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RE: Need help calculating power output for headphone circuit...

Posted by John Elison (A) on June 7, 2017 at 11:36:12

In Reply to: Need help calculating power output for headphone circuit... posted by soulbrass on June 7, 2017 at 07:20:49:

In order to keep things simple, let's assume there are only four electrical parameters. They are voltage, current, resistance and power. They are related to each other by equations known as Ohm's Law. The following three equations are used for calculating power:

Power = Voltage x Current
Power = Current² x Resistance
Power = Voltage² / Resistance

Therefore, in addition to knowing the resistance of the headphones in ohms, you also need to know either the current flowing through the headphones or the voltage applied to the headphones in order to calculate power.

For example, if you have 600-ohm headphones and your headphone amplifier applies 2-volts to the headphones, power would be calculated as follows:

Power = 2² / 600 = 4 / 600 = 0.00667-watts = 6.67-miliwatts

Another example: Suppose you had 32-ohm headphones with 1-volt applied.

Power = 1² / 32 = 1 / 32 = 0.0313-watts = 31.3-miliwatts

I hope this helps.

Good luck,
John Elison

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