The Softears Studio4 is 12Ω at 103.8 dB/mW; the Softears Volume is 5Ω at 100.7 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 Volume needs 3.1 dB more than the Studio4 to reach the same loudness — 0.85 mW against 0.42 mW.
| Specification | Studio4 | Volume |
|---|---|---|
| Impedance | 12 Ω | 5 Ω |
| Sensitivity | 103.8 dB/mW | 100.7 dB/mW |
| Sensitivity (voltage) | 123.0 dB/V | 123.7 dB/V |
| Power for 100 dB | 0.42 mW | 0.85 mW |
| Voltage for 100 dB | 71 mV | 65 mV |
| Current for 100 dB | 5.9 mA | 13.0 mA |
| Highest source impedance that leaves them alone (one-eighth rule) | 1.50 Ω | 0.62 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.
49 sources are low enough in output impedance for the Studio4 under the one-eighth rule but not for the Volume (FiiO SnowSky Tiny B, FiiO KA11, JDS Labs Atom+ (2nd gen), 46 more).
1 source stays below the audible-hiss threshold with the Studio4 but crosses it with the Volume (Lake People G111 Mk II).
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: Softears Studio4 and Softears Volume. Every figure on this page comes from what Softears published, or is derived from it — what that maker publishes, counted.