The Arturia MiniFuse 4 is an audio interface at $299. It delivers 139 mW into 32Ω and 24 mW into 300Ω, which ranks it 183 of 280 for raw power among the sources in this database.
Measured at 100 dB SPL it has comfortable headroom on 521 of the 567 dynamic and planar headphones catalogued here, enough but not generous on 36, only marginal on 5 and not enough power for 5. Power here is worked out from the one published figure and the published 10Ω output impedance, which is what actually governs this amplifier. Output noise is not published, so the hiss estimate cannot be run.
The manufacturer publishes 137 mW into 33Ω. The rest of the table is worked out from those.
Derived rows hold output voltage steady, as an amplifier does (method).
Source: arturia.com.
| Load | Power | Status | How it was arrived at |
|---|---|---|---|
| 32 Ω | 139 mW | Derived | worked out from the published figure and the published output impedance, through the divider that impedance creates |
| 33 Ω | 137 mW | Published | the manufacturer publishes this figure at this exact load |
| 150 Ω | 45 mW | Derived | worked out from the published figure and the published output impedance, through the divider that impedance creates |
| 300 Ω | 24 mW | Derived | worked out from the published figure and the published output impedance, through the divider that impedance creates |
| 600 Ω | 12 mW | Derived | worked out from the published figure and the published output impedance, through the divider that impedance creates |
Easiest to hardest to drive, with headroom at a 100 dB SPL peak.
| Headphone | Impedance | Sensitivity | Needs | Headroom | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shure SE846 | 9 Ω | 114.0 dB/mW | 0.04 mW | +30 dB | Comfortable damping |
| 64 Audio U12t | 12.6 Ω | 108.0 dB/mW | 0.16 mW | +25 dB | Comfortable damping |
| Shure SE215 | 17 Ω | 107.0 dB/mW | 0.20 mW | +26 dB | Comfortable damping |
| Moondrop Aria | 32 Ω | 107.1 dB/mW | 0.19 mW | +29 dB | Comfortable damping |
| Audeze LCD-X 2021 | 20 Ω | 103.0 dB/mW | 0.50 mW | +22 dB | Comfortable damping |
| Truthear Hexa | 20.5 Ω | 103.1 dB/mW | 0.49 mW | +23 dB | Comfortable damping |
| Sennheiser IE 200 | 18 Ω | 101.6 dB/mW | 0.69 mW | +21 dB | Comfortable damping |
| Sony MDR-7506 | 63 Ω | 106.0 dB/mW | 0.25 mW | +25 dB | Comfortable damping |
| Meze 99 Classics | 32 Ω | 103.0 dB/mW | 0.50 mW | +24 dB | Comfortable damping |
| Focal Clear MG | 55 Ω | 104.0 dB/mW | 0.40 mW | +24 dB | Comfortable damping |
| Philips SHP9500 | 32 Ω | 101.0 dB | 0.79 mW | +22 dB | Comfortable damping |
| Focal Utopia | 80 Ω | 104.0 dB/mW | 0.40 mW | +22 dB | Comfortable |
| Meze Empyrean | 32 Ω | 100.0 dB | 1.0 mW | +21 dB | Comfortable damping |
| Campfire Audio Andromeda 2020 | 9 Ω | 94.0 dB | 4.0 mW | +10 dB | Enough damping |
| Etymotic ER2SE | 15 Ω | 96.0 dB/mW | 2.5 mW | +14 dB | Comfortable damping |
| AKG K371 | 32 Ω | 99.1 dB/mW | 1.2 mW | +21 dB | Comfortable damping |
| Audio-Technica ATH-M50X | 38 Ω | 99.0 dB/mW | 1.3 mW | +20 dB | Comfortable damping |
| Beyerdynamic DT 900 Pro X | 48 Ω | 100.0 dB/mW | 1.0 mW | +20 dB | Comfortable damping |
| Audeze LCD-2 Classic | 70 Ω | 101.0 dB/mW | 0.79 mW | +20 dB | Comfortable damping |
| Grado SR80x | 38 Ω | 98.0 dB/mW | 1.6 mW | +19 dB | Comfortable damping |
| Sennheiser HD 560S | 120 Ω | 100.8 dB/mW | 0.83 mW | +18 dB | Comfortable |
| HiFiMAN Edition XS | 18 Ω | 92.0 dB | 6.3 mW | +11 dB | Comfortable damping |
| HiFiMAN Arya Stealth | 32 Ω | 94.0 dB | 4.0 mW | +15 dB | Comfortable damping |
| Dan Clark Audio AEON 2 Closed | 13 Ω | 90.0 dB/mW | 10 mW | +8 dB | Enough damping |
| Audeze LCD-5 | 14 Ω | 90.0 dB/mW | 10 mW | +8 dB | Enough damping |
| Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro (250Ω) | 250 Ω | 102.0 dB/mW | 0.63 mW | +17 dB | Comfortable |
| HiFiMAN HE400se | 25 Ω | 91.0 dB | 7.9 mW | +11 dB | Comfortable damping |
