The Meze 109 Pro is 40Ω at 112.0 dB/mW; the Meze ARTA is 225Ω at 98.0 dB/mW. This page covers what they ask of an amplifier, not how they sound.
The ARTA needs 14.0 dB more than the 109 Pro to reach the same loudness — 1.6 mW against 0.06 mW.
| Specification | 109 Pro | ARTA |
|---|---|---|
| Impedance | 40 Ω | 225 Ω |
| Sensitivity | 112.0 dB/mW | 98.0 dB/mW |
| Sensitivity (voltage) | 126.0 dB/V | 104.5 dB/V |
| Power for 100 dB | 0.06 mW | 1.6 mW |
| Voltage for 100 dB | 50 mV | 0.60 V |
| Current for 100 dB | 1.3 mA | 2.7 mA |
| Highest source impedance that leaves them alone (one-eighth rule) | 5.00 Ω | 28.12 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.
18 sources are low enough in output impedance for the ARTA under the one-eighth rule but not for the 109 Pro (Zoom AMS-22, Arturia MiniFuse 2, Arturia MiniFuse 1, 15 more).
15 sources stay below the audible-hiss threshold with the ARTA but cross it with the 109 Pro (FiiO BTR11, FiiO K11 R2R, Lake People G103-S Mk II, 12 more).
280 of the 280 sources here reach 100 dB on both.
The ARTA is more demanding than 91% of the 567 non-electrostatic models in this database; the 109 Pro than 11%.
| dB SPL | 109 Pro power | 109 Pro voltage | ARTA power | ARTA voltage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80 | 0.6 µW | 5 mV | 0.02 mW | 60 mV |
| 85 | 2.0 µW | 9 mV | 0.05 mW | 0.11 V |
| 90 | 6.3 µW | 16 mV | 0.16 mW | 0.19 V |
| 95 | 0.02 mW | 28 mV | 0.50 mW | 0.34 V |
| 100 | 0.06 mW | 50 mV | 1.6 mW | 0.60 V |
| 105 | 0.20 mW | 89 mV | 5.0 mW | 1.06 V |
| Source | Price | Headroom, 109 Pro | Headroom, ARTA | Output impedance | Noise |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JadeAudio JA11 | $20 | 25.8 dB | 4.3 dB | 0.5 Ω | 1.7 µV |
| FiiO KA11 | $29 | 34.0 dB | 12.6 dB | 0.7 Ω | 1.7 µV |
| FiiO BTR13 | $59 | 31.0 dB | 9.3 dB | 0.6 Ω | 1.0 µV |
Of the 280 sources here, 280 reach 100 dB on both. 57 of them also publish an output impedance low enough for both under the one-eighth rule and a noise figure that stays below the audible-hiss threshold with both.
The cheapest of the 57 is the JadeAudio JA11, at $20. It leaves 25.8 dB of headroom on the 109 Pro and 4.3 dB on the ARTA, its output impedance is 0.5 Ω against a one-eighth limit of 5.00 Ω and 28.12 Ω, and its noise figure puts the hiss floor 9 dB and 31 dB below the 20 dB SPL this site treats as the point where a quiet room stops hiding it.
| Model | As printed | Tolerance | Standard |
|---|---|---|---|
| 109 Pro | 5 Hz - 30 kHz | not printed | not printed |
| ARTA | 3 Hz - 115 kHz | not printed | not printed |
Meze prints 5 Hz - 30 kHz for the 109 Pro and 3 Hz - 115 kHz for the ARTA.
Neither range has a tolerance printed beside it, so a wider range on one sheet is not deeper bass or more treble.
Not a measurement; maker by maker.
Both have a page of their own. In full: Meze 109 Pro and Meze ARTA. Every figure on this page comes from what Meze published, or is derived from it — what that maker publishes, counted.