The Audio-Technica ATH-M50X is 38Ω at 99.0 dB/mW; the Sennheiser HD 650 is 300Ω at 97.8 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.
The Sennheiser HD 650 needs 1.2 dB more than the Audio-Technica ATH-M50X to reach the same loudness — 1.7 mW against 1.3 mW.
| Specification | Audio-Technica ATH-M50X | Sennheiser HD 650 |
|---|---|---|
| Impedance | 38 Ω | 300 Ω |
| Sensitivity | 99.0 dB/mW | 97.8 dB/mW |
| Sensitivity (voltage) | 113.2 dB/V | 103.0 dB/V |
| Power for 100 dB | 1.3 mW | 1.7 mW |
| Voltage for 100 dB | 0.22 V | 0.71 V |
| Current for 100 dB | 5.8 mA | 2.4 mA |
| Highest source impedance that leaves them alone (one-eighth rule) | 4.75 Ω | 37.50 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.
19 sources are low enough in output impedance for the Sennheiser HD 650 under the one-eighth rule but not for the Audio-Technica ATH-M50X (Zoom AMS-22, Arturia MiniFuse 2, Arturia MiniFuse 1, 16 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 Sennheiser HD 650. Every figure on this page comes from what Audio-Technica and Sennheiser published, or is derived from it — what Audio-Technica publishes and what Sennheiser publishes, both counted.