The Focusrite Scarlett 16i16 (4th Gen) is an audio interface at $410. It delivers 55 mW into 32Ω and 27 mW into 300Ω, which ranks it 248 of 280 for raw power among the sources in this database.
Measured at 100 dB SPL it has comfortable headroom on 470 of the 567 dynamic and planar headphones catalogued here, enough but not generous on 80, only marginal on 3 and not enough power for 14. Power is published at 33Ω, 300Ω; 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 57 mW into 33Ω, 27 mW into 300Ω. The rest of the table is worked out from those.
Derived rows hold output voltage steady, as an amplifier does (method).
Source: us.focusrite.com.
| Load | Power | Status | How it was arrived at |
|---|---|---|---|
| 32 Ω | 55 mW | Derived | beyond the published loads, holding output voltage constant — which understates rather than flatters |
| 33 Ω | 57 mW | Published | the manufacturer publishes this figure at this exact load |
| 150 Ω | 27 mW | Derived | worked out between two published loads, holding output voltage linear between them |
| 300 Ω | 27 mW | Published | the manufacturer publishes this figure at this exact load |
| 600 Ω | 14 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 | +26 dB | Comfortable damping |
| 64 Audio U12t | 12.6 Ω | 108.0 dB/mW | 0.16 mW | +21 dB | Comfortable damping |
| Shure SE215 | 17 Ω | 107.0 dB/mW | 0.20 mW | +22 dB | Comfortable damping |
| Moondrop Aria | 32 Ω | 107.1 dB/mW | 0.19 mW | +25 dB | Comfortable damping |
| Audeze LCD-X 2021 | 20 Ω | 103.0 dB/mW | 0.50 mW | +18 dB | Comfortable damping |
| Truthear Hexa | 20.5 Ω | 103.1 dB/mW | 0.49 mW | +19 dB | Comfortable damping |
| Sennheiser IE 200 | 18 Ω | 101.6 dB/mW | 0.69 mW | +17 dB | Comfortable damping |
| Sony MDR-7506 | 63 Ω | 106.0 dB/mW | 0.25 mW | +22 dB | Comfortable damping |
| Meze 99 Classics | 32 Ω | 103.0 dB/mW | 0.50 mW | +20 dB | Comfortable damping |
| Focal Clear MG | 55 Ω | 104.0 dB/mW | 0.40 mW | +20 dB | Comfortable damping |
| Philips SHP9500 | 32 Ω | 101.0 dB | 0.79 mW | +18 dB | Comfortable damping |
| Focal Utopia | 80 Ω | 104.0 dB/mW | 0.40 mW | +19 dB | Comfortable damping |
| Meze Empyrean | 32 Ω | 100.0 dB | 1.0 mW | +17 dB | Comfortable damping |
| Campfire Audio Andromeda 2020 | 9 Ω | 94.0 dB | 4.0 mW | +6 dB | Enough damping |
| Etymotic ER2SE | 15 Ω | 96.0 dB/mW | 2.5 mW | +10 dB | Comfortable damping |
| AKG K371 | 32 Ω | 99.1 dB/mW | 1.2 mW | +17 dB | Comfortable damping |
| Audio-Technica ATH-M50X | 38 Ω | 99.0 dB/mW | 1.3 mW | +16 dB | Comfortable damping |
| Beyerdynamic DT 900 Pro X | 48 Ω | 100.0 dB/mW | 1.0 mW | +16 dB | Comfortable damping |
| Audeze LCD-2 Classic | 70 Ω | 101.0 dB/mW | 0.79 mW | +16 dB | Comfortable damping |
| Grado SR80x | 38 Ω | 98.0 dB/mW | 1.6 mW | +15 dB | Comfortable damping |
| Sennheiser HD 560S | 120 Ω | 100.8 dB/mW | 0.83 mW | +15 dB | Comfortable |
| HiFiMAN Edition XS | 18 Ω | 92.0 dB | 6.3 mW | +7 dB | Enough damping |
| HiFiMAN Arya Stealth | 32 Ω | 94.0 dB | 4.0 mW | +11 dB | Comfortable damping |
| Dan Clark Audio AEON 2 Closed | 13 Ω | 90.0 dB/mW | 10 mW | +4 dB | Enough damping |
| Audeze LCD-5 | 14 Ω | 90.0 dB/mW | 10 mW | +4 dB | Enough damping |
| Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro (250Ω) | 250 Ω | 102.0 dB/mW | 0.63 mW | +16 dB | Comfortable |
| HiFiMAN HE400se | 25 Ω | 91.0 dB | 7.9 mW | +7 dB | Enough damping |
| HiFiMAN Sundara | 32 Ω | 92.0 dB | 6.3 mW | +9 dB | Enough damping |
| Dan Clark Audio Stealth | 23 Ω | 90.0 dB/mW | 10 mW | +6 dB | Enough damping |
| Fostex T50RP MK3 | 50 Ω | 92.0 dB/mW | 6.3 mW | +8 dB | Enough damping |
| AKG K702 | 62 Ω | 92.9 dB/mW | 5.1 mW | +9 dB | Enough 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 | +10 dB | Comfortable |
| Audio-Technica ATH-R70X | 470 Ω | 98.0 dB/mW | 1.6 mW | +10 dB | Comfortable |
| ZMF Atrium | 300 Ω | 96.0 dB/mW | 2.5 mW | +10 dB | Comfortable |
| Abyss AB-1266 Phi TC | 50 Ω | 88.0 dB/mW | 16 mW | +4 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 | -1 dB | Not enough 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 11Ω output impedance, the one-eighth rule says this source suits headphones of 88.0Ω and above. 520 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 |
|---|---|
| Focusrite Scarlett 4i4 4th gen | $279 |
| Focusrite Scarlett 16i16 (4th Gen) | $410 |
| Focusrite Scarlett 18i16 (4th Gen) | $570 |
| Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 4th gen | $699 |
On every figure Focusrite publishes for this headphone output, the Focusrite Scarlett 16i16 (4th Gen) is identical to the Focusrite Scarlett 4i4 4th gen, Focusrite Scarlett 18i16 (4th Gen) and Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 4th gen. Each of them states power at 33 Ω and at 300 Ω and an output impedance of 11 Ω — and each states the same values.
They do not cost the same. The spread across the 4 of them is $420, 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 |
| iFi GO link | USB dongle | $59 | 14 mW | 0.4 Ω | not published |
Of the 280 sources here, 57 do everything the Focusrite Scarlett 16i16 (4th Gen) 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 $410 — $381 less, and a USB dongle rather than an audio interface.
The cheaper one also publishes a noise figure, which the Focusrite Scarlett 16i16 (4th Gen) 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.
$400 · 115 mW into 32Ω · <0.1 Ω out
Compare →$399 · 148 mW into 32Ω · 12 Ω out
Compare →$432 · 19 mW into 32Ω · 47 Ω out
Compare →$349 · 112 mW into 32Ω · output Ω not published
Compare →$349 · 80 mW into 32Ω · output Ω not published
Compare →$340 · 78 mW into 32Ω · 10 Ω out
Compare →Compared with its closest rivals: vs Apogee Duet 3 · vs Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 4th gen · vs Focusrite Scarlett Solo 4th gen · vs Focusrite Vocaster Two · vs IK Multimedia AXE I/O · vs MOTU M6 · vs Roland Rubix44 · vs Zoom UAC-232.