The Sony NW-WM1ZM2 is a portable player at $3700. It delivers 30 mW into 32Ω and 3.2 mW into 300Ω, which ranks it 265 of 280 for raw power among the sources in this database.
Measured at 100 dB SPL it has comfortable headroom on 422 of the 567 dynamic and planar headphones catalogued here, enough but not generous on 102, only marginal on 28 and not enough power for 15. Power is published at 16Ω; the rest of the table is derived from those figures. Output impedance is not published. Output noise is not published, so the hiss estimate cannot be run.
The manufacturer publishes 60 mW into 16Ω. The rest of the table is worked out from those.
The balanced output is rated separately: 125 mW into 32Ω through the 4.4mm jack.
Derived rows hold output voltage steady, as an amplifier does (method).
Source: sony-mea.com.
| Load | Power | Status | How it was arrived at |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 Ω | 60 mW | Published | the manufacturer publishes this figure at this exact load |
| 32 Ω | 30 mW | Derived | beyond the published loads, holding output voltage constant — which understates rather than flatters |
| 150 Ω | 6.4 mW | Derived | beyond the published loads, holding output voltage constant — which understates rather than flatters |
| 300 Ω | 3.2 mW | Derived | beyond the published loads, holding output voltage constant — which understates rather than flatters |
| 600 Ω | 1.6 mW | Derived | beyond the published loads, holding output voltage constant — which understates rather than flatters |
Easiest to hardest to drive, with headroom at a 100 dB SPL peak.
| Headphone | Impedance | Sensitivity | Needs | Headroom | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shure SE846 | 9 Ω | 114.0 dB/mW | 0.04 mW | +29 dB | Comfortable |
| 64 Audio U12t | 12.6 Ω | 108.0 dB/mW | 0.16 mW | +25 dB | Comfortable |
| Shure SE215 | 17 Ω | 107.0 dB/mW | 0.20 mW | +25 dB | Comfortable |
| Moondrop Aria | 32 Ω | 107.1 dB/mW | 0.19 mW | +22 dB | Comfortable |
| Audeze LCD-X 2021 | 20 Ω | 103.0 dB/mW | 0.50 mW | +20 dB | Comfortable |
| Truthear Hexa | 20.5 Ω | 103.1 dB/mW | 0.49 mW | +20 dB | Comfortable |
| Sennheiser IE 200 | 18 Ω | 101.6 dB/mW | 0.69 mW | +19 dB | Comfortable |
| Sony MDR-7506 | 63 Ω | 106.0 dB/mW | 0.25 mW | +18 dB | Comfortable |
| Meze 99 Classics | 32 Ω | 103.0 dB/mW | 0.50 mW | +18 dB | Comfortable |
| Focal Clear MG | 55 Ω | 104.0 dB/mW | 0.40 mW | +16 dB | Comfortable |
| Philips SHP9500 | 32 Ω | 101.0 dB | 0.79 mW | +16 dB | Comfortable |
| Focal Utopia | 80 Ω | 104.0 dB/mW | 0.40 mW | +15 dB | Comfortable |
| Meze Empyrean | 32 Ω | 100.0 dB | 1.0 mW | +15 dB | Comfortable |
| Campfire Audio Andromeda 2020 | 9 Ω | 94.0 dB | 4.0 mW | +9 dB | Enough |
| Etymotic ER2SE | 15 Ω | 96.0 dB/mW | 2.5 mW | +14 dB | Comfortable |
| AKG K371 | 32 Ω | 99.1 dB/mW | 1.2 mW | +14 dB | Comfortable |
| Audio-Technica ATH-M50X | 38 Ω | 99.0 dB/mW | 1.3 mW | +13 dB | Comfortable |
| Beyerdynamic DT 900 Pro X | 48 Ω | 100.0 dB/mW | 1.0 mW | +13 dB | Comfortable |
| Audeze LCD-2 Classic | 70 Ω | 101.0 dB/mW | 0.79 mW | +12 dB | Comfortable |
| Grado SR80x | 38 Ω | 98.0 dB/mW | 1.6 mW | +12 dB | Comfortable |
| Sennheiser HD 560S | 120 Ω | 100.8 dB/mW | 0.83 mW | +10 dB | Enough |
| HiFiMAN Edition XS | 18 Ω | 92.0 dB | 6.3 mW | +9 dB | Enough |
| HiFiMAN Arya Stealth | 32 Ω | 94.0 dB | 4.0 mW | +9 dB | Enough |
| Dan Clark Audio AEON 2 Closed | 13 Ω | 90.0 dB/mW | 10 mW | +7 dB | Enough |
| Audeze LCD-5 | 14 Ω | 90.0 dB/mW | 10 mW | +7 dB | Enough |
| Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro (250Ω) | 250 Ω | 102.0 dB/mW | 0.63 mW | +8 dB | Enough |
