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STEREOPHONE PERFORMANCE

Common measurements of headphone performance will help you to compare models and eventually decide on the right headphone for you.

While it's beneficial to understand these measurements and how they affect stereophone performance, it is also very important to recognize that comparing specifications can be misleading. There are other factors, such as ear cushion type or headband pressure that can make a difference in how the headphone actually sounds.

This is why it is always important to listen to a headphone before finalizing your decision.

FREQUENCY RESPONSE
Refers to a headphone's ability to reproduce a range of frequencies. A wider response results in better overall sound performance.

SENSITIVITY
Refers to a headphone's ability to respond in volume level to an electrical signal. The higher the sensitivity, the higher the sound level produced by the headphone.

DISTORTION
Refers to any deviations from the original electrical
signal fed through the headphone.

IMPEDANCE
Refers to the electrical load that is presented by the headphone to the amplifier driving the headphone. Impedance measures the number of headphones that could operate off an amplified source.

SIGNAL TO NOISE RATIO (SNR)
Refers to the measurement of the amount of noise added by the electrical circuit reproducing the music signal.

SOUND PRESSURE LEVEL (SPL)
Refers to the measurement of volume being outputed by the headphone.