The Sennheiser HD 480 PRO is 130Ω at 98.0 dB/mW; the Sennheiser HD 600 is 300Ω at 91.8 dB/mW. This page covers what they ask of an amplifier, not how they sound.
The HD 600 needs 6.2 dB more than the HD 480 PRO to reach the same loudness — 6.6 mW against 1.6 mW.
| Specification | HD 480 PRO | HD 600 |
|---|---|---|
| Impedance | 130 Ω | 300 Ω |
| Sensitivity | 98.0 dB/mW | 91.8 dB/mW |
| Sensitivity (voltage) | 106.9 dB/V | 97.0 dB/V |
| Power for 100 dB | 1.6 mW | 6.6 mW |
| Voltage for 100 dB | 0.45 V | 1.41 V |
| Current for 100 dB | 3.5 mA | 4.7 mA |
| Highest source impedance that leaves them alone (one-eighth rule) | 16.25 Ω | 37.50 Ω |
| Sources that reach 100 dB out of 280 | 280 | 261 |
19 of the 280 sources have the power for the HD 480 PRO but not for the HD 600 — Apple USB-C dongle (US), Apple USB-C dongle (EU), JadeAudio JA11, 16 more.
2 sources are low enough in output impedance for the HD 600 under the one-eighth rule but not for the HD 480 PRO (Schiit Valhalla 3, Arturia AudioFuse Rev2).
261 of the 280 sources here reach 100 dB on both.
The HD 600 is more demanding than 99% of the 567 non-electrostatic models in this database; the HD 480 PRO than 85%.
| dB SPL | HD 480 PRO power | HD 480 PRO voltage | HD 600 power | HD 600 voltage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80 | 0.02 mW | 45 mV | 0.07 mW | 0.14 V |
| 85 | 0.05 mW | 81 mV | 0.21 mW | 0.25 V |
| 90 | 0.16 mW | 0.14 V | 0.66 mW | 0.45 V |
| 95 | 0.50 mW | 0.26 V | 2.1 mW | 0.79 V |
| 100 | 1.6 mW | 0.45 V | 6.6 mW | 1.41 V |
| 105 | 5.0 mW | 0.81 V | 21 mW | 2.50 V |
| Source | Price | Headroom, HD 480 PRO | Headroom, HD 600 | Output impedance | Noise |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FiiO KA11 | $29 | 15.0 dB | 5.2 dB | 0.7 Ω | 1.7 µV |
| FiiO BTR13 | $59 | 11.8 dB | 1.8 dB | 0.6 Ω | 1.0 µV |
| iBasso DC03 Pro | $69 | 11.8 dB | 2.0 dB | 0.12 Ω | 0.9 µV |
Of the 280 sources here, 261 reach 100 dB on both. 68 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 68 is the FiiO KA11, at $29. It leaves 15.0 dB of headroom on the HD 480 PRO and 5.2 dB on the HD 600, its output impedance is 0.7 Ω against a one-eighth limit of 16.25 Ω and 37.50 Ω, and its noise figure puts the hiss floor 29 dB and 38 dB below the 20 dB SPL this site treats as the point where a quiet room stops hiding it.
| Model | As printed | Tolerance | Standard |
|---|---|---|---|
| HD 480 PRO | 3 Hz - 28,700 Hz | not printed | not printed |
| HD 600 | 12 Hz - 40,500 Hz | not printed | not printed |
Sennheiser prints 3 Hz - 28,700 Hz for the HD 480 PRO and 12 Hz - 40,500 Hz for the HD 600.
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: Sennheiser HD 480 PRO and Sennheiser HD 600. Every figure on this page comes from what Sennheiser published, or is derived from it — what that maker publishes, counted.