The Moondrop Starfield II is 15Ω at 103.8 dB/mW; the Moondrop Variations is 15.2Ω at 99.8 dB/mW. This page covers what they ask of an amplifier, not how they sound.
The Variations needs 4.0 dB more than the Starfield II to reach the same loudness — 1.0 mW against 0.42 mW.
| Specification | Starfield II | Variations |
|---|---|---|
| Impedance | 15 Ω | 15.2 Ω |
| Sensitivity | 103.8 dB/mW | 99.8 dB/mW |
| Sensitivity (voltage) | 122.0 dB/V | 118.0 dB/V |
| Power for 100 dB | 0.42 mW | 1.0 mW |
| Voltage for 100 dB | 79 mV | 0.13 V |
| Current for 100 dB | 5.3 mA | 8.3 mA |
| Highest source impedance that leaves them alone (one-eighth rule) | 1.88 Ω | 1.90 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 Variations but cross it with the Starfield II (FiiO BTR11, Rupert Neve RNHP).
280 of the 280 sources here reach 100 dB on both.
The Variations is more demanding than 40% of the 567 non-electrostatic models in this database; the Starfield II than 25%.
| dB SPL | Starfield II power | Starfield II voltage | Variations power | Variations voltage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80 | 4.2 µW | 8 mV | 0.01 mW | 13 mV |
| 85 | 0.01 mW | 14 mV | 0.03 mW | 22 mV |
| 90 | 0.04 mW | 25 mV | 0.10 mW | 40 mV |
| 95 | 0.13 mW | 44 mV | 0.33 mW | 71 mV |
| 100 | 0.42 mW | 79 mV | 1.0 mW | 0.13 V |
| 105 | 1.3 mW | 0.14 V | 3.3 mW | 0.22 V |
| Source | Price | Headroom, Starfield II | Headroom, Variations | Output impedance | Noise |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JadeAudio JA11 | $20 | 15.3 dB | 11.3 dB | 0.5 Ω | 1.7 µV |
| FiiO KA11 | $29 | 27.4 dB | 23.5 dB | 0.7 Ω | 1.7 µV |
| FiiO BTR13 | $59 | 24.3 dB | 20.4 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 15.3 dB of headroom on the Starfield II and 11.3 dB on the Variations, its output impedance is 0.5 Ω against a one-eighth limit of 1.88 Ω and 1.90 Ω, and its noise figure puts the hiss floor 13 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starfield II | 12Hz-24kHz (IEC61094, Free Field) | not printed | IEC61094 (free field) |
| 20Hz-20kHz (IEC60318-4, -3dB) | -3 dB | IEC60318-4 | |
| Variations | 9-40kHz (IEC61094, Free Field) | not printed | IEC61094 (free field) |
| 20-20kHz (IEC60318-4, -3dB) | -3 dB | IEC60318-4 |
Moondrop prints two ranges, “12Hz-24kHz (IEC61094, Free Field)” and “20Hz-20kHz (IEC60318-4, -3dB)”, for the Starfield II and two ranges, “9-40kHz (IEC61094, Free Field)” and “20-20kHz (IEC60318-4, -3dB)”, for the Variations.
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 Starfield II and Moondrop Variations. Every figure on this page comes from what Moondrop published, or is derived from it — what that maker publishes, counted.