The Moondrop Blessing 2 is 22Ω at 100.4 dB/mW; the Moondrop ILLUSTRIOUS is 25Ω at 108.0 dB/mW. This page covers what they ask of an amplifier, not how they sound.
The Blessing 2 needs 7.6 dB more than the ILLUSTRIOUS to reach the same loudness — 0.91 mW against 0.16 mW.
| Specification | Blessing 2 | ILLUSTRIOUS |
|---|---|---|
| Impedance | 22 Ω | 25 Ω |
| Sensitivity | 100.4 dB/mW | 108.0 dB/mW |
| Sensitivity (voltage) | 117.0 dB/V | 124.0 dB/V |
| Power for 100 dB | 0.91 mW | 0.16 mW |
| Voltage for 100 dB | 0.14 V | 63 mV |
| Current for 100 dB | 6.4 mA | 2.5 mA |
| Highest source impedance that leaves them alone (one-eighth rule) | 2.75 Ω | 3.12 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.
6 sources stay below the audible-hiss threshold with the Blessing 2 but cross it with the ILLUSTRIOUS (FiiO BTR11, FiiO K11 R2R, Schiit Valhalla 3, 3 more).
280 of the 280 sources here reach 100 dB on both.
The Blessing 2 is more demanding than 44% of the 567 non-electrostatic models in this database; the ILLUSTRIOUS than 18%.
| dB SPL | Blessing 2 power | Blessing 2 voltage | ILLUSTRIOUS power | ILLUSTRIOUS voltage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80 | 9.1 µW | 14 mV | 1.6 µW | 6 mV |
| 85 | 0.03 mW | 25 mV | 5.0 µW | 11 mV |
| 90 | 0.09 mW | 45 mV | 0.02 mW | 20 mV |
| 95 | 0.29 mW | 80 mV | 0.05 mW | 35 mV |
| 100 | 0.91 mW | 0.14 V | 0.16 mW | 63 mV |
| 105 | 2.9 mW | 0.25 V | 0.50 mW | 0.11 V |
| Source | Price | Headroom, Blessing 2 | Headroom, ILLUSTRIOUS | Output impedance | Noise |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JadeAudio JA11 | $20 | 13.5 dB | 21.7 dB | 0.5 Ω | 1.7 µV |
| FiiO KA11 | $29 | 23.8 dB | 31.2 dB | 0.7 Ω | 1.7 µV |
| FiiO BTR13 | $59 | 20.7 dB | 28.2 dB | 0.6 Ω | 1.0 µV |
Of the 280 sources here, 280 reach 100 dB on both. 65 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 65 is the JadeAudio JA11, at $20. It leaves 13.5 dB of headroom on the Blessing 2 and 21.7 dB on the ILLUSTRIOUS, its output impedance is 0.5 Ω against a one-eighth limit of 2.75 Ω and 3.12 Ω, and its noise figure puts the hiss floor 18 dB and 11 dB below the 20 dB SPL this site treats as the point where a quiet room stops hiding it.
| Model | As printed | Tolerance | Standard |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blessing 2 | 9-37kHz(1/4 Inch Free-field mic, -3dB) | -3 dB | 1/4″ free field |
| 20-20kHz (IEC60318-4) | not printed | IEC60318-4 | |
| ILLUSTRIOUS | 10-50kHz (IEC61094, Free Field) | not printed | IEC61094 (free field) |
| 20Hz-20kHz (IEC60318-4, -3dB) | -3 dB | IEC60318-4 |
Moondrop prints two ranges, “9-37kHz(1/4 Inch Free-field mic, -3dB)” and “20-20kHz (IEC60318-4)”, for the Blessing 2 and two ranges, “10-50kHz (IEC61094, Free Field)” and “20Hz-20kHz (IEC60318-4, -3dB)”, for the ILLUSTRIOUS.
Both sheets print a tolerance, which is rare enough to be worth pointing at: only 58 of the 490 models with a printed range do. These two ranges can be set against each other, because each of them says how far down the response is allowed to be at the ends.
Not a measurement; maker by maker.
Both have a page of their own. In full: Moondrop Blessing 2 and Moondrop ILLUSTRIOUS. Every figure on this page comes from what Moondrop published, or is derived from it — what that maker publishes, counted.