The FiiO SnowSky Tiny A is a USB dongle at $22. It delivers 34 mW into 32Ω and 3.6 mW into 300Ω, which ranks it 255 of 280 for raw power among the sources in this database.
Measured at 100 dB SPL it has comfortable headroom on 419 of the 567 dynamic and planar headphones catalogued here, enough but not generous on 110, only marginal on 21 and not enough power for 17. Power is published at 16Ω, 32Ω; the rest of the table is derived from those figures. Output noise is not published, so the hiss estimate cannot be run.
The manufacturer publishes 45 mW into 16Ω, 34 mW into 32Ω. The rest of the table is worked out from those.
Derived rows hold output voltage steady, as an amplifier does (method).
| Load | Power | Status | How it was arrived at |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 Ω | 45 mW | Published | the manufacturer publishes this figure at this exact load |
| 32 Ω | 34 mW | Published | the manufacturer publishes this figure at this exact load |
| 150 Ω | 7.3 mW | Derived | beyond the published loads, holding output voltage constant — which understates rather than flatters |
| 300 Ω | 3.6 mW | Derived | beyond the published loads, holding output voltage constant — which understates rather than flatters |
| 600 Ω | 1.8 mW | Derived | beyond the published loads, holding output voltage constant — which understates rather than flatters |
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 | +28 dB | Comfortable |
| 64 Audio U12t | 12.6 Ω | 108.0 dB/mW | 0.16 mW | +23 dB | Comfortable |
| Shure SE215 | 17 Ω | 107.0 dB/mW | 0.20 mW | +23 dB | Comfortable |
| Moondrop Aria | 32 Ω | 107.1 dB/mW | 0.19 mW | +22 dB | Comfortable |
| Audeze LCD-X 2021 | 20 Ω | 103.0 dB/mW | 0.50 mW | +19 dB | Comfortable |
| Truthear Hexa | 20.5 Ω | 103.1 dB/mW | 0.49 mW | +19 dB | Comfortable |
| Sennheiser IE 200 | 18 Ω | 101.6 dB/mW | 0.69 mW | +18 dB | Comfortable |
| Sony MDR-7506 | 63 Ω | 106.0 dB/mW | 0.25 mW | +18 dB | Comfortable |
| Meze 99 Classics | 32 Ω | 103.0 dB/mW | 0.50 mW | +18 dB | Comfortable |
| Focal Clear MG | 55 Ω | 104.0 dB/mW | 0.40 mW | +17 dB | Comfortable |
| Philips SHP9500 | 32 Ω | 101.0 dB | 0.79 mW | +16 dB | Comfortable |
| Focal Utopia | 80 Ω | 104.0 dB/mW | 0.40 mW | +15 dB | Comfortable |
| Meze Empyrean | 32 Ω | 100.0 dB | 1.0 mW | +15 dB | Comfortable |
| Campfire Audio Andromeda 2020 | 9 Ω | 94.0 dB | 4.0 mW | +8 dB | Enough |
| Etymotic ER2SE | 15 Ω | 96.0 dB/mW | 2.5 mW | +12 dB | Comfortable |
| AKG K371 | 32 Ω | 99.1 dB/mW | 1.2 mW | +14 dB | Comfortable |
| Audio-Technica ATH-M50X | 38 Ω | 99.0 dB/mW | 1.3 mW | +14 dB | Comfortable |
| Beyerdynamic DT 900 Pro X | 48 Ω | 100.0 dB/mW | 1.0 mW | +14 dB | Comfortable |
| Audeze LCD-2 Classic | 70 Ω | 101.0 dB/mW | 0.79 mW | +13 dB | Comfortable |
| Grado SR80x | 38 Ω | 98.0 dB/mW | 1.6 mW | +13 dB | Comfortable |
| Sennheiser HD 560S | 120 Ω | 100.8 dB/mW | 0.83 mW | +10 dB | Comfortable |
| HiFiMAN Edition XS | 18 Ω | 92.0 dB | 6.3 mW | +8 dB | Enough |
| HiFiMAN Arya Stealth | 32 Ω | 94.0 dB | 4.0 mW | +9 dB | Enough |
