The Shure AONIC 5 is 36Ω at 119.0 dB/mW; the Shure SE315 is 27Ω at 116.0 dB/mW. This page covers what they ask of an amplifier, not how they sound.
The SE315 needs 3.0 dB more than the AONIC 5 to reach the same loudness — 0.03 mW against 0.01 mW.
| Specification | AONIC 5 | SE315 |
|---|---|---|
| Impedance | 36 Ω | 27 Ω |
| Sensitivity | 119.0 dB/mW | 116.0 dB/mW |
| Sensitivity (voltage) | 133.4 dB/V | 131.7 dB/V |
| Power for 100 dB | 0.01 mW | 0.03 mW |
| Voltage for 100 dB | 21 mV | 26 mV |
| Current for 100 dB | 0.6 mA | 1.0 mA |
| Highest source impedance that leaves them alone (one-eighth rule) | 4.50 Ω | 3.38 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.
8 sources stay below the audible-hiss threshold with the SE315 but cross it with the AONIC 5 (FiiO KA13, Fosi Audio K7, JDS Labs Element III MK2, 5 more).
280 of the 280 sources here reach 100 dB on both.
The SE315 is more demanding than 2% of the 567 non-electrostatic models in this database; the AONIC 5 than 1%.
| dB SPL | AONIC 5 power | AONIC 5 voltage | SE315 power | SE315 voltage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80 | 0.1 µW | 2 mV | 0.3 µW | 3 mV |
| 85 | 0.4 µW | 4 mV | 0.8 µW | 5 mV |
| 90 | 1.3 µW | 7 mV | 2.5 µW | 8 mV |
| 95 | 4.0 µW | 12 mV | 7.9 µW | 15 mV |
| 100 | 0.01 mW | 21 mV | 0.03 mW | 26 mV |
| 105 | 0.04 mW | 38 mV | 0.08 mW | 46 mV |
| Source | Price | Headroom, AONIC 5 | Headroom, SE315 | Output impedance | Noise |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JadeAudio JA11 | $20 | 33.3 dB | 30.0 dB | 0.5 Ω | 1.7 µV |
| FiiO KA11 | $29 | 41.5 dB | 39.1 dB | 0.7 Ω | 1.7 µV |
| FiiO BTR13 | $59 | 38.5 dB | 36.1 dB | 0.6 Ω | 1.0 µV |
Of the 280 sources here, 280 reach 100 dB on both. 34 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 34 is the JadeAudio JA11, at $20. It leaves 33.3 dB of headroom on the AONIC 5 and 30.0 dB on the SE315, its output impedance is 0.5 Ω against a one-eighth limit of 4.50 Ω and 3.38 Ω, and its noise figure puts the hiss floor 2 dB and 4 dB below the 20 dB SPL this site treats as the point where a quiet room stops hiding it.
| Model | As printed | Tolerance | Standard |
|---|---|---|---|
| AONIC 5 | 18 Hz –19 kHz | not printed | not printed |
| SE315 | 22 Hz–18.5 kHz | not printed | not printed |
Shure prints 18 Hz –19 kHz for the AONIC 5 and 22 Hz–18.5 kHz for the SE315.
Neither range has a tolerance printed beside it, so a wider range on one sheet is not deeper bass or more treble.
Not a measurement; maker by maker.
Both have a page of their own. In full: Shure AONIC 5 and Shure SE315. Every figure on this page comes from what Shure published, or is derived from it — what that maker publishes, counted.