The Meze ARTA is 225Ω at 98.0 dB/mW; the Meze Empyrean II is 32Ω at 90.0 dB/mW. This page covers what they ask of an amplifier, not how they sound.
The Empyrean II needs 8.0 dB more than the ARTA to reach the same loudness — 10 mW against 1.6 mW.
| Specification | ARTA | Empyrean II |
|---|---|---|
| Impedance | 225 Ω | 32 Ω |
| Sensitivity | 98.0 dB/mW | 90.0 dB/mW |
| Sensitivity (voltage) | 104.5 dB/V | 104.9 dB/V |
| Power for 100 dB | 1.6 mW | 10 mW |
| Voltage for 100 dB | 0.60 V | 0.57 V |
| Current for 100 dB | 2.7 mA | 17.7 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 Empyrean II (Zoom AMS-22, Arturia MiniFuse 2, Arturia MiniFuse 1, 16 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 Empyrean II than 90%.
| dB SPL | ARTA power | ARTA voltage | Empyrean II power | Empyrean II voltage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80 | 0.02 mW | 60 mV | 0.10 mW | 57 mV |
| 85 | 0.05 mW | 0.11 V | 0.32 mW | 0.10 V |
| 90 | 0.16 mW | 0.19 V | 1.0 mW | 0.18 V |
| 95 | 0.50 mW | 0.34 V | 3.2 mW | 0.32 V |
| 100 | 1.6 mW | 0.60 V | 10 mW | 0.57 V |
| 105 | 5.0 mW | 1.06 V | 32 mW | 1.01 V |
| Source | Price | Headroom, ARTA | Headroom, Empyrean II | Output impedance | Noise |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JadeAudio JA11 | $20 | 4.3 dB | 4.8 dB | 0.5 Ω | 1.7 µV |
| FiiO KA11 | $29 | 12.6 dB | 13.0 dB | 0.7 Ω | 1.7 µV |
| FiiO BTR11 | $36 | 4.1 dB | 4.8 dB | 0.5 Ω | 8.0 µV |
Of the 280 sources here, 280 reach 100 dB on both. 70 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 70 is the JadeAudio JA11, at $20. It leaves 4.3 dB of headroom on the ARTA and 4.8 dB on the Empyrean II, 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 30 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 |
| Empyrean II | 8 Hz – 110 kHz | not printed | not printed |
Meze prints 3 Hz - 115 kHz for the ARTA and 8 Hz – 110 kHz for the Empyrean II.
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 Empyrean II. Every figure on this page comes from what Meze published, or is derived from it — what that maker publishes, counted.