The AKG K701 is 62Ω at 92.9 dB/mW; the AKG K872 is 36Ω at 97.6 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.
The K701 needs 4.7 dB more than the K872 to reach the same loudness — 5.1 mW against 1.7 mW.
| Specification | K701 | K872 |
|---|---|---|
| Impedance | 62 Ω | 36 Ω |
| Sensitivity | 92.9 dB/mW | 97.6 dB/mW |
| Sensitivity (voltage) | 105.0 dB/V | 112.0 dB/V |
| Power for 100 dB | 5.1 mW | 1.7 mW |
| Voltage for 100 dB | 0.56 V | 0.25 V |
| Current for 100 dB | 9.1 mA | 6.9 mA |
| Highest source impedance that leaves them alone (one-eighth rule) | 7.75 Ω | 4.50 Ω |
| Sources that reach 100 dB out of 280 | 280 | 280 |
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.
1 source is low enough in output impedance for the K701 under the one-eighth rule but not for the K872 (Shanling H5).
280 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.
Each model has a page of its own with the full source list, the hiss estimate and the provenance of every figure above: AKG K701 and AKG K872. Every figure on this page comes from what AKG published, or is derived from it — what that maker publishes, counted.