transfrom these headphones so drastically? Is it possible that the DAC that comes stock and the sound card too, in this mid range Toshiba laptop from 2012, has such good equipment in it? I did purchase a new $300 USD Sony PHA-1A headphone amp, in which the 325e did not sound nearly as good. It took hearing them on the laptop to keep from selling them. Is it possible that these headphones will sound different with every piece of equipment they are plugged into? And is it possible to know exactly which kind of equipment will sound best with any given headphone just by reading graphs or spec sheets?

[@TheMasterSwitch]

Thank you Sir!

[@ramanuj_g]

@@TheMasterSwitch u did not read the whole comment

[@nameerror966]

o man, you're on fire!

[@amberturdcoloringbook1733]

Why do some high-end brands that claim to have better sound end up having higher pitches that only make my ears hurt more?

[@championbrother]

Can anyone suggest gaming headphones of $100 or less

[@SHUTENSEPC]

wtf this is so useful :D

[@malikjackson2994]

👍👍👍👍👍👍👍🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@jackalcz2806]

Having headphones that can produce very high frequency is actually pretty nice thing. You cant hear it, but it will repulse mosquitos while you listening :D

[@mikylenaidoo1779]

subjectivity in this... not good

[@Unocd]

Are you British or Australian

[@MisquotedonMovies]

Did I just get told off? Feel like I did!

[@mosa8311]

Suggest me a $100 headphone And it is wired and wireless as well

[@robboffard3997]

Say please, jackass.

[@Rodehaas]

this guy talks faster then eminem in rapgod.

[@robboffard3997]

I'll take that as a compliment.

[@Rodehaas]

@@robboffard3997 damn, you like rapping as well, thats a mindfuck.

[@garimabhandari7419]

0:17 Whaaat??... -_- LMAO!!