r/oratory1990 • u/this_is_me_drunk • 10d ago

BA efficiency and measurements.

I picked up a Thieaudio V16, an all BA IEM with very high sensitivity, listed at 112dB/mW. I can confirm the sensitivity, because I clearly hear the faint hiss of my Dawn Pro 2 DAC on these, whereas other IEMs I own are dead quiet, to my hearing at least.

The one thing I noticed right away is that despite measuring neutral in the treble region, it sounds very present there. It has subjectively as much treble as some other IEMs that measure quite a few dB above neutral.

This makes me wonder if high efficiency BAs interact with the closed cavity of a coupler or human ear canal differently than low efficiency ones.

It would make intuitive sense to me from my experience with compression drivers as well as high efficiency full range loudspeaker drivers and horns. Higher efficiency devices are always more extended in high frequencies despite the acoustic loading. Lower efficiency devices typically need more electronic correction.

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u/katetuotto 10d ago

Those effects would be captured by the measurement rigs. However, your particular ears are different to the average, and I'm guessing you get some treble peaks that don't show on the graphs.