The Tanchjim FOLA is 16Ω at 108.0 dB/mW; the Tanchjim SODA is 15.5Ω at 101.9 dB/mW. This page covers what they ask of an amplifier, not how they sound.
The SODA needs 6.1 dB more than the FOLA to reach the same loudness — 0.65 mW against 0.16 mW.
| Specification | FOLA | SODA |
|---|---|---|
| Impedance | 16 Ω | 15.5 Ω |
| Sensitivity | 108.0 dB/mW | 101.9 dB/mW |
| Sensitivity (voltage) | 126.0 dB/V | 120.0 dB/V |
| Power for 100 dB | 0.16 mW | 0.65 mW |
| Voltage for 100 dB | 50 mV | 0.10 V |
| Current for 100 dB | 3.1 mA | 6.5 mA |
| Highest source impedance that leaves them alone (one-eighth rule) | 2.00 Ω | 1.94 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 are low enough in output impedance for the FOLA under the one-eighth rule but not for the SODA (Astell&Kern HC3, RME Fireface UFX II, RME Fireface UFX III).
14 sources stay below the audible-hiss threshold with the SODA but cross it with the FOLA (FiiO BTR11, FiiO K11 R2R, Lake People G103-S Mk II, 11 more).
280 of the 280 sources here reach 100 dB on both.
The SODA is more demanding than 32% of the 567 non-electrostatic models in this database; the FOLA than 11%.
| dB SPL | FOLA power | FOLA voltage | SODA power | SODA voltage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80 | 1.6 µW | 5 mV | 6.5 µW | 10 mV |
| 85 | 5.0 µW | 9 mV | 0.02 mW | 18 mV |
| 90 | 0.02 mW | 16 mV | 0.06 mW | 32 mV |
| 95 | 0.05 mW | 28 mV | 0.20 mW | 56 mV |
| 100 | 0.16 mW | 50 mV | 0.65 mW | 0.10 V |
| 105 | 0.50 mW | 90 mV | 2.0 mW | 0.18 V |
| Source | Price | Headroom, FOLA | Headroom, SODA | Output impedance | Noise |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JadeAudio JA11 | $20 | 19.8 dB | 13.5 dB | 0.5 Ω | 1.7 µV |
| FiiO KA11 | $29 | 31.9 dB | 25.7 dB | 0.7 Ω | 1.7 µV |
| FiiO BTR13 | $59 | 28.8 dB | 22.6 dB | 0.6 Ω | 1.0 µV |
Of the 280 sources here, 280 reach 100 dB on both. 57 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 57 is the JadeAudio JA11, at $20. It leaves 19.8 dB of headroom on the FOLA and 13.5 dB on the SODA, its output impedance is 0.5 Ω against a one-eighth limit of 2.00 Ω and 1.94 Ω, and its noise figure puts the hiss floor 9 dB and 15 dB below the 20 dB SPL this site treats as the point where a quiet room stops hiding it.
| Model | As printed | Tolerance | Standard |
|---|---|---|---|
| FOLA | 2-48 kHZ | not printed | not printed |
| SODA | 8-48 kHZ | not printed | not printed |
Tanchjim prints 2-48 kHZ for the FOLA and 8-48 kHZ for the SODA.
FOLA: Tanchjim prints this row in Chinese and puts the unit only on the upper figure, so the lower number carries no unit of its own.
SODA: Tanchjim prints this row in Chinese and puts the unit only on the upper figure. Read strictly, “8-48 kHZ” starts at 8 kHz; read the way everyone reads it, at 8 Hz. The maker does not say which.
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: Tanchjim FOLA and Tanchjim SODA. Every figure on this page comes from what Tanchjim published, or is derived from it — what that maker publishes, counted.