The Tanchjim LUNA is a USB dongle at $140. It delivers 285 mW into 32Ω and 54 mW into 300Ω, which ranks it 135 of 280 for raw power among the sources in this database.
Measured at 100 dB SPL it has comfortable headroom on 551 of the 567 dynamic and planar headphones catalogued here, enough but not generous on 12, only marginal on 2 and not enough power for 2. Power is published at 16Ω, 32Ω, 300Ω; the rest of the table is derived from those figures. The published figures describe the balanced output, so the single-ended jack will put out less. Output impedance is not published.
The manufacturer publishes 175 mW into 16Ω, 285 mW into 32Ω, 54 mW into 300Ω. The rest of the table is worked out from those.
The published figures describe the balanced output. A single-ended jack on the same unit will put out less — usually about half the voltage and a quarter of the power.
Derived rows hold output voltage steady, as an amplifier does (method).
Source: tanchjim.com.
| Load | Power | Status | How it was arrived at |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 Ω | 175 mW | Published | the manufacturer publishes this figure at this exact load |
| 32 Ω | 285 mW | Published | the manufacturer publishes this figure at this exact load |
| 150 Ω | 80 mW | Derived | worked out between two published loads, holding output voltage linear between them |
| 300 Ω | 54 mW | Published | the manufacturer publishes this figure at this exact load |
| 600 Ω | 27 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 | +34 dB | Comfortable audible hiss |
| 64 Audio U12t | 12.6 Ω | 108.0 dB/mW | 0.16 mW | +29 dB | Comfortable faint hiss |
| Shure SE215 | 17 Ω | 107.0 dB/mW | 0.20 mW | +30 dB | Comfortable faint hiss |
| Moondrop Aria | 32 Ω | 107.1 dB/mW | 0.19 mW | +32 dB | Comfortable faint hiss |
| Audeze LCD-X 2021 | 20 Ω | 103.0 dB/mW | 0.50 mW | +26 dB | Comfortable faint hiss |
| Truthear Hexa | 20.5 Ω | 103.1 dB/mW | 0.49 mW | +26 dB | Comfortable faint hiss |
| Sennheiser IE 200 | 18 Ω | 101.6 dB/mW | 0.69 mW | +24 dB | Comfortable faint hiss |
| Sony MDR-7506 | 63 Ω | 106.0 dB/mW | 0.25 mW | +28 dB | Comfortable faint hiss |
| Meze 99 Classics | 32 Ω | 103.0 dB/mW | 0.50 mW | +28 dB | Comfortable faint hiss |
| Focal Clear MG | 55 Ω | 104.0 dB/mW | 0.40 mW | +26 dB | Comfortable |
| Philips SHP9500 | 32 Ω | 101.0 dB | 0.79 mW | +26 dB | Comfortable |
| Focal Utopia | 80 Ω | 104.0 dB/mW | 0.40 mW | +25 dB | Comfortable |
| Meze Empyrean | 32 Ω | 100.0 dB | 1.0 mW | +25 dB | Comfortable |
| Campfire Audio Andromeda 2020 | 9 Ω | 94.0 dB | 4.0 mW | +14 dB | Comfortable |
| Etymotic ER2SE | 15 Ω | 96.0 dB/mW | 2.5 mW | +18 dB | Comfortable |
| AKG K371 | 32 Ω | 99.1 dB/mW | 1.2 mW | +24 dB | Comfortable |
| Audio-Technica ATH-M50X | 38 Ω | 99.0 dB/mW | 1.3 mW | +23 dB | Comfortable |
| Beyerdynamic DT 900 Pro X | 48 Ω | 100.0 dB/mW | 1.0 mW | +23 dB | Comfortable |
| Audeze LCD-2 Classic | 70 Ω | 101.0 dB/mW | 0.79 mW | +23 dB | Comfortable |
| Grado SR80x | 38 Ω | 98.0 dB/mW | 1.6 mW | +22 dB | Comfortable |
| Sennheiser HD 560S | 120 Ω | 100.8 dB/mW | 0.83 mW | +21 dB | Comfortable |
