The Steinberg UR22C is an audio interface at $199. It delivers 12 mW into 32Ω and 2.0 mW into 300Ω, which ranks it 280 of 280 for raw power among the sources in this database.
Measured at 100 dB SPL it has comfortable headroom on 275 of the 567 dynamic and planar headphones catalogued here, enough but not generous on 177, only marginal on 60 and not enough power for 55. Power is published at 40Ω; the rest of the table is derived from those figures. Output impedance is not published. Output noise is not published, so the hiss estimate cannot be run.
The manufacturer publishes 15 mW into 40Ω. The rest of the table is worked out from those.
Derived rows hold output voltage steady, as an amplifier does (method).
Source: download.steinberg.net.
| Load | Power | Status | How it was arrived at |
|---|---|---|---|
| 32 Ω | 12 mW | Derived | beyond the published loads, holding output voltage constant — which understates rather than flatters |
| 40 Ω | 15 mW | Published | the manufacturer publishes this figure at this exact load |
| 150 Ω | 4.0 mW | Derived | beyond the published loads, holding output voltage constant — which understates rather than flatters |
| 300 Ω | 2.0 mW | Derived | beyond the published loads, holding output voltage constant — which understates rather than flatters |
| 600 Ω | 1.0 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 | +19 dB | Comfortable |
| 64 Audio U12t | 12.6 Ω | 108.0 dB/mW | 0.16 mW | +15 dB | Comfortable |
| Shure SE215 | 17 Ω | 107.0 dB/mW | 0.20 mW | +15 dB | Comfortable |
| Moondrop Aria | 32 Ω | 107.1 dB/mW | 0.19 mW | +18 dB | Comfortable |
| Audeze LCD-X 2021 | 20 Ω | 103.0 dB/mW | 0.50 mW | +12 dB | Comfortable |
| Truthear Hexa | 20.5 Ω | 103.1 dB/mW | 0.49 mW | +12 dB | Comfortable |
| Sennheiser IE 200 | 18 Ω | 101.6 dB/mW | 0.69 mW | +10 dB | Enough |
| Sony MDR-7506 | 63 Ω | 106.0 dB/mW | 0.25 mW | +16 dB | Comfortable |
| Meze 99 Classics | 32 Ω | 103.0 dB/mW | 0.50 mW | +14 dB | Comfortable |
| Focal Clear MG | 55 Ω | 104.0 dB/mW | 0.40 mW | +14 dB | Comfortable |
| Philips SHP9500 | 32 Ω | 101.0 dB | 0.79 mW | +12 dB | Comfortable |
| Focal Utopia | 80 Ω | 104.0 dB/mW | 0.40 mW | +13 dB | Comfortable |
| Meze Empyrean | 32 Ω | 100.0 dB | 1.0 mW | +11 dB | Comfortable |
| Campfire Audio Andromeda 2020 | 9 Ω | 94.0 dB | 4.0 mW | -1 dB | Not enough |
| Etymotic ER2SE | 15 Ω | 96.0 dB/mW | 2.5 mW | +4 dB | Enough |
| AKG K371 | 32 Ω | 99.1 dB/mW | 1.2 mW | +10 dB | Enough |
| Audio-Technica ATH-M50X | 38 Ω | 99.0 dB/mW | 1.3 mW | +11 dB | Comfortable |
| Beyerdynamic DT 900 Pro X | 48 Ω | 100.0 dB/mW | 1.0 mW | +11 dB | Comfortable |
| Audeze LCD-2 Classic | 70 Ω | 101.0 dB/mW | 0.79 mW | +10 dB | Comfortable |
| Grado SR80x | 38 Ω | 98.0 dB/mW | 1.6 mW | +10 dB | Enough |
| Sennheiser HD 560S | 120 Ω | 100.8 dB/mW | 0.83 mW | +8 dB | Enough |
| HiFiMAN Edition XS | 18 Ω | 92.0 dB | 6.3 mW | +0 dB | Marginal |
| HiFiMAN Arya Stealth | 32 Ω | 94.0 dB | 4.0 mW | +5 dB | Enough |
