The Moondrop Starfield II is 15Ω at 103.8 dB/mW; the Moondrop Variations is 15.2Ω at 99.8 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 Variations needs 4.0 dB more than the Starfield II to reach the same loudness — 1.0 mW against 0.42 mW.
| Specification | Starfield II | Variations |
|---|---|---|
| Impedance | 15 Ω | 15.2 Ω |
| Sensitivity | 103.8 dB/mW | 99.8 dB/mW |
| Sensitivity (voltage) | 122.0 dB/V | 118.0 dB/V |
| Power for 100 dB | 0.42 mW | 1.0 mW |
| Voltage for 100 dB | 79 mV | 0.13 V |
| Current for 100 dB | 5.3 mA | 8.3 mA |
| Highest source impedance that leaves them alone (one-eighth rule) | 1.88 Ω | 1.90 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.
2 sources stay below the audible-hiss threshold with the Variations but cross it with the Starfield II (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.
Each model has a page of its own with the full source list, the hiss estimate and the provenance of every figure above: Moondrop Starfield II and Moondrop Variations. Every figure on this page comes from what Moondrop published, or is derived from it — what that maker publishes, counted.