MDR-M1 vs WH-1000XM6: which needs more amplifier?

The Sony MDR-M1 is 50Ω at 102.0 dB/mW; the Sony WH-1000XM6 is 16Ω at 102.0 dB/mW. This page covers what they ask of an amplifier, not how they sound.

In amplifier terms these two are the same headphone. The gap between what they need for 100 dB is under half a decibel, which is smaller than the step between two clicks of most volume controls.

Side by side

The numbers that decide it

Specification	MDR-M1	WH-1000XM6
Impedance	50 Ω	16 Ω
Sensitivity	102.0 dB/mW	102.0 dB/mW
Sensitivity (voltage)	115.0 dB/V	120.0 dB/V
Power for 100 dB	0.63 mW	0.63 mW
Voltage for 100 dB	0.18 V	0.10 V
Current for 100 dB	3.6 mA	6.3 mA
Highest source impedance that leaves them alone (one-eighth rule)	6.25 Ω	2.00 Ω
Sources that reach 100 dB out of 280	280	280

What separates them

Where the two part company

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.

1 source is low enough in output impedance for the MDR-M1 under the one-eighth rule but not for the WH-1000XM6 (Shanling H5).

280 of the 280 sources here reach 100 dB on both.

At the level you actually listen at

What each one needs from 80 to 105 dB

The MDR-M1 is more demanding than 52% of the 567 non-electrostatic models in this database; the WH-1000XM6 than 33%.

dB SPL	MDR-M1 power	MDR-M1 voltage	WH-1000XM6 power	WH-1000XM6 voltage
80	6.3 µW	18 mV	6.3 µW	10 mV
85	0.02 mW	32 mV	0.02 mW	18 mV
90	0.06 mW	56 mV	0.06 mW	32 mV
95	0.20 mW	100 mV	0.20 mW	57 mV
100	0.63 mW	0.18 V	0.63 mW	0.10 V
105	2.0 mW	0.32 V	2.0 mW	0.18 V

What drives both

The cheapest source that satisfies both

Source	Price	Headroom, MDR-M1	Headroom, WH-1000XM6	Output impedance	Noise
JadeAudio JA11	$20	14.8 dB	13.8 dB	0.5 Ω	1.7 µV
FiiO KA11	$29	23.1 dB	25.9 dB	0.7 Ω	1.7 µV
FiiO BTR11	$36	14.8 dB	18.5 dB	0.5 Ω	8.0 µV

Of the 280 sources here, 280 reach 100 dB on both. 69 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 69 is the JadeAudio JA11, at $20. It leaves 14.8 dB of headroom on the MDR-M1 and 13.8 dB on the WH-1000XM6, its output impedance is 0.5 Ω against a one-eighth limit of 6.25 Ω and 2.00 Ω, and its noise figure puts the hiss floor 20 dB and 15 dB below the 20 dB SPL this site treats as the point where a quiet room stops hiding it.

Try any other source.

Frequency response

What each sheet prints, and what it is worth

Model	As printed	Tolerance	Standard
MDR-M1	5 Hz - 80,000 Hz (JEITA)	not printed	JEITA
WH-1000XM6	4 Hz - 40 000 Hz (IEC)	not printed	IEC

Sony prints 5 Hz - 80,000 Hz (JEITA) for the MDR-M1 and 4 Hz - 40 000 Hz (IEC) for the WH-1000XM6.

WH-1000XM6: Printed for the wired connection with the headset switched on; Sony gives no figure for the wireless mode.

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 pages in full

Both have a page of their own. In full: Sony MDR-M1 and Sony WH-1000XM6. Every figure on this page comes from what Sony published, or is derived from it — what that maker publishes, counted.