| HiFiMAN Edition XS | 18 Ω | 92.0 dB | 6.3 mW | +15 dB | Comfortable |
| HiFiMAN Arya Stealth | 32 Ω | 94.0 dB | 4.0 mW | +19 dB | Comfortable |
| Dan Clark Audio AEON 2 Closed | 13 Ω | 90.0 dB/mW | 10 mW | +12 dB | Comfortable |
| Audeze LCD-5 | 14 Ω | 90.0 dB/mW | 10 mW | +12 dB | Comfortable |
| Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro (250Ω) | 250 Ω | 102.0 dB/mW | 0.63 mW | +20 dB | Comfortable |
| HiFiMAN HE400se | 25 Ω | 91.0 dB | 7.9 mW | +15 dB | Comfortable |
| HiFiMAN Sundara | 32 Ω | 92.0 dB | 6.3 mW | +17 dB | Comfortable |
| Dan Clark Audio Stealth | 23 Ω | 90.0 dB/mW | 10 mW | +13 dB | Comfortable |
| Fostex T50RP MK3 | 50 Ω | 92.0 dB/mW | 6.3 mW | +15 dB | Comfortable |
| AKG K702 | 62 Ω | 92.9 dB/mW | 5.1 mW | +15 dB | Comfortable |
| ZMF Verite Closed | 300 Ω | 99.0 dB/mW | 1.3 mW | +16 dB | Comfortable |
| Sennheiser HD 650 | 300 Ω | 97.8 dB/mW | 1.7 mW | +15 dB | Comfortable |
| Sennheiser HD 800S | 300 Ω | 96.8 dB/mW | 2.1 mW | +14 dB | Comfortable |
| Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro (250Ω) | 250 Ω | 96.0 dB | 2.5 mW | +14 dB | Comfortable |
| Audio-Technica ATH-R70X | 470 Ω | 98.0 dB/mW | 1.6 mW | +13 dB | Comfortable |
| ZMF Atrium | 300 Ω | 96.0 dB/mW | 2.5 mW | +13 dB | Comfortable |
| Abyss AB-1266 Phi TC | 50 Ω | 88.0 dB/mW | 16 mW | +11 dB | Comfortable |
| Sennheiser HD 600 | 300 Ω | 91.8 dB/mW | 6.6 mW | +9 dB | Enough |
| HiFiMAN Susvara | 60 Ω | 83.0 dB | 50 mW | +5 dB | Enough |
At 1.3 µV of output noise, here is where that noise lands in the five most revealing in-ears in the database.
This one hisses. With the most sensitive in-ears in the database its own noise lands around 23 dB SPL, which you will hear between tracks and in quiet passages.
| In-ear | Impedance | Sensitivity | Hiss level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simgot EA500 | 16 Ω | 141.0 dB/V | 23 dB SPL |
| Tanchjim EA FORCE | 17 Ω | 137.7 dB/V | 20 dB SPL |
| Shure SE846 | 9 Ω | 134.5 dB/V | 17 dB SPL |
| Campfire Audio Clara | 13.3 Ω | 134.1 dB/V | 16 dB SPL |
| 64 Audio Fourte | 10 Ω | 134.0 dB/V | 16 dB SPL |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FiiO BTR13 | Bluetooth receiver | $59 | 10.0 mW | 0.6 Ω | 1.0 µV |
Of the 280 sources here, 1 do everything the Tanchjim LUNA does as a headphone output: reach 100 dB on every headphone it reaches and stay under the audible-hiss threshold wherever it does. The cheapest of them is the FiiO BTR13 at $59, against this one’s $140 — $81 less, and a Bluetooth receiver rather than a USB dongle.
The cheaper one also publishes an output impedance, which the Tanchjim LUNA 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.
$139 · 138 mW into 32Ω · output Ω not published
Compare →$149 · 140 mW into 32Ω · 1.0 Ω out
Compare →$160 · 80 mW into 32Ω · output Ω not published
Compare →$119 · 125 mW into 32Ω · 0.2 Ω out
Compare →$109 · 100 mW into 32Ω · 0.3 Ω out
Compare →$109 · 180 mW into 32Ω · 0.8 Ω out
Compare →Compared with its closest rivals: vs ddHiFi TC44Grip · vs FiiO KA17 · vs Hidizs S9 Pro Plus · vs Tanchjim Space · vs Tanchjim Stargate II.