Real-World N22H Battery Life Tests
Below are some tests that we run during development when optimising the Battery life performance of
N22H. It is worth noting that it is easy to make any headphone amp last a long time under battery power -
wireless IEM beltpacks have been doing this for years, but it is very difficult to power a reference-grade
headphone amp with performance N22H using battery power!
Actual battery life will vary depending on battery type being used, headphone impedance/sensitivity, source
material and it’s frequency content, as well as overall headphone volume.
Audio Technica ATH-M50x (38Ω)
Playing program material at maximum level
High Power Mode - 1h = Battery Low Indicator, 2h = Unit Off
Energizer Max Battery
Low Power Mode - 8h 10m = Battery Low Indicator, 10h 25m = Unit Off
Energizer Max Battery
Shure SE215 (17Ω)
Playing program material at maximum level
High Power Mode - 45m = Battery Low Indicator, 1h 44m = Unit Off
Duracell Plus Battery
Low Power Mode - 7h = Battery Low Indicator On, 9h = Unit Off
Duracell Plus Battery
Battery Performance
During our testing, we found varying performances from high-street battery brands. Even two of
the same battery from the same pack lasted different amounts of times! In our research we found
that all batteries exhibit different behaviors when it comes to power delivery over time.
Some maintain close to 9v for a long time and then drop suddenly, others drop quickly at the start
and then maintain performance for a long time below the 6.8v Battery Lew indicator threshold.
This means that predicting actual battery life performance is very difficult!
Rechargeable batteries didn’t offer the longest battery life, however they were by far the most
predictable in terms voltage drop off over time so these may be a good option if battery power is a
common requirement