| Dan Clark Audio AEON 2 Closed | 13 Ω | 90.0 dB/mW | 10 mW | -3 dB | Not enough |
| Audeze LCD-5 | 14 Ω | 90.0 dB/mW | 10 mW | -3 dB | Not enough |
| Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro (250Ω) | 250 Ω | 102.0 dB/mW | 0.63 mW | +6 dB | Enough |
| HiFiMAN HE400se | 25 Ω | 91.0 dB | 7.9 mW | +1 dB | Marginal |
| HiFiMAN Sundara | 32 Ω | 92.0 dB | 6.3 mW | +3 dB | Marginal |
| Dan Clark Audio Stealth | 23 Ω | 90.0 dB/mW | 10 mW | -1 dB | Not enough |
| Fostex T50RP MK3 | 50 Ω | 92.0 dB/mW | 6.3 mW | +3 dB | Marginal |
| AKG K702 | 62 Ω | 92.9 dB/mW | 5.1 mW | +3 dB | Marginal |
| ZMF Verite Closed | 300 Ω | 99.0 dB/mW | 1.3 mW | +2 dB | Marginal |
| Sennheiser HD 650 | 300 Ω | 97.8 dB/mW | 1.7 mW | +1 dB | Marginal |
| Sennheiser HD 800S | 300 Ω | 96.8 dB/mW | 2.1 mW | -0 dB | Not enough |
| Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro (250Ω) | 250 Ω | 96.0 dB | 2.5 mW | -0 dB | Not enough |
| Audio-Technica ATH-R70X | 470 Ω | 98.0 dB/mW | 1.6 mW | -1 dB | Not enough |
| ZMF Atrium | 300 Ω | 96.0 dB/mW | 2.5 mW | -1 dB | Not enough |
| Abyss AB-1266 Phi TC | 50 Ω | 88.0 dB/mW | 16 mW | -1 dB | Not enough |
| Sennheiser HD 600 | 300 Ω | 91.8 dB/mW | 6.6 mW | -5 dB | Not enough |
| HiFiMAN Susvara | 60 Ω | 83.0 dB | 50 mW | -7 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.
The manufacturer does not publish an output impedance for this source. Without it, nothing here can say how this source will behave with a multi-driver in-ear.
With a measured figure, the checker works out the consequence.
| Source | Type | Price | Into 300 Ω | Output impedance | Output noise |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple USB-C dongle (US) | USB dongle | $9 | 4.0 mW | 1 Ω unverified | 6 µV unverified |
| Generic CX31993 dongles | USB dongle | $12 | 9.0 mW | 1.5 Ω unverified | 8 µV unverified |
| JadeAudio JA11 | USB dongle | $20 | 3.2 mW | 0.5 Ω | 1.7 µV |
Of the 280 sources here, 82 do everything the Steinberg UR22C does as a headphone output: reach 100 dB on every headphone it reaches. The cheapest of them is the Apple USB-C dongle (US) at $9, against this one’s $199 — $190 less, and a USB dongle rather than an audio interface.
This counts the headphone output only; inputs, converters, the volume control and the build are outside it.
$199 · 31 mW into 32Ω · 50 Ω out
Compare →$199 · 112 mW into 32Ω · output Ω not published
Compare →$199 · 84 mW into 32Ω · output Ω not published
Compare →$199 · 106 mW into 32Ω · output Ω not published
Compare →$199 · 18 mW into 32Ω · 66 Ω out
Compare →$200 · 30 mW into 32Ω · 10 Ω out
Compare →Compared with its closest rivals: vs Apogee BOOM · vs Audient iD4 MkII · vs Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 4th gen · vs Focusrite Vocaster Two · vs MOTU M2 · vs MOTU M4 · vs PreSonus Quantum ES 2 · vs PreSonus Studio 24c · vs PreSonus Studio 68c · vs Steinberg IXO22 · vs Steinberg UR24C · vs Steinberg UR44C · vs Universal Audio Volt 1 · vs Universal Audio Volt 2 · vs Universal Audio Volt 276.