Aria 2 vs Armature Art 12: which needs more amplifier?

The Moondrop Aria 2 is 33Ω at 107.2 dB/mW; the Moondrop Armature Art 12 is 5Ω at 98.0 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 Armature Art 12 needs 9.2 dB more than the Aria 2 to reach the same loudness — 1.6 mW against 0.19 mW.

The numbers that decide it

SpecificationAria 2Armature Art 12
Impedance33 Ω5 Ω
Sensitivity107.2 dB/mW98.0 dB/mW
Sensitivity (voltage)122.0 dB/V121.0 dB/V
Power for 100 dB0.19 mW1.6 mW
Voltage for 100 dB79 mV89 mV
Current for 100 dB2.4 mA17.8 mA
Highest source impedance
that leaves them alone (one-eighth rule)
4.12 Ω0.62 Ω
Sources that reach 100 dB
out of 280
280280

Where the two part company

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.

54 sources are low enough in output impedance for the Aria 2 under the one-eighth rule but not for the Armature Art 12 (FiiO SnowSky Tiny B, FiiO KA11, FiiO KA13, 51 more).

2 sources stay below the audible-hiss threshold with the Armature Art 12 but cross it with the Aria 2 (FiiO BTR11, Rupert Neve RNHP).

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.

Both pages in full

Each model has a page of its own with the full source list, the hiss estimate and the provenance of every figure above: Moondrop Aria 2 and Moondrop Armature Art 12. Every figure on this page comes from what Moondrop published, or is derived from it — what that maker publishes, counted.