Short answer
Both are dongles, $76 against $75.
The Moondrop Dawn Pro reaches 100 dB on 561 of the 567 models here, the ddHiFi TC35Pro (Eye2) on 554.
| Specification | ddHiFi TC35Pro (Eye2) | Moondrop Dawn Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Power into 32Ω | 65 mW | 125 mW |
| Power into 150Ω | 14 mW | 27 mW |
| Power into 300Ω | 6.9 mW | 13 mW |
| Power into 600Ω | 3.5 mW | 6.7 mW |
| Output impedance | not published | 0.3 Ω unverified |
| Output noise | not published | 1.5 µV |
| Price | $76 | $75 |
| Headphones it reaches 100 dB on out of 567 | 554 | 561 |
Not published means the maker leaves it out, so that axis cannot be compared.
| Balanced | ddHiFi TC35Pro (Eye2) | Moondrop Dawn Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Socket | no separate rating | 4.4mm |
| Power into 32Ω | — | 500 mW derived |
| Power into 300Ω | — | 53 mW derived |
| Output impedance | — | not published |
| Output noise | — | 1.3 µV |
| Headphones it reaches 100 dB on out of 567 | — | 566 |
Only the Moondrop Dawn Pro has a separate balanced rating from its maker; through it, it reaches 100 dB on 566 of the 567 models here. The ddHiFi TC35Pro (Eye2) may still have a balanced socket — its spec sheet simply gives no figure for one, so there is nothing to put beside it. Derived figures are worked out from the loads the maker did publish.
| Load | ddHiFi TC35Pro (Eye2) | Moondrop Dawn Pro |
|---|---|---|
| 32 Ω | Published | Upper bound |
| 150 Ω | Derived | Upper bound |
| 300 Ω | Derived | Upper bound |
| 600 Ω | Derived | Upper bound |
These two columns are not the same kind of number, and that matters more than the gap between them. ddHiFi TC35Pro (Eye2) publishes a power rating (at 32 Ω); Moondrop Dawn Pro publishes no power figure at any load, only a maximum output voltage, so every milliwatt in its column is a ceiling worked out from that voltage.
A ceiling assumes the amplifier holds that voltage into the load, and nothing on Moondrop Dawn Pro’s own sheet says it does. It is the most flattering reading available, and it is used here only because the alternative is a blank. Where the Moondrop Dawn Pro column looks the stronger of the two, treat the difference as unproven rather than measured. 24 of the 280 sources here are in that position, with no published power rating at any load.
7 headphones reach 100 dB on the Moondrop Dawn Pro but not on the ddHiFi TC35Pro (Eye2) — HiFiMAN HE-6se V2, HiFiMAN HE6 Remastered, HiFiMAN Susvara, 4 more.
554 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 Sennheiser HD 600: Moondrop Dawn Pro has +3 dB of headroom there against +0 dB. 3 dB is about 1.9 times the power, which matters for peaks rather than for how loud the music sits.
The hiss columns are empty for ddHiFi TC35Pro (Eye2) because that maker publishes no output noise figure.
| Headphone | Impedance | Needs | ddHiFi TC35Pro (Eye2) headroom | Moondrop Dawn Pro headroom | ddHiFi TC35Pro (Eye2) hiss | Moondrop Dawn Pro hiss |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shure SE846 | 9 Ω | 0.04 mW | +27 dB | +29 dB | not published | 18 dB |
| Campfire Audio Andromeda 2020 | 9 Ω | 4.0 mW | +7 dB | +9 dB | not published | -2 dB |
| Audeze LCD-2 Classic | 70 Ω | 0.79 mW | +16 dB | +19 dB | not published | -4 dB |
| Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro (250Ω) | 250 Ω | 0.63 mW | +11 dB | +14 dB | not published | -8 dB |
| HiFiMAN HE400se | 25 Ω | 7.9 mW | +8 dB | +11 dB | not published | -9 dB |
| Audio-Technica ATH-R70X | 470 Ω | 1.6 mW | +4 dB | +7 dB | not published | -15 dB |
| Sennheiser HD 600 | 300 Ω | 6.6 mW | +0 dB | +3 dB | not published | -19 dB |
| HiFiMAN Susvara | 60 Ω | 50 mW | -2 dB | +1 dB | not published | -21 dB |
The ddHiFi TC35Pro (Eye2) costs $1 more than the Moondrop Dawn Pro, and on these three axes the money buys nothing: among the 567 models here there is not one that the ddHiFi TC35Pro (Eye2) handles and the Moondrop Dawn Pro does not — not on power, not on the one-eighth rule, not on hiss. The traffic runs the other way: the cheaper Moondrop Dawn Pro drives 7 models to 100 dB that the ddHiFi TC35Pro (Eye2) does not.
Only published figures count here; blank axes are counted separately.
Each in full: ddHiFi TC35Pro (Eye2) and Moondrop Dawn Pro.