| HiFiMAN Sundara | 32 Ω | 92.0 dB | 6.3 mW | +13 dB | Comfortable damping |
| Dan Clark Audio Stealth | 23 Ω | 90.0 dB/mW | 10 mW | +10 dB | Comfortable damping |
| Fostex T50RP MK3 | 50 Ω | 92.0 dB/mW | 6.3 mW | +12 dB | Comfortable damping |
| AKG K702 | 62 Ω | 92.9 dB/mW | 5.1 mW | +12 dB | Comfortable damping |
| ZMF Verite Closed | 300 Ω | 99.0 dB/mW | 1.3 mW | +13 dB | Comfortable |
| Sennheiser HD 650 | 300 Ω | 97.8 dB/mW | 1.7 mW | +12 dB | Comfortable |
| Sennheiser HD 800S | 300 Ω | 96.8 dB/mW | 2.1 mW | +11 dB | Comfortable |
| Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro (250Ω) | 250 Ω | 96.0 dB | 2.5 mW | +11 dB | Comfortable |
| Audio-Technica ATH-R70X | 470 Ω | 98.0 dB/mW | 1.6 mW | +10 dB | Enough |
| ZMF Atrium | 300 Ω | 96.0 dB/mW | 2.5 mW | +10 dB | Enough |
| Abyss AB-1266 Phi TC | 50 Ω | 88.0 dB/mW | 16 mW | +8 dB | Enough damping |
| Sennheiser HD 600 | 300 Ω | 91.8 dB/mW | 6.6 mW | +6 dB | Enough |
| HiFiMAN Susvara | 60 Ω | 83.0 dB | 50 mW | +2 dB | Marginal damping |
The manufacturer does not publish an output noise figure for this source, so there is no hiss estimate here. If you have a measured figure, the hiss calculator takes it.
At 10Ω output impedance, the one-eighth rule says this source suits headphones of 80.0Ω and above. 510 of the 567 models here fall below that. That is most of the database, not a niche — 222 of them multi-driver in-ears, and the mismatch tilts the frequency response audibly rather than subtly.
| Product | Price |
|---|---|
| Arturia MiniFuse 1 | $149 |
| Arturia MiniFuse 2 | $149 |
| Arturia MiniFuse 4 | $299 |
On every figure Arturia publishes for this headphone output, the Arturia MiniFuse 4 is identical to the Arturia MiniFuse 1 and Arturia MiniFuse 2. Each of them states power at 33 Ω and an output impedance of 10 Ω — and each states the same values.
They do not cost the same. The spread across the 3 of them is $150, and none of that difference is visible in the figures above.
Identical published figures do not mean identical products. A spec sheet for a headphone output covers power, output impedance and noise. It says nothing about the converter, the inputs, the case, the battery, the volume control or how any of it sounds, and those are real differences that cost real money. What this section says is narrower and worth saying anyway: if you are choosing between these on what the maker printed about the headphone jack, there is nothing to choose.
15 groups of products in this database share a spec sheet this way, 36 products in all.
| Source | Type | Price | Into 300 Ω | Output impedance | Output noise |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FiiO KA11 | USB dongle | $29 | 22 mW | 0.7 Ω | 1.7 µV |
| FiiO BTR13 | Bluetooth receiver | $59 | 10.0 mW | 0.6 Ω | 1.0 µV |
| FiiO KA3 | USB dongle | $79 | 14 mW | 0.5 Ω | 1.7 µV |
Of the 280 sources here, 38 do everything the Arturia MiniFuse 4 does as a headphone output: reach 100 dB on every headphone it reaches and stay inside the one-eighth rule wherever it does. The cheapest of them is the FiiO KA11 at $29, against this one’s $299 — $270 less, and a USB dongle rather than an audio interface.
The cheaper one also publishes a noise figure, which the Arturia MiniFuse 4 does not — so on the paperwork it is ahead, not merely level.
This counts the headphone output only; inputs, converters, the volume control and the build are outside it.
$299 · 84 mW into 32Ω · output Ω not published
Compare →$299 · 240 mW into 32Ω · 0.5 Ω out
Compare →$299 · 86 mW into 32Ω · output Ω not published
Compare →$299 · 374 mW into 32Ω · 1 Ω out
Compare →$279 · 55 mW into 32Ω · 11 Ω out
Compare →$279 · 333 mW into 32Ω · output Ω not published
Compare →Compared with its closest rivals: vs Apogee BOOM · vs Arturia AudioFuse Rev2 · vs IK Multimedia AXE I/O · vs MOTU M4 · vs PreSonus Studio 68c · vs SSL 2 Plus MkII · vs Universal Audio Volt 276.