Short answer
Both are desktop DAC/amps, $229 against $219.
The SMSL C200 reaches 100 dB on 567 of the 567 models here, the iFi Zen DAC 3 on 564.
| Specification | iFi Zen DAC 3 | SMSL C200 |
|---|---|---|
| Power into 32Ω | 210 mW | 1.3 W |
| Power into 150Ω | 50 mW | 277 mW |
| Power into 300Ω | 28 mW | 139 mW |
| Power into 600Ω | 18 mW | 69 mW |
| Output impedance | 1 Ω | not published |
| Output noise | not published | not published |
| Price | $229 | $219 |
| Headphones it reaches 100 dB on out of 567 | 564 | 567 |
Not published means the maker leaves it out, so that axis cannot be compared.
| Balanced | iFi Zen DAC 3 | SMSL C200 |
|---|---|---|
| Socket | 4.4mm | no separate rating |
| Power into 32Ω | 300 mW | — |
| Power into 300Ω | 106 mW derived | — |
| Output impedance | 1 Ω | — |
| Output noise | not published | — |
| Headphones it reaches 100 dB on out of 567 | 565 | — |
Only the iFi Zen DAC 3 has a separate balanced rating from its maker; through it, it reaches 100 dB on 565 of the 567 models here. The SMSL C200 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 | iFi Zen DAC 3 | SMSL C200 |
|---|---|---|
| 32 Ω | Published | Published |
| 150 Ω | Derived | Derived |
| 300 Ω | Derived | Derived |
| 600 Ω | Published | Derived |
Both makers publish a power rating. iFi Zen DAC 3 publishes at 32 Ω and at 600 Ω; SMSL C200 at 32 Ω. The other rows are worked out from those.
So the two columns are not equally firm row by row: at 600 Ω only the iFi Zen DAC 3 figure is the maker’s own. On those rows the derived number is the one to doubt first.
3 headphones reach 100 dB on the SMSL C200 but not on the iFi Zen DAC 3 — Moondrop PARA, Symphonium Crimson, Symphonium Titan.
564 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 Campfire Audio Andromeda 2020: SMSL C200 has +26 dB of headroom there against +12 dB. 14 dB is about 25 times the power, which matters for peaks rather than for how loud the music sits.
The hiss columns are empty for iFi Zen DAC 3 and SMSL C200 because neither maker publishes no output noise figure.
| Headphone | Impedance | Needs | iFi Zen DAC 3 headroom | SMSL C200 headroom | iFi Zen DAC 3 hiss | SMSL C200 hiss |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shure SE846 | 9 Ω | 0.04 mW | +32 dB | +46 dB | not published | not published |
| Campfire Audio Andromeda 2020 | 9 Ω | 4.0 mW | +12 dB | +26 dB | not published | not published |
| Audeze LCD-2 Classic | 70 Ω | 0.79 mW | +21 dB | +29 dB | not published | not published |
| Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro (250Ω) | 250 Ω | 0.63 mW | +17 dB | +24 dB | not published | not published |
| HiFiMAN HE400se | 25 Ω | 7.9 mW | +13 dB | +23 dB | not published | not published |
| Audio-Technica ATH-R70X | 470 Ω | 1.6 mW | +11 dB | +17 dB | not published | not published |
| Sennheiser HD 600 | 300 Ω | 6.6 mW | +6 dB | +13 dB | not published | not published |
| HiFiMAN Susvara | 60 Ω | 50 mW | +4 dB | +11 dB | not published | not published |
The iFi Zen DAC 3 costs $10 more than the SMSL C200, and on these three axes the money buys nothing: among the 567 models here there is not one that the iFi Zen DAC 3 handles and the SMSL C200 does not — not on power, not on the one-eighth rule, not on hiss. The traffic runs the other way: the cheaper SMSL C200 drives 3 models to 100 dB that the iFi Zen DAC 3 does not.
Only published figures count here; blank axes are counted separately.
Each in full: iFi Zen DAC 3 and SMSL C200.