The Meze ARTA is 225Ω at 98.0 dB/mW; the Meze Elite Tungsten is 32Ω at 101.0 dB/mW. This page covers what they ask of an amplifier, not how they sound.
The ARTA needs 3.0 dB more than the Elite Tungsten to reach the same loudness — 1.6 mW against 0.79 mW.
| Specification | ARTA | Elite Tungsten |
|---|---|---|
| Impedance | 225 Ω | 32 Ω |
| Sensitivity | 98.0 dB/mW | 101.0 dB/mW |
| Sensitivity (voltage) | 104.5 dB/V | 115.9 dB/V |
| Power for 100 dB | 1.6 mW | 0.79 mW |
| Voltage for 100 dB | 0.60 V | 0.16 V |
| Current for 100 dB | 2.7 mA | 5.0 mA |
| Highest source impedance that leaves them alone (one-eighth rule) | 28.12 Ω | 4.00 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.
19 sources are low enough in output impedance for the ARTA under the one-eighth rule but not for the Elite Tungsten (Zoom AMS-22, Arturia MiniFuse 2, Arturia MiniFuse 1, 16 more).
1 source stays below the audible-hiss threshold with the ARTA but crosses it with the Elite Tungsten (Schiit Mjolnir 3).
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 Elite Tungsten than 50%.
| dB SPL | ARTA power | ARTA voltage | Elite Tungsten power | Elite Tungsten voltage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80 | 0.02 mW | 60 mV | 7.9 µW | 16 mV |
| 85 | 0.05 mW | 0.11 V | 0.03 mW | 28 mV |
| 90 | 0.16 mW | 0.19 V | 0.08 mW | 50 mV |
| 95 | 0.50 mW | 0.34 V | 0.25 mW | 90 mV |
| 100 | 1.6 mW | 0.60 V | 0.79 mW | 0.16 V |
| 105 | 5.0 mW | 1.06 V | 2.5 mW | 0.28 V |
| Source | Price | Headroom, ARTA | Headroom, Elite Tungsten | Output impedance | Noise |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JadeAudio JA11 | $20 | 4.3 dB | 15.8 dB | 0.5 Ω | 1.7 µV |
| FiiO KA11 | $29 | 12.6 dB | 24.0 dB | 0.7 Ω | 1.7 µV |
| FiiO BTR11 | $36 | 4.1 dB | 15.8 dB | 0.5 Ω | 8.0 µV |
Of the 280 sources here, 280 reach 100 dB on both. 69 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 69 is the JadeAudio JA11, at $20. It leaves 4.3 dB of headroom on the ARTA and 15.8 dB on the Elite Tungsten, its output impedance is 0.5 Ω against a one-eighth limit of 28.12 Ω and 4.00 Ω, and its noise figure puts the hiss floor 31 dB and 19 dB below the 20 dB SPL this site treats as the point where a quiet room stops hiding it.
| Model | As printed | Tolerance | Standard |
|---|---|---|---|
| ARTA | 3 Hz - 115 kHz | not printed | not printed |
| Elite Tungsten | 3 Hz – 112 kHz | not printed | not printed |
Meze prints 3 Hz - 115 kHz for the ARTA and 3 Hz – 112 kHz for the Elite Tungsten.
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 ARTA and Meze Elite Tungsten. Every figure on this page comes from what Meze published, or is derived from it — what that maker publishes, counted.