Atrium Closed vs Caldera: which needs more amplifier?

The ZMF Atrium Closed is 300Ω at 96.0 dB/mW; the ZMF Caldera is 60Ω at 95.0 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 Caldera needs 1.0 dB more than the Atrium Closed to reach the same loudness — 3.2 mW against 2.5 mW.

The numbers that decide it

SpecificationAtrium ClosedCaldera
Impedance300 Ω60 Ω
Sensitivity96.0 dB/mW95.0 dB/mW
Sensitivity (voltage)101.2 dB/V107.2 dB/V
Power for 100 dB2.5 mW3.2 mW
Voltage for 100 dB0.87 V0.44 V
Current for 100 dB2.9 mA7.3 mA
Highest source impedance
that leaves them alone (one-eighth rule)
37.50 Ω7.50 Ω
Sources that reach 100 dB
out of 280
277280

Where the two part company

3 of the 280 sources have the power for the Caldera but not for the Atrium Closed — Apple USB-C dongle (EU), Steinberg UR22C, Sony NW-A306.

19 sources are low enough in output impedance for the Atrium Closed under the one-eighth rule but not for the Caldera (Zoom AMS-22, Arturia MiniFuse 2, Arturia MiniFuse 1, 16 more).

277 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: ZMF Atrium Closed and ZMF Caldera. Every figure on this page comes from what ZMF published, or is derived from it — what that maker publishes, counted.