The Audio-Technica ATH-M50X is 38Ω at 99.0 dB/mW; the Focal Utopia is 80Ω at 104.0 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 Audio-Technica ATH-M50X needs 5.0 dB more than the Focal Utopia to reach the same loudness — 1.3 mW against 0.40 mW.
| Specification | Audio-Technica ATH-M50X | Focal Utopia |
|---|---|---|
| Impedance | 38 Ω | 80 Ω |
| Sensitivity | 99.0 dB/mW | 104.0 dB/mW |
| Sensitivity (voltage) | 113.2 dB/V | 115.0 dB/V |
| Power for 100 dB | 1.3 mW | 0.40 mW |
| Voltage for 100 dB | 0.22 V | 0.18 V |
| Current for 100 dB | 5.8 mA | 2.2 mA |
| Highest source impedance that leaves them alone (one-eighth rule) | 4.75 Ω | 10.00 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.
9 sources are low enough in output impedance for the Focal Utopia under the one-eighth rule but not for the Audio-Technica ATH-M50X (Zoom AMS-22, Arturia MiniFuse 2, Arturia MiniFuse 1, 6 more).
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: Audio-Technica ATH-M50X and Focal Utopia. Every figure on this page comes from what Audio-Technica and Focal published, or is derived from it — what Audio-Technica publishes and what Focal publishes, both counted.