Short answer
Both are desktop DAC/amps, $75 against $100.
The Aiyima A2 Pro reaches 100 dB on 563 of the 567 models here, the Creative Sound Blaster X3 on 553.
| Specification | Aiyima A2 Pro | Creative Sound Blaster X3 |
|---|---|---|
| Power into 32Ω | 150 mW | 45 mW |
| Power into 150Ω | 32 mW | 35 mW |
| Power into 300Ω | 16 mW | 21 mW |
| Power into 600Ω | 8.0 mW | 14 mW |
| Output impedance | not published | not published |
| Output noise | not published | not published |
| Price | $75 | $100 |
| Headphones it reaches 100 dB on out of 567 | 563 | 553 |
Not published means the maker leaves it out, so that axis cannot be compared.
| Load | Aiyima A2 Pro | Creative Sound Blaster X3 |
|---|---|---|
| 32 Ω | Published | Recomputed |
| 150 Ω | Derived | Recomputed |
| 300 Ω | Derived | Derived |
| 600 Ω | Derived | Recomputed |
Only one of these two columns starts from a power rating. Aiyima A2 Pro publishes one at 32 Ω; Creative Sound Blaster X3 publishes none at any of these four loads, so its column is worked out from power it published at other loads. Both are arithmetic on a maker’s own figures rather than guesses, and the method used for the Creative Sound Blaster X3 understates rather than flatters — but at 32 Ω is the only load here at which its maker can be held to a figure.
10 headphones reach 100 dB on the Aiyima A2 Pro but not on the Creative Sound Blaster X3 — HiFiMAN HE-6se V2, HiFiMAN HE6 Remastered, HiFiMAN Susvara, 7 more.
553 of the 567 models here reach 100 dB on both.
Headroom is at a 100 dB SPL peak.
The widest gap on the list is the Shure SE846: Aiyima A2 Pro has +30 dB of headroom there against +25 dB. 5 dB is about 3.3 times the power, which matters for peaks rather than for how loud the music sits.
The hiss columns are empty for Aiyima A2 Pro and Creative Sound Blaster X3 because neither maker publishes no output noise figure.
| Headphone | Impedance | Needs | Aiyima A2 Pro headroom | Creative Sound Blaster X3 headroom | Aiyima A2 Pro hiss | Creative Sound Blaster X3 hiss |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shure SE846 | 9 Ω | 0.04 mW | +30 dB | +25 dB | not published | not published |
| Campfire Audio Andromeda 2020 | 9 Ω | 4.0 mW | +10 dB | +5 dB | not published | not published |
| Audeze LCD-2 Classic | 70 Ω | 0.79 mW | +19 dB | +16 dB | not published | not published |
| Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro (250Ω) | 250 Ω | 0.63 mW | +15 dB | +16 dB | not published | not published |
| HiFiMAN HE400se | 25 Ω | 7.9 mW | +12 dB | +6 dB | not published | not published |
| Audio-Technica ATH-R70X | 470 Ω | 1.6 mW | +8 dB | +10 dB | not published | not published |
| Sennheiser HD 600 | 300 Ω | 6.6 mW | +4 dB | +5 dB | not published | not published |
| HiFiMAN Susvara | 60 Ω | 50 mW | +2 dB | -1 dB | not published | not published |
The Creative Sound Blaster X3 costs $25 more than the Aiyima A2 Pro, and on these three axes the money buys nothing: among the 567 models here there is not one that the Creative Sound Blaster X3 handles and the Aiyima A2 Pro does not — not on power, not on the one-eighth rule, not on hiss. The traffic runs the other way: the cheaper Aiyima A2 Pro drives 10 models to 100 dB that the Creative Sound Blaster X3 does not.
Only published figures count here; blank axes are counted separately.
Each in full: Aiyima A2 Pro and Creative Sound Blaster X3.