The Sony MDR-Z7M2 is 56Ω at 98.0 dB/mW; the Sony WH-1000XM6 is 16Ω at 102.0 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 MDR-Z7M2 needs 4.0 dB more than the WH-1000XM6 to reach the same loudness — 1.6 mW against 0.63 mW.
| Specification | MDR-Z7M2 | WH-1000XM6 |
|---|---|---|
| Impedance | 56 Ω | 16 Ω |
| Sensitivity | 98.0 dB/mW | 102.0 dB/mW |
| Sensitivity (voltage) | 110.5 dB/V | 120.0 dB/V |
| Power for 100 dB | 1.6 mW | 0.63 mW |
| Voltage for 100 dB | 0.30 V | 0.10 V |
| Current for 100 dB | 5.3 mA | 6.3 mA |
| Highest source impedance that leaves them alone (one-eighth rule) | 7.00 Ω | 2.00 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.
1 source is low enough in output impedance for the MDR-Z7M2 under the one-eighth rule but not for the WH-1000XM6 (Shanling H5).
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: Sony MDR-Z7M2 and Sony WH-1000XM6. Every figure on this page comes from what Sony published, or is derived from it — what that maker publishes, counted.