Armature Art 24 vs KATO: which needs more amplifier?

The Moondrop Armature Art 24 is 5.8Ω at 96.6 dB/mW; the Moondrop KATO is 32Ω at 108.1 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 24 needs 11.5 dB more than the KATO to reach the same loudness — 2.2 mW against 0.15 mW.

The numbers that decide it

SpecificationArmature Art 24KATO
Impedance5.8 Ω32 Ω
Sensitivity96.6 dB/mW108.1 dB/mW
Sensitivity (voltage)119.0 dB/V123.0 dB/V
Power for 100 dB2.2 mW0.15 mW
Voltage for 100 dB0.11 V70 mV
Current for 100 dB19.4 mA2.2 mA
Highest source impedance
that leaves them alone (one-eighth rule)
0.72 Ω4.00 Ω
Sources that reach 100 dB
out of 280
279280

Where the two part company

1 of the 280 sources has the power for the KATO but not for the Armature Art 24 — Steinberg UR22C.

49 sources are low enough in output impedance for the KATO under the one-eighth rule but not for the Armature Art 24 (FiiO SnowSky Tiny B, FiiO KA13, FiiO KA15, 46 more).

3 sources stay below the audible-hiss threshold with the Armature Art 24 but cross it with the KATO (FiiO BTR11, FiiO K11 R2R, Rupert Neve RNHP).

279 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 Armature Art 24 and Moondrop KATO. Every figure on this page comes from what Moondrop published, or is derived from it — what that maker publishes, counted.