DN-142 vs Titan S2: which needs more amplifier?

The Dunu DN-142 is 37Ω at 107.0 dB/mW; the Dunu Titan S2 is 16Ω at 107.0 dB/mW. This page covers what they ask of an amplifier, not how they sound.

In amplifier terms these two are the same headphone. The gap between what they need for 100 dB is under half a decibel, which is smaller than the step between two clicks of most volume controls.

Side by side

The numbers that decide it

Specification	DN-142	Titan S2
Impedance	37 Ω	16 Ω
Sensitivity	107.0 dB/mW	107.0 dB/mW
Sensitivity (voltage)	121.3 dB/V	125.0 dB/V
Power for 100 dB	0.20 mW	0.20 mW
Voltage for 100 dB	86 mV	57 mV
Current for 100 dB	2.3 mA	3.5 mA
Highest source impedance that leaves them alone (one-eighth rule)	4.62 Ω	2.00 Ω
Sources that reach 100 dB out of 280	280	280

What separates them

Where the two part company

Every source in the database that drives one of them drives the other. On power, the choice between these two changes nothing about what amplifier you need.

9 sources stay below the audible-hiss threshold with the DN-142 but cross it with the Titan S2 (FiiO BTR11, FiiO K11 R2R, Lake People G103-S Mk II, 6 more).

280 of the 280 sources here reach 100 dB on both.

At the level you actually listen at

What each one needs from 80 to 105 dB

The DN-142 is more demanding than 26% of the 567 non-electrostatic models in this database; the Titan S2 than 14%.

dB SPL	DN-142 power	DN-142 voltage	Titan S2 power	Titan S2 voltage
80	2.0 µW	9 mV	2.0 µW	6 mV
85	6.3 µW	15 mV	6.3 µW	10 mV
90	0.02 mW	27 mV	0.02 mW	18 mV
95	0.06 mW	48 mV	0.06 mW	32 mV
100	0.20 mW	86 mV	0.20 mW	57 mV
105	0.63 mW	0.15 V	0.63 mW	0.10 V

What drives both

The cheapest source that satisfies both

Source	Price	Headroom, DN-142	Headroom, Titan S2	Output impedance	Noise
JadeAudio JA11	$20	21.1 dB	18.8 dB	0.5 Ω	1.7 µV
FiiO KA11	$29	29.4 dB	30.9 dB	0.7 Ω	1.7 µV
FiiO BTR13	$59	26.4 dB	27.8 dB	0.6 Ω	1.0 µV

Of the 280 sources here, 280 reach 100 dB on both. 62 of them also publish an output impedance low enough for both under the one-eighth rule and a noise figure that stays below the audible-hiss threshold with both.

The cheapest of the 62 is the JadeAudio JA11, at $20. It leaves 21.1 dB of headroom on the DN-142 and 18.8 dB on the Titan S2, its output impedance is 0.5 Ω against a one-eighth limit of 4.62 Ω and 2.00 Ω, and its noise figure puts the hiss floor 14 dB and 10 dB below the 20 dB SPL this site treats as the point where a quiet room stops hiding it.

Try any other source.

Frequency response

What each sheet prints, and what it is worth

Model	As printed	Tolerance	Standard
DN-142	5Hz – 40kHz	not printed	not printed
Titan S2	5 Hz - 40 kHz	not printed	not printed

Dunu prints 5Hz – 40kHz for the DN-142 and 5 Hz - 40 kHz for the Titan S2.

Neither range has a tolerance printed beside it, so a wider range on one sheet is not deeper bass or more treble.

Not a measurement; maker by maker.

Both pages in full

Both have a page of their own. In full: Dunu DN-142 and Dunu Titan S2. Every figure on this page comes from what Dunu published, or is derived from it — what that maker publishes, counted.