The iBasso DC-Elite is a USB dongle at $449. It delivers 162 mW into 32Ω and 17 mW into 300Ω, which ranks it 63 of 88 for raw power among the sources in this database.
Measured at 100 dB SPL it has comfortable headroom on 286 of the 310 dynamic and planar headphones catalogued here, enough but not generous on 23 and only marginal on 1. iBasso's flagship dongle, with a desktop-class DAC and a price to match. Balanced 4.4 mm.
The manufacturer publishes 162 mW into 32Ω. Everything else in the table above is worked out from those figures, and this table says which is which.
The balanced output is rated separately: 280 mW into 32Ω through the 4.4mm jack.
Derivation holds output voltage steady between and beyond the published loads rather than output power, because that is what an amplifier actually does. The full method is written up here.
Source: ibassousa.com, ibasso.com.
| Load | Power | Status | How it was arrived at |
|---|---|---|---|
| 32 Ω | 162 mW | Published | the manufacturer publishes this figure at this exact load |
| 150 Ω | 35 mW | Derived | beyond the published loads, holding output voltage constant — which understates rather than flatters |
| 300 Ω | 17 mW | Derived | beyond the published loads, holding output voltage constant — which understates rather than flatters |
| 600 Ω | 8.6 mW | Derived | beyond the published loads, holding output voltage constant — which understates rather than flatters |
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 | +31 dB | Comfortable |
| 64 Audio U12t | 13 Ω | 108.0 | 0.16 mW | +26 dB | Comfortable |
| Shure SE215 | 17 Ω | 107.0 | 0.20 mW | +26 dB | Comfortable |
| Moondrop Aria | 32 Ω | 107.0 | 0.20 mW | +29 dB | Comfortable |
| Sennheiser IE 200 | 18 Ω | 104.0 | 0.40 mW | +24 dB | Comfortable |
| Audeze LCD-X 2021 | 20 Ω | 103.0 | 0.50 mW | +23 dB | Comfortable |
| Sennheiser HD 25 (1-II) | 70 Ω | 108.0 | 0.16 mW | +27 dB | Comfortable |
| Sony MDR-7506 | 63 Ω | 106.0 | 0.25 mW | +25 dB | Comfortable |
| Meze 99 Classics | 32 Ω | 103.0 | 0.50 mW | +25 dB | Comfortable |
| Focal Clear MG | 55 Ω | 104.0 | 0.40 mW | +24 dB | Comfortable |
| Philips SHP9500 | 32 Ω | 101.0 | 0.79 mW | +23 dB | Comfortable |
| Truthear Hexa | 21 Ω | 99.0 | 1.3 mW | +19 dB | Comfortable |
| Focal Utopia | 80 Ω | 104.0 | 0.40 mW | +22 dB | Comfortable |
| Meze Empyrean | 32 Ω | 100.0 | 1.0 mW | +22 dB | Comfortable |
| Campfire Audio Andromeda 2020 | 9 Ω | 94.0 | 4.0 mW | +11 dB | Comfortable |
| Etymotic ER2SE | 15 Ω | 96.0 | 2.5 mW | +15 dB | Comfortable |
| AKG K371 | 32 Ω | 99.0 | 1.3 mW | +21 dB | Comfortable |
| Grado SR80x | 32 Ω | 99.0 | 1.3 mW | +21 dB | Comfortable |
| Audio-Technica ATH-M50X | 38 Ω | 99.0 | 1.3 mW | +20 dB | Comfortable |
| Beyerdynamic DT 900 Pro X | 48 Ω | 100.0 | 1.0 mW | +20 dB | Comfortable |
| Audeze LCD-2 Classic | 70 Ω | 101.0 | 0.79 mW | +20 dB | Comfortable |
| Dan Clark Audio AEON 2 Closed | 13 Ω | 92.0 | 6.3 mW | +10 dB | Comfortable |
| Sennheiser HD 560S | 120 Ω | 101.0 | 0.79 mW | +17 dB | Comfortable |
| HiFiMAN Edition XS | 18 Ω | 92.0 | 6.3 mW | +12 dB | Comfortable |
| HiFiMAN Arya Stealth | 32 Ω | 94.0 | 4.0 mW | +16 dB | Comfortable |
| Audeze LCD-5 | 14 Ω | 90.0 | 10 mW | +9 dB | Enough |
| HiFiMAN Sundara | 37 Ω | 94.0 | 4.0 mW | +15 dB | Comfortable |
| Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro (250Ω) | 250 Ω | 102.0 | 0.63 mW | +15 dB | Comfortable |
| HiFiMAN HE400se | 32 Ω | 91.0 | 7.9 mW | +13 dB | Comfortable |
| AKG K702 | 62 Ω | 93.0 | 5.0 mW | +12 dB | Comfortable |
| Fostex T50RP MK3 | 50 Ω | 92.0 | 6.3 mW | +12 dB | Comfortable |
| ZMF Verite Closed | 300 Ω | 99.0 | 1.3 mW | +11 dB | Comfortable |
| Dan Clark Audio Stealth | 23 Ω | 87.0 | 20 mW | +8 dB | Enough |
| Sennheiser HD 650 | 300 Ω | 98.0 | 1.6 mW | +10 dB | Comfortable |
| ZMF Atrium | 300 Ω | 98.0 | 1.6 mW | +10 dB | Comfortable |
| Audio-Technica ATH-R70X | 470 Ω | 99.0 | 1.3 mW | +9 dB | Enough |
| Sennheiser HD 600 | 300 Ω | 97.0 | 2.0 mW | +9 dB | Enough |
| Sennheiser HD 800S | 300 Ω | 97.0 | 2.0 mW | +9 dB | Enough |
| Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro (250Ω) | 250 Ω | 96.0 | 2.5 mW | +9 dB | Enough |
| Abyss AB-1266 Phi TC | 42 Ω | 88.0 | 16 mW | +9 dB | Enough |
| HiFiMAN Susvara | 60 Ω | 83.0 | 50 mW | +2 dB | Marginal |
The manufacturer does not publish an output noise figure for this source, so the hiss estimate that runs on every other page here cannot be run on this one. Rather than substitute a plausible number, this page leaves the question open.
If you know the noise figure from a measurement you trust, the hiss calculator takes it directly and tells you where that noise lands in your own in-ears.
The manufacturer does not publish an output impedance for this source. That is the one number that decides whether it leaves your headphones alone or acts as a tone control, so its absence matters more than it looks: without it, nothing here can tell you how this source will behave with a multi-driver in-ear.
If you find a measured figure you trust, the checker will work out the consequence for any headphone.
$269 · 160 mW into 32Ω · not published out
Compare →$259 · 137 mW into 32Ω · 0.8 Ω out
Compare →$250 · 300 mW into 32Ω · 0.5 Ω out
Compare →$219 · 125 mW into 32Ω · 0.9 Ω out
Compare →$190 · 280 mW into 32Ω · not published out
Compare →$179 · 125 mW into 32Ω · 2.0 Ω out
Compare →Or put any two side by side in the source comparison tool, or run your own headphones through the amplifier matcher.