The Dunu Falcon Ultra is 16Ω at 108.0 dB (no reference unit printed); the Dunu KIMA 2 is 20Ω at 108.0 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.
| Specification | Falcon Ultra | KIMA 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Impedance | 16 Ω | 20 Ω |
| Sensitivity | 108.0 dB | 108.0 dB/mW |
| Sensitivity (voltage) | 126.0 dB/V | 125.0 dB/V |
| Power for 100 dB | 0.16 mW | 0.16 mW |
| Voltage for 100 dB | 50 mV | 56 mV |
| Current for 100 dB | 3.1 mA | 2.8 mA |
| Highest source impedance that leaves them alone (one-eighth rule) | 2.00 Ω | 2.50 Ω |
| Sources that reach 100 dB out of 280 | 280 | 280 |
One caution before reading the rows. Dunu Falcon Ultra printed a decibel figure with no reference unit, so this page reads it as per milliwatt. If it is really per volt, that model needs far more than the table says. Why the two readings differ by so much.
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.
5 sources stay below the audible-hiss threshold with the KIMA 2 but cross it with the Falcon Ultra (FiiO M33 R2R, SPL Phonitor se, SPL Phonitor xe, 2 more).
280 of the 280 sources here reach 100 dB on both.
The KIMA 2 is more demanding than 14% of the 567 non-electrostatic models in this database; the Falcon Ultra than 11%.
| dB SPL | Falcon Ultra power | Falcon Ultra voltage | KIMA 2 power | KIMA 2 voltage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80 | 1.6 µW | 5 mV | 1.6 µW | 6 mV |
| 85 | 5.0 µW | 9 mV | 5.0 µW | 10 mV |
| 90 | 0.02 mW | 16 mV | 0.02 mW | 18 mV |
| 95 | 0.05 mW | 28 mV | 0.05 mW | 32 mV |
| 100 | 0.16 mW | 50 mV | 0.16 mW | 56 mV |
| 105 | 0.50 mW | 90 mV | 0.50 mW | 0.10 V |
| Source | Price | Headroom, Falcon Ultra | Headroom, KIMA 2 | Output impedance | Noise |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JadeAudio JA11 | $20 | 19.8 dB | 20.7 dB | 0.5 Ω | 1.7 µV |
| FiiO KA11 | $29 | 31.9 dB | 31.5 dB | 0.7 Ω | 1.7 µV |
| FiiO BTR13 | $59 | 28.8 dB | 28.4 dB | 0.6 Ω | 1.0 µV |
Of the 280 sources here, 280 reach 100 dB on both. 57 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 57 is the JadeAudio JA11, at $20. It leaves 19.8 dB of headroom on the Falcon Ultra and 20.7 dB on the KIMA 2, its output impedance is 0.5 Ω against a one-eighth limit of 2.00 Ω and 2.50 Ω, and its noise figure puts the hiss floor 9 dB and 10 dB below the 20 dB SPL this site treats as the point where a quiet room stops hiding it.
| Model | As printed | Tolerance | Standard |
|---|---|---|---|
| Falcon Ultra | 5Hz-40kHz | not printed | not printed |
| KIMA 2 | 5 Hz - 40 kHz | not printed | not printed |
Dunu prints 5Hz-40kHz for the Falcon Ultra and 5 Hz - 40 kHz for the KIMA 2.
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 have a page of their own. In full: Dunu Falcon Ultra and Dunu KIMA 2. Each figure on this page is labelled on those pages with where it came from, including the ones Dunu never published — what that maker publishes, counted.