| HiFiMAN HE400se | 25 Ω | 91.0 dB | 7.9 mW | +7 dB | Enough |
| HiFiMAN Sundara | 32 Ω | 92.0 dB | 6.3 mW | +7 dB | Enough |
| Dan Clark Audio Stealth | 23 Ω | 90.0 dB/mW | 10 mW | +6 dB | Enough |
| Fostex T50RP MK3 | 50 Ω | 92.0 dB/mW | 6.3 mW | +5 dB | Enough |
| AKG K702 | 62 Ω | 92.9 dB/mW | 5.1 mW | +5 dB | Enough |
| ZMF Verite Closed | 300 Ω | 99.0 dB/mW | 1.3 mW | +4 dB | Enough |
| Sennheiser HD 650 | 300 Ω | 97.8 dB/mW | 1.7 mW | +3 dB | Marginal |
| Sennheiser HD 800S | 300 Ω | 96.8 dB/mW | 2.1 mW | +2 dB | Marginal |
| Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro (250Ω) | 250 Ω | 96.0 dB | 2.5 mW | +2 dB | Marginal |
| Audio-Technica ATH-R70X | 470 Ω | 98.0 dB/mW | 1.6 mW | +1 dB | Marginal |
| ZMF Atrium | 300 Ω | 96.0 dB/mW | 2.5 mW | +1 dB | Marginal |
| Abyss AB-1266 Phi TC | 50 Ω | 88.0 dB/mW | 16 mW | +1 dB | Marginal |
| Sennheiser HD 600 | 300 Ω | 91.8 dB/mW | 6.6 mW | -3 dB | Not enough |
| HiFiMAN Susvara | 60 Ω | 83.0 dB | 50 mW | -5 dB | Not enough |
The manufacturer does not publish an output noise figure for this source, so there is no hiss estimate here. If you have a measured figure, the hiss calculator takes it.
The manufacturer does not publish an output impedance for this source. Without it, nothing here can say how this source will behave with a multi-driver in-ear.
With a measured figure, the checker works out the consequence.
| Product | Price |
|---|---|
| Sony NW-WM1AM2 | $1399 |
| Sony NW-WM1ZM2 | $3700 |
On every figure Sony publishes for this headphone output, the Sony NW-WM1ZM2 is identical to the Sony NW-WM1AM2. Each of them states power at 16 Ω — and each states the same values.
They do not cost the same. The spread across the 2 of them is $2301, and none of that difference is visible in the figures above.
Identical published figures do not mean identical products. A spec sheet for a headphone output covers power, output impedance and noise. It says nothing about the converter, the inputs, the case, the battery, the volume control or how any of it sounds, and those are real differences that cost real money. What this section says is narrower and worth saying anyway: if you are choosing between these on what the maker printed about the headphone jack, there is nothing to choose.
15 groups of products in this database share a spec sheet this way, 36 products in all.
| Source | Type | Price | Into 300 Ω | Output impedance | Output noise |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FiiO SnowSky Tiny B | USB dongle | $22 | 3.6 mW | 1.0 Ω | not published |
| FiiO KA11 | USB dongle | $29 | 22 mW | 0.7 Ω | 1.7 µV |
| Tanchjim Stargate II | USB dongle | $40 | 8.0 mW | not published | not published |
Of the 280 sources here, 217 do everything the Sony NW-WM1ZM2 does as a headphone output: reach 100 dB on every headphone it reaches. The cheapest of them is the FiiO SnowSky Tiny B at $22, against this one’s $3700 — $3678 less, and a USB dongle rather than a portable player.
The cheaper one also publishes an output impedance, which the Sony NW-WM1ZM2 does not — so on the paperwork it is ahead, not merely level.
This counts the headphone output only; inputs, converters, the volume control and the build are outside it.
$3700 · 340 mW into 32Ω · 0.7 Ω out
Compare →$3899 · 180 mW into 32Ω · 0.2 Ω out
Compare →$2959 · 520 mW into 32Ω · 1 Ω out
Compare →$1999 · 250 mW into 32Ω · 0.6 Ω out
Compare →$1999 · 225 mW into 32Ω · 1 Ω out
Compare →$1799 · 500 mW into 32Ω · 1 Ω out
Compare →Compared with its closest rivals: vs Astell&Kern SP3000 · vs Luxury & Precision P6 Pro · vs Shanling M9 Plus · vs Sony NW-A306 · vs Sony NW-ZX707.