The Moondrop Aria is 32Ω at 107.1 dB/mW; the Moondrop RAYS is 30Ω at 104.8 dB/mW. This page covers what they ask of an amplifier, not how they sound.
The RAYS needs 2.3 dB more than the Aria to reach the same loudness — 0.33 mW against 0.19 mW.
| Specification | Aria | RAYS |
|---|---|---|
| Impedance | 32 Ω | 30 Ω |
| Sensitivity | 107.1 dB/mW | 104.8 dB/mW |
| Sensitivity (voltage) | 122.0 dB/V | 120.0 dB/V |
| Power for 100 dB | 0.19 mW | 0.33 mW |
| Voltage for 100 dB | 79 mV | 100 mV |
| Current for 100 dB | 2.5 mA | 3.3 mA |
| Highest source impedance that leaves them alone (one-eighth rule) | 4.00 Ω | 3.75 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.
2 sources stay below the audible-hiss threshold with the RAYS but cross it with the Aria (FiiO BTR11, Rupert Neve RNHP).
280 of the 280 sources here reach 100 dB on both.
The RAYS is more demanding than 31% of the 567 non-electrostatic models in this database; the Aria than 25%.
| dB SPL | Aria power | Aria voltage | RAYS power | RAYS voltage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80 | 1.9 µW | 8 mV | 3.3 µW | 10 mV |
| 85 | 6.2 µW | 14 mV | 0.01 mW | 18 mV |
| 90 | 0.02 mW | 25 mV | 0.03 mW | 32 mV |
| 95 | 0.06 mW | 44 mV | 0.10 mW | 56 mV |
| 100 | 0.19 mW | 79 mV | 0.33 mW | 100 mV |
| 105 | 0.62 mW | 0.14 V | 1.0 mW | 0.18 V |
| Source | Price | Headroom, Aria | Headroom, RAYS | Output impedance | Noise |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JadeAudio JA11 | $20 | 21.9 dB | 19.3 dB | 0.5 Ω | 1.7 µV |
| FiiO KA11 | $29 | 30.1 dB | 27.9 dB | 0.7 Ω | 1.7 µV |
| FiiO BTR13 | $59 | 27.1 dB | 24.8 dB | 0.6 Ω | 1.0 µV |
Of the 280 sources here, 280 reach 100 dB on both. 67 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 67 is the JadeAudio JA11, at $20. It leaves 21.9 dB of headroom on the Aria and 19.3 dB on the RAYS, its output impedance is 0.5 Ω against a one-eighth limit of 4.00 Ω and 3.75 Ω, and its noise figure puts the hiss floor 13 dB and 15 dB below the 20 dB SPL this site treats as the point where a quiet room stops hiding it.
| Model | As printed | Tolerance | Standard |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aria | 5Hz-36kHz | not printed | not printed |
| 20Hz-20kHz | not printed | not printed | |
| RAYS | 7Hz–39kHz | not printed | not printed |
| 20Hz–20kHz (IEC60318-4, -3dB) | -3 dB | IEC60318-4 |
Moondrop prints two ranges, “5Hz-36kHz” and “20Hz-20kHz”, for the Aria and two ranges, “7Hz–39kHz” and “20Hz–20kHz (IEC60318-4, -3dB)”, for the RAYS.
Only one of the two is a specification. The range printed for the RAYS comes with a tolerance; the one printed for the Aria does not, and a range without a ±dB figure says nothing about how loud that model is at either end of it. The two cannot be compared number against number, however similar they look in the table. Of the 490 models whose maker prints a range, 58 print the tolerance.
Not a measurement; maker by maker.
Both have a page of their own. In full: Moondrop Aria and Moondrop RAYS. Every figure on this page comes from what Moondrop published, or is derived from it — what that maker publishes, counted.