Moondrop DISCDREAM2 ULTRA vs TempoTec Variations V6

Short answer

  • More power: the TempoTec Variations V6, with 330 mW into 32 Ω; the Moondrop DISCDREAM2 ULTRA has 112 mW (balanced: 610 mW against 222 mW). The TempoTec Variations V6 drives 4 headphones to 100 dB that the Moondrop DISCDREAM2 ULTRA cannot (Moondrop COSMO, Symphonium Crimson, Symphonium Helios, 1 more).
  • Hiss with sensitive IEMs: cannot be compared — neither maker publishes a noise figure.
  • Price: the TempoTec Variations V6 costs $19 more; what that buys on these numbers is set out further down, under What the price difference buys.

Both are portable players, $350 against $369.

The TempoTec Variations V6 reaches 100 dB on 565 of the 567 models here, the Moondrop DISCDREAM2 ULTRA on 561.

Every published figure, next to each other

SpecificationMoondrop DISCDREAM2 ULTRATempoTec Variations V6
Power into 32Ω112 mW330 mW
Power into 150Ω24 mW70 mW
Power into 300Ω12 mW35 mW
Power into 600Ω6.0 mW18 mW
Output impedancenot publishednot published
Output noisenot publishednot published
Price$350$369
Headphones it reaches 100 dB on
out of 567
561565

Not published means the maker leaves it out, so that axis cannot be compared.

The 4.4 mm or XLR socket, rated on its own

BalancedMoondrop DISCDREAM2 ULTRATempoTec Variations V6
Socket4.4mm4.4mm
Power into 32Ω222 mW610 mW
Power into 300Ω24 mW derived65 mW derived
Output impedancenot publishednot published
Output noisenot publishednot published
Headphones it reaches 100 dB on
out of 567
565566

Through the balanced sockets the TempoTec Variations V6 reaches 100 dB on 566 of the 567 models here and the Moondrop DISCDREAM2 ULTRA on 565. Derived figures are worked out from the loads the maker did publish.

Where each power figure comes from

LoadMoondrop DISCDREAM2 ULTRATempoTec Variations V6
32 ΩPublishedPublished
150 ΩDerivedDerived
300 ΩDerivedDerived
600 ΩDerivedDerived

Both makers publish a power rating. Moondrop DISCDREAM2 ULTRA publishes at 32 Ω; TempoTec Variations V6 at 32 Ω. The other rows are worked out from those.

The two publish at the same loads, which is the one case where the rows of this table can be read straight across.

What the labels mean.

The headphones that tell them apart

4 headphones reach 100 dB on the TempoTec Variations V6 but not on the Moondrop DISCDREAM2 ULTRA — Moondrop COSMO, Symphonium Crimson, Symphonium Helios, 1 more.

561 of the 567 models here reach 100 dB on both.

Headroom and hiss on 8 models, both sources

Headroom is at a 100 dB SPL peak.

The widest gap on the list is the Sennheiser HD 600: TempoTec Variations V6 has +7 dB of headroom there against +3 dB. 5 dB is about 3 times the power, which matters for peaks rather than for how loud the music sits.

The hiss columns are empty for Moondrop DISCDREAM2 ULTRA and TempoTec Variations V6 because neither maker publishes no output noise figure.

HeadphoneImpedanceNeedsMoondrop DISCDREAM2 ULTRA headroomTempoTec Variations V6 headroomMoondrop DISCDREAM2 ULTRA hissTempoTec Variations V6 hiss
Shure SE8469 Ω0.04 mW+29 dB+34 dBnot publishednot published
Campfire Audio Andromeda 20209 Ω4.0 mW+9 dB+14 dBnot publishednot published
Audeze LCD-2 Classic70 Ω0.79 mW+18 dB+23 dBnot publishednot published
Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro (250Ω)250 Ω0.63 mW+14 dB+18 dBnot publishednot published
HiFiMAN HE400se25 Ω7.9 mW+10 dB+15 dBnot publishednot published
Audio-Technica ATH-R70X470 Ω1.6 mW+7 dB+12 dBnot publishednot published
Sennheiser HD 600300 Ω6.6 mW+3 dB+7 dBnot publishednot published
HiFiMAN Susvara60 Ω50 mW+1 dB+5 dBnot publishednot published

The gap in dollars, against the gap in numbers

The TempoTec Variations V6 costs $19 more than the Moondrop DISCDREAM2 ULTRA. Out of the 567 models here, that difference buys 4 more models driven to 100 dB.

Nothing runs the other way: there is no axis here on which the cheaper of the two does better.

Only published figures count here; blank axes are counted separately.

Both pages in full

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