| Dan Clark Audio AEON 2 Closed | 13 Ω | 90.0 dB/mW | 10 mW | +6 dB | Enough |
| Audeze LCD-5 | 14 Ω | 90.0 dB/mW | 10 mW | +6 dB | Enough |
| Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro (250Ω) | 250 Ω | 102.0 dB/mW | 0.63 mW | +8 dB | Enough |
| HiFiMAN HE400se | 25 Ω | 91.0 dB | 7.9 mW | +7 dB | Enough |
| HiFiMAN Sundara | 32 Ω | 92.0 dB | 6.3 mW | +7 dB | Enough |
| Dan Clark Audio Stealth | 23 Ω | 90.0 dB/mW | 10 mW | +6 dB | Enough |
| Fostex T50RP MK3 | 50 Ω | 92.0 dB/mW | 6.3 mW | +5 dB | Enough |
| AKG K702 | 62 Ω | 92.9 dB/mW | 5.1 mW | +5 dB | Enough |
| ZMF Verite Closed | 300 Ω | 99.0 dB/mW | 1.3 mW | +5 dB | Enough |
| Sennheiser HD 650 | 300 Ω | 97.8 dB/mW | 1.7 mW | +3 dB | Enough |
| Sennheiser HD 800S | 300 Ω | 96.8 dB/mW | 2.1 mW | +2 dB | Marginal |
| Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro (250Ω) | 250 Ω | 96.0 dB | 2.5 mW | +2 dB | Marginal |
| Audio-Technica ATH-R70X | 470 Ω | 98.0 dB/mW | 1.6 mW | +2 dB | Marginal |
| ZMF Atrium | 300 Ω | 96.0 dB/mW | 2.5 mW | +2 dB | Marginal |
| Abyss AB-1266 Phi TC | 50 Ω | 88.0 dB/mW | 16 mW | +1 dB | Marginal |
| Sennheiser HD 600 | 300 Ω | 91.8 dB/mW | 6.6 mW | -3 dB | Not enough |
| HiFiMAN Susvara | 60 Ω | 83.0 dB | 50 mW | -4 dB | Not enough |
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 0.5Ω output impedance, the one-eighth rule says this source suits headphones of 4.0Ω and above. 1 of the 567 models here falls below that. The one model below that line is the Symphonium Titan, and the mismatch tilts the frequency response audibly rather than subtly.
| As published | FiiO SnowSky Tiny A |
|---|---|
| Outputs | 3.5 mm |
| Connection | Direct plug-in USB-C (no cable); extra USB-C charging port for listen-and-charge |
| Formats | PCM 384 kHz/32-bit, DSD256 |
| Microphone | In-line controls and call recording supported |
Copied from the makers’ own pages: fiio.com/tiny. Battery life is the maker’s own test figure.
Nothing cheaper in this database does everything the FiiO SnowSky Tiny A does. Of the 280 sources here, not one at a lower price will reach 100 dB on every headphone it reaches and stay inside the one-eighth rule wherever it does. That is a plain result and it is not the usual one — most of the catalogue has something cheaper that matches it.
It is worth knowing how that was counted. FiiO publishes no noise figure for this one, and an axis nobody published is an axis nothing had to match. The result above rests on the figures that exist.
This counts the headphone output only; inputs, converters, the volume control and the build are outside it.
$22 · 34 mW into 32Ω · 1.0 Ω out
Compare →$20 · 30 mW into 32Ω · 0.5 Ω out
Compare →$24 · 30 mW into 32Ω · output Ω not published
Compare →$29 · 200 mW into 32Ω · 0.7 Ω out
Compare →$12 · 60 mW into 32Ω · 1.5 Ω out
Compare →$9 · 30 mW into 32Ω · 1 Ω out
Compare →Compared with its closest rivals: vs FiiO KA11 · vs FiiO KA13 · vs FiiO KA15 · vs FiiO KA17 · vs FiiO KA3 · vs FiiO KA5 · vs FiiO SnowSky Tiny B · vs JadeAudio JA11 · vs Kiwi Ears Allegro Mini.