High-impedance headphones want volts, not watts, and that is where cheap sources run out first. This sorts every source here by what it delivers into 300 Ω.
Worth knowing before you read it: the median headphone in this database needs 1.0 mW for 100 dB, so almost everything on this list is far past the point of usefulness for almost everything you could plug into it. The figures are here because they are published and checkable, not because more is better.
| Source | Price | Into 300 Ω | Into 32 Ω |
|---|---|---|---|
| SPL Phonitor se | $1600 | 4.2 W | 1.0 W |
| SPL Phonitor xe | $3000 | 4.2 W | 2.7 W |
| SPL Phonitor x | $3200 | 4.2 W | 1.0 W |
| Violectric V222 | $1245 | 1.8 W | 2.7 W |
| Violectric V226 | $1600 | 1.8 W | 2.2 W |
| Wells Audio Milo | $1700 | 1.5 W | 12.0 W |
| Violectric V550 Pro | $3600 | 1.4 W | 4.7 W |
| Gustard H20 | $929 | 1.3 W | 12.0 W |
| Lake People G111 Mk II | $629 | 1.1 W | 1.4 W |
| Gustard H26 | $1099 | 1.0 W | 9.7 W |
| HeadAmp GS-X mk2 | $2995 | 1.0 W | 7.1 W |
| Schiit Lyr+ | $449 | 900 mW | 6.0 W |
| Schiit Lyr 5 | $799 | 900 mW | 6.0 W |
| Cayin HA-6A | $1800 | 900 mW | 3.0 W |
| Topping A30 Pro | $249 | 840 mW | 5.5 W |
The table shows the first 15 of 280. The rest are in the full source list, where every figure is labelled with where it came from.
Nothing in the database had to be left off this list.
This is not a ranking of sound quality and cannot be. It sorts one number that manufacturers printed, and manufacturers do not print anything about how their products sound. Every row links to that product’s own page, where each figure is labelled with the document it came from.
Quietest sources for sensitive in-ears · Lowest published output impedance · Sources that drive everything here · Audio interfaces as headphone amplifiers · Sources under $100 · Hardest headphones to drive · Most sensitive in-ears · Quietest desktop sources · What balanced actually gains · Portable players by power · Most power per dollar · High-impedance headphones