The Meze Empyrean II is 32Ω at 90.0 dB/mW; the Meze STRADA is 40Ω at 111.0 dB/mW. This page covers what they ask of an amplifier, not how they sound.
The Empyrean II needs 21.0 dB more than the STRADA to reach the same loudness — 10 mW against 0.08 mW.
| Specification | Empyrean II | STRADA |
|---|---|---|
| Impedance | 32 Ω | 40 Ω |
| Sensitivity | 90.0 dB/mW | 111.0 dB/mW |
| Sensitivity (voltage) | 104.9 dB/V | 125.0 dB/V |
| Power for 100 dB | 10 mW | 0.08 mW |
| Voltage for 100 dB | 0.57 V | 56 mV |
| Current for 100 dB | 17.7 mA | 1.4 mA |
| Highest source impedance that leaves them alone (one-eighth rule) | 4.00 Ω | 5.00 Ω |
| Sources that reach 100 dB out of 280 | 280 | 280 |
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.
1 source is low enough in output impedance for the STRADA under the one-eighth rule but not for the Empyrean II (Shanling H5).
10 sources stay below the audible-hiss threshold with the Empyrean II but cross it with the STRADA (FiiO BTR11, FiiO K11 R2R, Lake People G103-S Mk II, 7 more).
280 of the 280 sources here reach 100 dB on both.
The Empyrean II is more demanding than 90% of the 567 non-electrostatic models in this database; the STRADA than 14%.
| dB SPL | Empyrean II power | Empyrean II voltage | STRADA power | STRADA voltage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80 | 0.10 mW | 57 mV | 0.8 µW | 6 mV |
| 85 | 0.32 mW | 0.10 V | 2.5 µW | 10 mV |
| 90 | 1.0 mW | 0.18 V | 7.9 µW | 18 mV |
| 95 | 3.2 mW | 0.32 V | 0.03 mW | 32 mV |
| 100 | 10 mW | 0.57 V | 0.08 mW | 56 mV |
| 105 | 32 mW | 1.01 V | 0.25 mW | 0.10 V |
| Source | Price | Headroom, Empyrean II | Headroom, STRADA | Output impedance | Noise |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JadeAudio JA11 | $20 | 4.8 dB | 24.8 dB | 0.5 Ω | 1.7 µV |
| FiiO KA11 | $29 | 13.0 dB | 33.0 dB | 0.7 Ω | 1.7 µV |
| FiiO BTR13 | $59 | 10.0 dB | 30.0 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 4.8 dB of headroom on the Empyrean II and 24.8 dB on the STRADA, its output impedance is 0.5 Ω against a one-eighth limit of 4.00 Ω and 5.00 Ω, and its noise figure puts the hiss floor 30 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empyrean II | 8 Hz – 110 kHz | not printed | not printed |
| STRADA | 5 Hz - 30 kHz | not printed | not printed |
Meze prints 8 Hz – 110 kHz for the Empyrean II and 5 Hz - 30 kHz for the STRADA.
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: Meze Empyrean II and Meze STRADA. Every figure on this page comes from what Meze published, or is derived from it — what that maker publishes, counted.