The Audeze LCD-5s is 35Ω with a sensitivity of 90.0 dB/mW, which is 104.6 dB/V. To reach 100 dB SPL — genuinely loud, louder than most people listen — it needs 10 mW, or 0.59 V across the drivers.
That is a moderate load. Most USB dongles handle it without complaint; the weakest phone outputs will run out of volume before they run out of quality. 273 of 280 sources here have enough headroom. The cheapest portable source that does the job is the Apple USB-C dongle (US) at $9.
Sensitivity here is in dB per milliwatt. Why the unit matters.
Audeze publishes this directly as 90 dB/1mW (@Drum Reference Point), per milliwatt, so nothing was converted.
The maker adds a power recommendation of its own: Maximum Power Handling: 5W RMS
Source: audeze.com. How this data was built.
| As it is labelled | As printed | Tolerance | Standard |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequency response | 5Hz - 50kHz | not printed | not printed |
Audeze prints 5Hz - 50kHz for the Audeze LCD-5s, under the heading “Frequency response”. Source: audeze.com.
No tolerance is printed with it, so “5Hz - 50kHz” says nothing about how loud this headphone actually is at 5 Hz.
Only what the maker printed; maker by maker.
| Level | What it is | Power | Voltage | Current |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 85 dB SPL | quiet background listening | 0.32 mW | 0.11 V | 3.0 mA |
| 95 dB SPL | normal listening | 3.2 mW | 0.33 V | 9.5 mA |
| 100 dB SPL | loud listening | 10 mW | 0.59 V | 16.9 mA |
| 105 dB SPL | very loud | 32 mW | 1.05 V | 30.1 mA |
| 110 dB SPL | peaks on dynamic music | 100 mW | 1.87 V | 53.5 mA |
Most people listen between 75 and 85 dB; the 100 dB row leaves room for peaks.
The 15 cheapest of the 280 sources here that reach 100 dB SPL into 35Ω with at least 10 dB of headroom and no known hiss or output-impedance problem with these headphones. All 280 sources, judged for these headphones.
| Source | Type | Price | Power into 35Ω | Headroom | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FiiO KA11 | USB dongle | $29 | 183 mW | +13 dB | Comfortable |
| ddHiFi TC35AL | USB dongle | $46 | 192 mW | +13 dB | Comfortable |
| ddHiFi TC35Air | USB dongle | $46 | 192 mW | +13 dB | Comfortable |
| Fosi Audio N3 | Bluetooth receiver | $50 | 126 mW | +11 dB | Comfortable |
| Tempotec Sonata BHD Pro | USB dongle | $60 | 256 mW | +14 dB | Comfortable |
| EPZ TP35 Pro | USB dongle | $70 | 102 mW | +10 dB | Comfortable |
| Tanchjim Space | USB dongle | $70 | 114 mW | +11 dB | Comfortable |
| Truthear SHIO | USB dongle | $70 | 114 mW | +11 dB | Comfortable |
| Aiyima A2 Pro | desktop DAC/amp | $75 | 137 mW | +11 dB | Comfortable |
| Moondrop Dawn Pro | USB dongle | $75 | 114 mW | +11 dB | Comfortable |
| FiiO KA3 | USB dongle | $79 | 119 mW | +11 dB | Comfortable |
| FiiO KA5 | USB dongle | $99 | 112 mW | +10 dB | Comfortable |
| HiBy FC4 | USB dongle | $99 | 101 mW | +10 dB | Comfortable |
| JDS Labs Atom+ (2nd gen) | desktop amplifier | $99 | 942 mW | +20 dB | Comfortable |
| Schiit Magni Heresy | desktop amplifier | $99 | 2.2 W | +23 dB | Comfortable |
Hiss. At 104.6 dB/V these are sensitive enough to reveal a source's own noise floor. The noisiest source in the database, the Schiit Mjolnir 3, would put its hiss at roughly 13 dB SPL in these headphones — clearly audible in quiet passages. Check your own source.
Output impedance. At 35Ω these want a source output impedance below 4.38Ω to satisfy the one-eighth rule; 35 of the 192 sources that publish one miss it. Check yours here.
20Ω · 103.0 dB/mW · Easy
See requirements →20Ω · 100.0 dB/mW · Easy
See requirements →20Ω · 100.0 dB/mW · Easy
See requirements →35Ω · 90.0 dB · Moderate
See requirements →35Ω · 90.0 dB · Moderate
See requirements →225Ω · 98.0 dB/mW · Moderate
See requirements →Compared with its stablemates: vs LCD-2 · vs LCD-2 Classic · vs LCD-2 Closed-Back · vs LCD-3 · vs LCD-4 · vs LCD-GX · vs LCD-MX4.