The Moondrop DARKSABER is 22Ω at 111.4 dB/mW; the Moondrop HARMON is 19Ω at 96.8 dB/mW. This page covers what they ask of an amplifier, not how they sound.
The HARMON needs 14.6 dB more than the DARKSABER to reach the same loudness — 2.1 mW against 0.07 mW.
| Specification | DARKSABER | HARMON |
|---|---|---|
| Impedance | 22 Ω | 19 Ω |
| Sensitivity | 111.4 dB/mW | 96.8 dB/mW |
| Sensitivity (voltage) | 128.0 dB/V | 114.0 dB/V |
| Power for 100 dB | 0.07 mW | 2.1 mW |
| Voltage for 100 dB | 40 mV | 0.20 V |
| Current for 100 dB | 1.8 mA | 10.5 mA |
| Highest source impedance that leaves them alone (one-eighth rule) | 2.75 Ω | 2.38 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.
16 sources stay below the audible-hiss threshold with the HARMON but cross it with the DARKSABER (FiiO BTR11, FiiO K11 R2R, Lake People G103-S Mk II, 13 more).
280 of the 280 sources here reach 100 dB on both.
The HARMON is more demanding than 58% of the 567 non-electrostatic models in this database; the DARKSABER than 6%.
| dB SPL | DARKSABER power | DARKSABER voltage | HARMON power | HARMON voltage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80 | 0.7 µW | 4 mV | 0.02 mW | 20 mV |
| 85 | 2.3 µW | 7 mV | 0.07 mW | 35 mV |
| 90 | 7.2 µW | 13 mV | 0.21 mW | 63 mV |
| 95 | 0.02 mW | 22 mV | 0.66 mW | 0.11 V |
| 100 | 0.07 mW | 40 mV | 2.1 mW | 0.20 V |
| 105 | 0.23 mW | 71 mV | 6.6 mW | 0.35 V |
| Source | Price | Headroom, DARKSABER | Headroom, HARMON | Output impedance | Noise |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JadeAudio JA11 | $20 | 24.5 dB | 9.3 dB | 0.5 Ω | 1.7 µV |
| FiiO KA11 | $29 | 34.8 dB | 20.4 dB | 0.7 Ω | 1.7 µV |
| FiiO BTR13 | $59 | 31.7 dB | 17.3 dB | 0.6 Ω | 1.0 µV |
Of the 280 sources here, 280 reach 100 dB on both. 55 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 55 is the JadeAudio JA11, at $20. It leaves 24.5 dB of headroom on the DARKSABER and 9.3 dB on the HARMON, its output impedance is 0.5 Ω against a one-eighth limit of 2.75 Ω and 2.38 Ω, and its noise figure puts the hiss floor 7 dB and 21 dB below the 20 dB SPL this site treats as the point where a quiet room stops hiding it.
| Model | As printed | Tolerance | Standard |
|---|---|---|---|
| DARKSABER | 7Hz-41kHz (IEC61094, Free Field) | not printed | IEC61094 (free field) |
| 20-20kHz (IEC60318-4, 3dB) | 3 dB | IEC60318-4 | |
| HARMON | 10Hz-60kHz | not printed | not printed |
| 20Hz-20kHz (IEC60318-4, -3dB) | -3 dB | IEC60318-4 |
Moondrop prints two ranges, “7Hz-41kHz (IEC61094, Free Field)” and “20-20kHz (IEC60318-4, 3dB)”, for the DARKSABER and two ranges, “10Hz-60kHz” and “20Hz-20kHz (IEC60318-4, -3dB)”, for the HARMON.
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 DARKSABER and Moondrop HARMON. Every figure on this page comes from what Moondrop published, or is derived from it — what that maker publishes, counted.