Short answer
Both are portable players, $369 against $350.
The Shanling H5 reaches 100 dB on 565 of the 567 models here, the Sony NW-A306 on 530.
| Specification | Shanling H5 | Sony NW-A306 |
|---|---|---|
| Power into 32Ω | 227 mW | 18 mW |
| Power into 150Ω | 48 mW | 3.7 mW |
| Power into 300Ω | 24 mW | 1.9 mW |
| Power into 600Ω | 12 mW | 0.90 mW |
| Output impedance | 4.7 Ω | 1.5 Ω unverified |
| Output noise | not published | 5 µV unverified |
| Price | $369 | $350 |
| Headphones it reaches 100 dB on out of 567 | 565 | 530 |
Not published means the maker leaves it out, so that axis cannot be compared.
| Balanced | Shanling H5 | Sony NW-A306 |
|---|---|---|
| Socket | 4.4mm | no separate rating |
| Power into 32Ω | 840 mW | — |
| Power into 300Ω | 125 mW derived | — |
| Output impedance | 6.6 Ω | — |
| Output noise | not published | — |
| Headphones it reaches 100 dB on out of 567 | 566 | — |
Only the Shanling H5 has a separate balanced rating from its maker; through it, it reaches 100 dB on 566 of the 567 models here. The Sony NW-A306 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 | Shanling H5 | Sony NW-A306 |
|---|---|---|
| 32 Ω | Published | Derived |
| 150 Ω | Derived | Derived |
| 300 Ω | Derived | Derived |
| 600 Ω | Derived | Derived |
Only one of these two columns starts from a power rating. Shanling H5 publishes one at 32 Ω; Sony NW-A306 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 Sony NW-A306 understates rather than flatters — but at 32 Ω is the only load here at which its maker can be held to a figure.
35 headphones reach 100 dB on the Shanling H5 but not on the Sony NW-A306 — AKG K612 Pro, Abyss AB-1266 Phi CC, Abyss AB-1266 Phi TC, 32 more.
530 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 Audio-Technica ATH-R70X: Shanling H5 has +10 dB of headroom there against -1 dB. 11 dB is about 13 times the power, which matters for peaks rather than for how loud the music sits.
The hiss columns are empty for Shanling H5 and Sony NW-A306 because neither maker publishes no output noise figure.
| Headphone | Impedance | Needs | Shanling H5 headroom | Sony NW-A306 headroom | Shanling H5 hiss | Sony NW-A306 hiss |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shure SE846 | 9 Ω | 0.04 mW | +32 dB damping | +27 dB | not published | not published |
| Campfire Audio Andromeda 2020 | 9 Ω | 4.0 mW | +12 dB damping | +7 dB | not published | not published |
| Audeze LCD-2 Classic | 70 Ω | 0.79 mW | +21 dB | +10 dB | not published | not published |
| Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro (250Ω) | 250 Ω | 0.63 mW | +17 dB | +6 dB | not published | not published |
| HiFiMAN HE400se | 25 Ω | 7.9 mW | +13 dB damping | +5 dB | not published | not published |
| Audio-Technica ATH-R70X | 470 Ω | 1.6 mW | +10 dB | -1 dB | not published | not published |
| Sennheiser HD 600 | 300 Ω | 6.6 mW | +6 dB | -5 dB | not published | not published |
| HiFiMAN Susvara | 60 Ω | 50 mW | +4 dB | -7 dB | not published | not published |
The Shanling H5 costs $19 more than the Sony NW-A306. Out of the 567 models here, that difference buys 35 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.
Each in full: Shanling H5 and Sony NW-A306.