Everything on this list costs $100 or less. The last column is the one worth reading: it counts how many of the 567 non-electrostatic models in this database the source reaches 100 dB SPL on, which for most of these is a large majority of the catalogue.
Power is the specification that stops mattering first. The Schiit Magni Heresy at $99 already reaches 567 of the 567 models here. What the money above this price buys is output impedance, noise and build — and the first two of those have their own lists, because they are where cheap sources actually differ from expensive ones.
| Source | Price | Type | Into 32 Ω | Models it reaches 100 dB on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schiit Magni Heresy | $99 | desktop amplifier | 2.4 W | 567 of 567 |
| JDS Labs Atom+ (2nd gen) | $99 | desktop amplifier | 1.0 W | 566 of 567 |
| Tempotec Sonata BHD Pro | $60 | USB dongle | 280 mW | 565 of 567 |
| ddHiFi TC44 Pro E2 | $99 | USB dongle | 250 mW | 565 of 567 |
| ddHiFi TC35AL | $46 | USB dongle | 210 mW | 564 of 567 |
| ddHiFi TC35Air | $46 | USB dongle | 210 mW | 564 of 567 |
| FiiO KA11 | $29 | USB dongle | 200 mW | 566 of 567 |
| Fosi Audio SK02 | $100 | desktop amplifier | 190 mW | 564 of 567 |
| Aiyima A2 Pro | $75 | desktop DAC/amp | 150 mW | 563 of 567 |
| Fosi Audio N3 | $50 | Bluetooth receiver | 138 mW | 562 of 567 |
| FiiO KA3 | $79 | USB dongle | 130 mW | 565 of 567 |
| Tanchjim Space | $70 | USB dongle | 125 mW | 561 of 567 |
| Truthear SHIO | $70 | USB dongle | 125 mW | 561 of 567 |
| Moondrop Dawn Pro | $75 | USB dongle | 125 mW | 561 of 567 |
| FiiO KA5 | $99 | USB dongle | 122 mW | 565 of 567 |
The table shows the first 15 of 38. The rest are in the full source list, where every figure is labelled with where it came from.
242 of the 280 sources in this database are not on this list because it covers one part of the catalogue rather than all of it. Nothing was excluded for failing a test and nothing is missing a figure; this one is a category, not a ranking threshold.
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 · Most power into 300 Ω · Sources that drive everything here · Audio interfaces as headphone amplifiers · 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