The Moondrop KATO is 32Ω at 108.1 dB/mW; the Moondrop LAN II is 30Ω at 102.8 dB/mW. This page covers what they ask of an amplifier, not how they sound.
The LAN II needs 5.3 dB more than the KATO to reach the same loudness — 0.52 mW against 0.15 mW.
| Specification | KATO | LAN II |
|---|---|---|
| Impedance | 32 Ω | 30 Ω |
| Sensitivity | 108.1 dB/mW | 102.8 dB/mW |
| Sensitivity (voltage) | 123.0 dB/V | 118.0 dB/V |
| Power for 100 dB | 0.15 mW | 0.52 mW |
| Voltage for 100 dB | 70 mV | 0.13 V |
| Current for 100 dB | 2.2 mA | 4.2 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.
3 sources stay below the audible-hiss threshold with the LAN II but cross it with the KATO (FiiO BTR11, FiiO K11 R2R, Rupert Neve RNHP).
280 of the 280 sources here reach 100 dB on both.
The LAN II is more demanding than 40% of the 567 non-electrostatic models in this database; the KATO than 21%.
| dB SPL | KATO power | KATO voltage | LAN II power | LAN II voltage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80 | 1.5 µW | 7 mV | 5.2 µW | 13 mV |
| 85 | 4.9 µW | 13 mV | 0.02 mW | 22 mV |
| 90 | 0.02 mW | 22 mV | 0.05 mW | 40 mV |
| 95 | 0.05 mW | 40 mV | 0.17 mW | 71 mV |
| 100 | 0.15 mW | 70 mV | 0.52 mW | 0.13 V |
| 105 | 0.49 mW | 0.13 V | 1.7 mW | 0.22 V |
| Source | Price | Headroom, KATO | Headroom, LAN II | Output impedance | Noise |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JadeAudio JA11 | $20 | 22.9 dB | 17.3 dB | 0.5 Ω | 1.7 µV |
| FiiO KA11 | $29 | 31.1 dB | 25.9 dB | 0.7 Ω | 1.7 µV |
| FiiO BTR13 | $59 | 28.1 dB | 22.8 dB | 0.6 Ω | 1.0 µV |
Of the 280 sources here, 280 reach 100 dB on both. 66 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 66 is the JadeAudio JA11, at $20. It leaves 22.9 dB of headroom on the KATO and 17.3 dB on the LAN II, 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 12 dB and 17 dB below the 20 dB SPL this site treats as the point where a quiet room stops hiding it.
| Model | As printed | Tolerance | Standard |
|---|---|---|---|
| KATO | 10Hz-45kHz (IEC61094, Free Field) | not printed | IEC61094 (free field) |
| 20Hz-20kHz (IEC60318-4, -3dB) | -3 dB | IEC60318-4 | |
| LAN II | 12Hz-60kHz (IEC61094, Free Field) | not printed | IEC61094 (free field) |
| 20Hz-20kHz (IEC60318-4, -3dB) | -3 dB | IEC60318-4 |
Moondrop prints two ranges, “10Hz-45kHz (IEC61094, Free Field)” and “20Hz-20kHz (IEC60318-4, -3dB)”, for the KATO and two ranges, “12Hz-60kHz (IEC61094, Free Field)” and “20Hz-20kHz (IEC60318-4, -3dB)”, for the LAN II.
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 KATO and Moondrop LAN II. Every figure on this page comes from what Moondrop published, or is derived from it — what that maker publishes, counted.