The Shanling H5 is a portable player at $369. It delivers 227 mW into 32Ω and 24 mW into 300Ω, which ranks it 151 of 280 for raw power among the sources in this database.
Measured at 100 dB SPL it has comfortable headroom on 531 of the 567 dynamic and planar headphones catalogued here, enough but not generous on 30, only marginal on 4 and not enough power for 2. Power is published at 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 227 mW into 32Ω. The rest of the table is worked out from those.
The balanced output is rated separately: 840 mW into 32Ω through the 4.4mm jack.
Derived rows hold output voltage steady, as an amplifier does (method).
Source: en.shanling.com, en.shanling.com, linsoul.com.
| Load | Power | Status | How it was arrived at |
|---|---|---|---|
| 32 Ω | 227 mW | Published | the manufacturer publishes this figure at this exact load |
| 150 Ω | 48 mW | Derived | beyond the published loads, holding output voltage constant — which understates rather than flatters |
| 300 Ω | 24 mW | Derived | beyond the published loads, holding output voltage constant — which understates rather than flatters |
| 600 Ω | 12 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 | +32 dB | Comfortable damping |
| 64 Audio U12t | 12.6 Ω | 108.0 dB/mW | 0.16 mW | +28 dB | Comfortable damping |
| Shure SE215 | 17 Ω | 107.0 dB/mW | 0.20 mW | +28 dB | Comfortable damping |
| Moondrop Aria | 32 Ω | 107.1 dB/mW | 0.19 mW | +31 dB | Comfortable damping |
| Audeze LCD-X 2021 | 20 Ω | 103.0 dB/mW | 0.50 mW | +25 dB | Comfortable damping |
| Truthear Hexa | 20.5 Ω | 103.1 dB/mW | 0.49 mW | +25 dB | Comfortable damping |
| Sennheiser IE 200 | 18 Ω | 101.6 dB/mW | 0.69 mW | +23 dB | Comfortable damping |
| Sony MDR-7506 | 63 Ω | 106.0 dB/mW | 0.25 mW | +27 dB | Comfortable |
| Meze 99 Classics | 32 Ω | 103.0 dB/mW | 0.50 mW | +27 dB | Comfortable damping |
| Focal Clear MG | 55 Ω | 104.0 dB/mW | 0.40 mW | +25 dB | Comfortable |
| Philips SHP9500 | 32 Ω | 101.0 dB | 0.79 mW | +25 dB | Comfortable damping |
| Focal Utopia | 80 Ω | 104.0 dB/mW | 0.40 mW | +24 dB | Comfortable |
| Meze Empyrean | 32 Ω | 100.0 dB | 1.0 mW | +24 dB | Comfortable damping |
| Campfire Audio Andromeda 2020 | 9 Ω | 94.0 dB | 4.0 mW | +12 dB | Comfortable damping |
| Etymotic ER2SE | 15 Ω | 96.0 dB/mW | 2.5 mW | +16 dB | Comfortable damping |
| AKG K371 | 32 Ω | 99.1 dB/mW | 1.2 mW | +23 dB | Comfortable damping |
| Audio-Technica ATH-M50X | 38 Ω | 99.0 dB/mW | 1.3 mW | +22 dB | Comfortable |
| Beyerdynamic DT 900 Pro X | 48 Ω | 100.0 dB/mW | 1.0 mW | +22 dB | Comfortable |
| Audeze LCD-2 Classic | 70 Ω | 101.0 dB/mW | 0.79 mW | +21 dB | Comfortable |
| Grado SR80x | 38 Ω | 98.0 dB/mW | 1.6 mW | +21 dB | Comfortable |
| Sennheiser HD 560S | 120 Ω | 100.8 dB/mW | 0.83 mW | +19 dB | Comfortable |
| HiFiMAN Edition XS | 18 Ω | 92.0 dB | 6.3 mW | +13 dB | Comfortable damping |
| HiFiMAN Arya Stealth | 32 Ω | 94.0 dB | 4.0 mW | +18 dB | Comfortable damping |
| Dan Clark Audio AEON 2 Closed | 13 Ω | 90.0 dB/mW | 10 mW | +10 dB | Enough damping |
| Audeze LCD-5 | 14 Ω | 90.0 dB/mW | 10 mW | +10 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 | +13 dB | Comfortable damping |
| HiFiMAN Sundara | 32 Ω | 92.0 dB | 6.3 mW | +16 dB | Comfortable damping |
| Dan Clark Audio Stealth | 23 Ω | 90.0 dB/mW | 10 mW | +12 dB | Comfortable damping |
| Fostex T50RP MK3 | 50 Ω | 92.0 dB/mW | 6.3 mW | +14 dB | Comfortable |
| AKG K702 | 62 Ω | 92.9 dB/mW | 5.1 mW | +14 dB | Comfortable |
| 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 | +10 dB | Enough |
| Sennheiser HD 600 | 300 Ω | 91.8 dB/mW | 6.6 mW | +6 dB | Enough |
| HiFiMAN Susvara | 60 Ω | 83.0 dB | 50 mW | +4 dB | 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 4.7Ω output impedance, the one-eighth rule says this source suits headphones of 37.6Ω and above. 386 of the 567 models here fall below that. That is most of the database, not a niche — 209 of them multi-driver in-ears, and the mismatch tilts the frequency response audibly rather than subtly.
| 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, 33 do everything the Shanling H5 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 $369 — $340 less, and a USB dongle rather than a portable player.
The cheaper one also publishes a noise figure, which the Shanling H5 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.
$369 · 330 mW into 32Ω · output Ω not published
Compare →$350 · 18 mW into 32Ω · 1.5 Ω out
Compare →$350 · 112 mW into 32Ω · output Ω not published
Compare →$479 · 140 mW into 32Ω · 1 Ω out
Compare →$480 · 262 mW into 32Ω · 0.6 Ω out
Compare →$499 · 200 mW into 32Ω · 1.5 Ω out
Compare →Compared with its closest rivals: vs FiiO M11S · vs iBasso DX180 · vs Moondrop DISCDREAM2 ULTRA · vs Shanling M1 Plus · vs Shanling M3 Ultra · vs Shanling M6 Ultra · vs Shanling M7 · vs Shanling M9 Plus · vs Sony NW-A306.