AKG K612 Pro vs Sennheiser HD 600: which needs more amplifier?

The AKG K612 Pro is 120Ω at 91.8 dB/mW; the Sennheiser HD 600 is 300Ω at 91.8 dB/mW. This page is only about what they ask of an amplifier — not how they sound, which no specification on either sheet can tell you.

In amplifier terms these two are the same headphone. The gap between what they need for 100 dB is under half a decibel, which is smaller than the step between two clicks of most volume controls.

The numbers that decide it

SpecificationAKG K612 ProSennheiser HD 600
Impedance120 Ω300 Ω
Sensitivity91.8 dB/mW91.8 dB/mW
Sensitivity (voltage)101.0 dB/V97.0 dB/V
Power for 100 dB6.6 mW6.6 mW
Voltage for 100 dB0.89 V1.41 V
Current for 100 dB7.4 mA4.7 mA
Highest source impedance
that leaves them alone (one-eighth rule)
15.00 Ω37.50 Ω
Sources that reach 100 dB
out of 280
277261

Where the two part company

16 of the 280 sources have the power for the AKG K612 Pro but not for the Sennheiser HD 600 — Apple USB-C dongle (US), JadeAudio JA11, FiiO SnowSky Tiny A, 13 more.

2 sources are low enough in output impedance for the Sennheiser HD 600 under the one-eighth rule but not for the AKG K612 Pro (Schiit Valhalla 3, Arturia AudioFuse Rev2).

261 of the 280 sources here reach 100 dB on both. That count is about power only — the output-impedance and hiss lines above are separate questions, and a source can pass this one and fail those.

Both pages in full

Each model has a page of its own with the full source list, the hiss estimate and the provenance of every figure above: AKG K612 Pro and Sennheiser HD 600. Every figure on this page comes from what AKG and Sennheiser published, or is derived from it — what AKG publishes and what Sennheiser publishes, both counted.