Hola vs PURE: which needs more amplifier?

The Truthear Hola is 28Ω at 104.5 dB/mW; the Truthear PURE is 13.8Ω at 105.4 dB/mW. This page covers what they ask of an amplifier, not how they sound.

The Hola needs 0.9 dB more than the PURE to reach the same loudness — 0.35 mW against 0.29 mW.

The numbers that decide it

SpecificationHolaPURE
Impedance28 Ω13.8 Ω
Sensitivity104.5 dB/mW105.4 dB/mW
Sensitivity (voltage)120.0 dB/V124.0 dB/V
Power for 100 dB0.35 mW0.29 mW
Voltage for 100 dB100 mV63 mV
Current for 100 dB3.6 mA4.6 mA
Highest source impedance
that leaves them alone (one-eighth rule)
3.50 Ω1.73 Ω
Sources that reach 100 dB
out of 280
280280

Where the two part company

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.

4 sources are low enough in output impedance for the Hola under the one-eighth rule but not for the PURE (Schiit Vali 2+, Astell&Kern HC3, RME Fireface UFX II, 1 more).

5 sources stay below the audible-hiss threshold with the Hola but cross it with the PURE (FiiO BTR11, FiiO K11 R2R, Schiit Valhalla 3, 2 more).

280 of the 280 sources here reach 100 dB on both.

What each one needs from 80 to 105 dB

The Hola is more demanding than 31% of the 567 non-electrostatic models in this database; the PURE than 18%.

dB SPLHola powerHola voltagePURE powerPURE voltage
803.5 µW10 mV2.9 µW6 mV
850.01 mW18 mV9.1 µW11 mV
900.04 mW32 mV0.03 mW20 mV
950.11 mW56 mV0.09 mW35 mV
1000.35 mW100 mV0.29 mW63 mV
1051.1 mW0.18 V0.91 mW0.11 V

The cheapest source that satisfies both

SourcePriceHeadroom, HolaHeadroom, PUREOutput impedanceNoise
JadeAudio JA11$2018.7 dB16.5 dB0.5 Ω1.7 µV
FiiO KA11$2927.6 dB28.6 dB0.7 Ω1.7 µV
FiiO BTR13$5924.6 dB25.5 dB0.6 Ω1.0 µV

Of the 280 sources here, 280 reach 100 dB on both. 65 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 65 is the JadeAudio JA11, at $20. It leaves 18.7 dB of headroom on the Hola and 16.5 dB on the PURE, its output impedance is 0.5 Ω against a one-eighth limit of 3.50 Ω and 1.73 Ω, and its noise figure puts the hiss floor 15 dB and 11 dB below the 20 dB SPL this site treats as the point where a quiet room stops hiding it.

Try any other source.

What each sheet prints, and what it is worth

ModelAs printedToleranceStandard
Hola8-46kHz (IEC61094, Free Field)not printedIEC61094 (free field)
 20-20kHz (IEC60318-4, -3dB)-3 dBIEC60318-4
PURE7-40kHz (IEC61094, Free Field)not printedIEC61094 (free field)
 20-20kHz (IEC60318-4, -3dB)-3 dBIEC60318-4

Truthear prints two ranges, “8-46kHz (IEC61094, Free Field)” and “20-20kHz (IEC60318-4, -3dB)”, for the Hola and two ranges, “7-40kHz (IEC61094, Free Field)” and “20-20kHz (IEC60318-4, -3dB)”, for the PURE.

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 pages in full

Both have a page of their own. In full: Truthear Hola and Truthear PURE. Every figure on this page comes from what Truthear published, or is derived from it — what that maker publishes, counted.

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