Armature Art 24 vs S8: which needs more amplifier?

The Moondrop Armature Art 24 is 5.8Ω at 96.6 dB/mW; the Moondrop S8 is 16Ω at 104.0 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 24 needs 7.4 dB more than the S8 to reach the same loudness — 2.2 mW against 0.40 mW.

The numbers that decide it

SpecificationArmature Art 24S8
Impedance5.8 Ω16 Ω
Sensitivity96.6 dB/mW104.0 dB/mW
Sensitivity (voltage)119.0 dB/V122.0 dB/V
Power for 100 dB2.2 mW0.40 mW
Voltage for 100 dB0.11 V80 mV
Current for 100 dB19.4 mA5.0 mA
Highest source impedance
that leaves them alone (one-eighth rule)
0.72 Ω2.00 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 S8 but not for the Armature Art 24 — Steinberg UR22C.

49 sources are low enough in output impedance for the S8 under the one-eighth rule but not for the Armature Art 24 (FiiO SnowSky Tiny B, FiiO KA13, FiiO KA15, 46 more).

2 sources stay below the audible-hiss threshold with the Armature Art 24 but cross it with the S8 (FiiO BTR11, 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 S8. Every figure on this page comes from what Moondrop published, or is derived from it — what that maker publishes, counted.