The Apple USB-C dongle (EU) is a USB dongle at $9. It delivers 15 mW into 32Ω and 2.0 mW into 300Ω, which ranks it 53 of 53 for raw power among the sources in this database.
Measured at 100 dB SPL it has comfortable headroom on 128 of the 310 dynamic and planar headphones catalogued here, enough but not generous on 103, only marginal on 56 and not enough power for 23. The European version is volume-limited in firmware and noticeably weaker than the US one.
Ordered from easiest to hardest to drive. Headroom is measured at 100 dB SPL, which is louder than almost anyone listens — a small negative number means the source still plays loud, just without reserve for peaks.
These figures come from each manufacturer's own sensitivity rating. A handful of planars — the HiFiMAN Susvara and HE-6se and the Abyss AB-1266 in particular — are widely reported to need far more than their published sensitivity implies, so treat a bare pass on those as optimistic rather than settled.
| Headphone | Impedance | dB/mW | Needs | Headroom | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shure SE846 | 9 Ω | 114.0 | 0.04 mW | +20 dB | Comfortable audible hiss |
| 64 Audio U12t | 13 Ω | 108.0 | 0.16 mW | +16 dB | Comfortable audible hiss |
| Shure SE215 | 17 Ω | 107.0 | 0.20 mW | +16 dB | Comfortable audible hiss |
| Moondrop Aria | 32 Ω | 107.0 | 0.20 mW | +19 dB | Comfortable audible hiss |
| Sennheiser IE 200 | 18 Ω | 104.0 | 0.40 mW | +13 dB | Comfortable audible hiss |
| Audeze LCD-X 2021 | 20 Ω | 103.0 | 0.50 mW | +13 dB | Comfortable audible hiss |
| Sennheiser HD 25 (1-II) | 70 Ω | 108.0 | 0.16 mW | +17 dB | Comfortable audible hiss |
| Sony MDR-7506 | 63 Ω | 106.0 | 0.25 mW | +15 dB | Comfortable audible hiss |
| Meze 99 Classics | 32 Ω | 103.0 | 0.50 mW | +15 dB | Comfortable audible hiss |
| Focal Clear MG | 55 Ω | 104.0 | 0.40 mW | +14 dB | Comfortable audible hiss |
| Philips SHP9500 | 32 Ω | 101.0 | 0.79 mW | +13 dB | Comfortable audible hiss |
| Truthear Hexa | 21 Ω | 99.0 | 1.3 mW | +9 dB | Enough audible hiss |
| Focal Utopia | 80 Ω | 104.0 | 0.40 mW | +12 dB | Comfortable audible hiss |
| Meze Empyrean | 32 Ω | 100.0 | 1.0 mW | +12 dB | Comfortable audible hiss |
| Campfire Audio Andromeda 2020 | 9 Ω | 94.0 | 4.0 mW | +0 dB | Marginal audible hiss |
| Etymotic ER2SE | 15 Ω | 96.0 | 2.5 mW | +4 dB | Enough faint hiss |
| AKG K371 | 32 Ω | 99.0 | 1.3 mW | +11 dB | Comfortable faint hiss |
| Grado SR80x | 32 Ω | 99.0 | 1.3 mW | +11 dB | Comfortable faint hiss |
| Audio-Technica ATH-M50X | 38 Ω | 99.0 | 1.3 mW | +10 dB | Comfortable faint hiss |
| Beyerdynamic DT 900 Pro X | 48 Ω | 100.0 | 1.0 mW | +10 dB | Comfortable faint hiss |
| Audeze LCD-2 Classic | 70 Ω | 101.0 | 0.79 mW | +10 dB | Enough faint hiss |
| Dan Clark Audio AEON 2 Closed | 13 Ω | 92.0 | 6.3 mW | -0 dB | Not enough faint hiss |
| Sennheiser HD 560S | 120 Ω | 101.0 | 0.79 mW | +8 dB | Enough faint hiss |
| HiFiMAN Edition XS | 18 Ω | 92.0 | 6.3 mW | +1 dB | Marginal faint hiss |
| HiFiMAN Arya Stealth | 32 Ω | 94.0 | 4.0 mW | +6 dB | Enough faint hiss |
| Audeze LCD-5 | 14 Ω | 90.0 | 10 mW | -2 dB | Not enough faint hiss |
| HiFiMAN Sundara | 37 Ω | 94.0 | 4.0 mW | +5 dB | Enough faint hiss |
| Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro (250Ω) | 250 Ω | 102.0 | 0.63 mW | +6 dB | Enough faint hiss |
| HiFiMAN HE400se | 32 Ω | 91.0 | 7.9 mW | +3 dB | Marginal faint hiss |
| AKG K702 | 62 Ω | 93.0 | 5.0 mW | +2 dB | Marginal faint hiss |
| Fostex T50RP MK3 | 50 Ω | 92.0 | 6.3 mW | +2 dB | Marginal faint hiss |
| ZMF Verite Closed | 300 Ω | 99.0 | 1.3 mW | +2 dB | Marginal |
| Dan Clark Audio Stealth | 23 Ω | 87.0 | 20 mW | -3 dB | Not enough |
| Sennheiser HD 650 | 300 Ω | 98.0 | 1.6 mW | +1 dB | Marginal |
| ZMF Atrium | 300 Ω | 98.0 | 1.6 mW | +1 dB | Marginal |
| Audio-Technica ATH-R70X | 470 Ω | 99.0 | 1.3 mW | +0 dB | Marginal |
| Sennheiser HD 600 | 300 Ω | 97.0 | 2.0 mW | +0 dB | Marginal |
| Sennheiser HD 800S | 300 Ω | 97.0 | 2.0 mW | +0 dB | Marginal |
| Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro (250Ω) | 250 Ω | 96.0 | 2.5 mW | -0 dB | Not enough |
| Abyss AB-1266 Phi TC | 42 Ω | 88.0 | 16 mW | -1 dB | Not enough |
| HiFiMAN Susvara | 60 Ω | 83.0 | 50 mW | -8 dB | Not enough |
At 6 µV of output noise, here is where that noise lands in the five most revealing in-ears in the database.
This one hisses. With the most sensitive in-ears in the database its own noise lands around 30 dB SPL, which you will hear between tracks and in quiet passages.
| In-ear | Impedance | Sensitivity | Hiss level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shure SE846 | 9 Ω | 134.5 dB/V | 30 dB SPL |
| Moondrop Quarks | 16 Ω | 131.0 dB/V | 27 dB SPL |
| 64 Audio U4s | 12 Ω | 127.2 dB/V | 23 dB SPL |
| 64 Audio U6t | 12 Ω | 127.2 dB/V | 23 dB SPL |
| Audeze LCD-i3 | 20 Ω | 127.0 dB/V | 23 dB SPL |
At 1Ω output impedance this source satisfies the one-eighth rule with every headphone in the database, down to the 8Ω in-ears. Nothing here will have its frequency response shaped by the source.
The rule is a rule of thumb, not physics: a source impedance below one eighth of the headphone's keeps the interaction under about 1 dB. The checker works it out for any pair.
$9 · 30 mW into 32Ω · 1Ω out
Compare →$12 · 60 mW into 32Ω · 1.5Ω out
Compare →$30 · 200 mW into 32Ω · 0.5Ω out
Compare →$40 · 130 mW into 32Ω · 0.6Ω out
Compare →$60 · 230 mW into 32Ω · 0.3Ω out
Compare →$60 · 120 mW into 32Ω · 0.4Ω out
Compare →Or put any two side by side in the source comparison tool, or run your own headphones through the amplifier matcher.