Sennheiser HD 600 vs ZMF Atrium: which needs more amplifier?

The Sennheiser HD 600 is 300Ω at 91.8 dB/mW; the ZMF Atrium is 300Ω at 96.0 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 Sennheiser HD 600 needs 4.2 dB more than the ZMF Atrium to reach the same loudness — 6.6 mW against 2.5 mW.

The numbers that decide it

SpecificationSennheiser HD 600ZMF Atrium
Impedance300 Ω300 Ω
Sensitivity91.8 dB/mW96.0 dB/mW
Sensitivity (voltage)97.0 dB/V101.2 dB/V
Power for 100 dB6.6 mW2.5 mW
Voltage for 100 dB1.41 V0.87 V
Current for 100 dB4.7 mA2.9 mA
Highest source impedance
that leaves them alone (one-eighth rule)
37.50 Ω37.50 Ω
Sources that reach 100 dB
out of 280
261277

Where the two part company

16 of the 280 sources have the power for the ZMF Atrium but not for the Sennheiser HD 600 — Apple USB-C dongle (US), JadeAudio JA11, FiiO SnowSky Tiny A, 13 more.

261 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: Sennheiser HD 600 and ZMF Atrium. Every figure on this page comes from what Sennheiser and ZMF published, or is derived from it — what Sennheiser publishes and what ZMF publishes, both counted.