The Tanchjim Space is a USB dongle at $70. It delivers 125 mW into 32Ω and 13 mW into 300Ω, which ranks it 69 of 88 for raw power among the sources in this database.
Measured at 100 dB SPL it has comfortable headroom on 264 of the 310 dynamic and planar headphones catalogued here, enough but not generous on 44 and only marginal on 2. Cheap, tiny and balanced, aimed squarely at in-ears rather than full-size headphones.
The manufacturer publishes a maximum output of 2.0 V but no power rating at any load. Every figure above is therefore a ceiling: the real output into a low impedance will be lower, possibly much lower.
The balanced output is rated separately: 500 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: tanchjim.com.
| Load | Power | Status | How it was arrived at |
|---|---|---|---|
| 32 Ω | 125 mW | Upper bound | the manufacturer publishes a maximum output voltage but no power rating, so this is a ceiling, not a rating |
| 150 Ω | 27 mW | Upper bound | the manufacturer publishes a maximum output voltage but no power rating, so this is a ceiling, not a rating |
| 300 Ω | 13 mW | Upper bound | the manufacturer publishes a maximum output voltage but no power rating, so this is a ceiling, not a rating |
| 600 Ω | 6.7 mW | Upper bound | the manufacturer publishes a maximum output voltage but no power rating, so this is a ceiling, not a rating |
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 | +29 dB | Comfortable audible hiss |
| 64 Audio U12t | 13 Ω | 108.0 | 0.16 mW | +25 dB | Comfortable faint hiss |
| Shure SE215 | 17 Ω | 107.0 | 0.20 mW | +25 dB | Comfortable faint hiss |
| Moondrop Aria | 32 Ω | 107.0 | 0.20 mW | +28 dB | Comfortable faint hiss |
| Sennheiser IE 200 | 18 Ω | 104.0 | 0.40 mW | +22 dB | Comfortable faint hiss |
| Audeze LCD-X 2021 | 20 Ω | 103.0 | 0.50 mW | +22 dB | Comfortable faint hiss |
| Sennheiser HD 25 (1-II) | 70 Ω | 108.0 | 0.16 mW | +26 dB | Comfortable faint hiss |
| Sony MDR-7506 | 63 Ω | 106.0 | 0.25 mW | +24 dB | Comfortable |
| Meze 99 Classics | 32 Ω | 103.0 | 0.50 mW | +24 dB | Comfortable |
| Focal Clear MG | 55 Ω | 104.0 | 0.40 mW | +23 dB | Comfortable |
| Philips SHP9500 | 32 Ω | 101.0 | 0.79 mW | +22 dB | Comfortable |
| Truthear Hexa | 21 Ω | 99.0 | 1.3 mW | +18 dB | Comfortable |
| Focal Utopia | 80 Ω | 104.0 | 0.40 mW | +21 dB | Comfortable |
| Meze Empyrean | 32 Ω | 100.0 | 1.0 mW | +21 dB | Comfortable |
| Campfire Audio Andromeda 2020 | 9 Ω | 94.0 | 4.0 mW | +9 dB | Enough |
| Etymotic ER2SE | 15 Ω | 96.0 | 2.5 mW | +14 dB | Comfortable |
| AKG K371 | 32 Ω | 99.0 | 1.3 mW | +20 dB | Comfortable |
| Grado SR80x | 32 Ω | 99.0 | 1.3 mW | +20 dB | Comfortable |
| Audio-Technica ATH-M50X | 38 Ω | 99.0 | 1.3 mW | +19 dB | Comfortable |
| Beyerdynamic DT 900 Pro X | 48 Ω | 100.0 | 1.0 mW | +19 dB | Comfortable |
| Audeze LCD-2 Classic | 70 Ω | 101.0 | 0.79 mW | +19 dB | Comfortable |
| Dan Clark Audio AEON 2 Closed | 13 Ω | 92.0 | 6.3 mW | +9 dB | Enough |
| Sennheiser HD 560S | 120 Ω | 101.0 | 0.79 mW | +16 dB | Comfortable |
| HiFiMAN Edition XS | 18 Ω | 92.0 | 6.3 mW | +10 dB | Comfortable |
| HiFiMAN Arya Stealth | 32 Ω | 94.0 | 4.0 mW | +15 dB | Comfortable |
| Audeze LCD-5 | 14 Ω | 90.0 | 10 mW | +7 dB | Enough |
| HiFiMAN Sundara | 37 Ω | 94.0 | 4.0 mW | +14 dB | Comfortable |
| Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro (250Ω) | 250 Ω | 102.0 | 0.63 mW | +14 dB | Comfortable |
| HiFiMAN HE400se | 32 Ω | 91.0 | 7.9 mW | +12 dB | Comfortable |
| AKG K702 | 62 Ω | 93.0 | 5.0 mW | +11 dB | Comfortable |
| Fostex T50RP MK3 | 50 Ω | 92.0 | 6.3 mW | +11 dB | Comfortable |
| ZMF Verite Closed | 300 Ω | 99.0 | 1.3 mW | +10 dB | Comfortable |
| Dan Clark Audio Stealth | 23 Ω | 87.0 | 20 mW | +7 dB | Enough |
| Sennheiser HD 650 | 300 Ω | 98.0 | 1.6 mW | +9 dB | Enough |
| ZMF Atrium | 300 Ω | 98.0 | 1.6 mW | +9 dB | Enough |
| Audio-Technica ATH-R70X | 470 Ω | 99.0 | 1.3 mW | +8 dB | Enough |
| Sennheiser HD 600 | 300 Ω | 97.0 | 2.0 mW | +8 dB | Enough |
| Sennheiser HD 800S | 300 Ω | 97.0 | 2.0 mW | +8 dB | Enough |
| Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro (250Ω) | 250 Ω | 96.0 | 2.5 mW | +8 dB | Enough |
| Abyss AB-1266 Phi TC | 42 Ω | 88.0 | 16 mW | +8 dB | Enough |
| HiFiMAN Susvara | 60 Ω | 83.0 | 50 mW | +1 dB | Marginal |
At 1.1 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 15 dB SPL, which you will hear between tracks and in quiet passages.
| In-ear | Impedance | Sensitivity | Hiss level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shure SE846 | 9 Ω | 134.5 dB/V | 15 dB SPL |
| Moondrop Quarks | 16 Ω | 131.0 dB/V | 12 dB SPL |
| 64 Audio U4s | 12 Ω | 127.2 dB/V | 8 dB SPL |
| 64 Audio U6t | 12 Ω | 127.2 dB/V | 8 dB SPL |
| Audeze LCD-i3 | 20 Ω | 127.0 dB/V | 8 dB SPL |
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.
$70 · 125 mW into 32Ω · 0.3 Ω out
Compare →$69 · 98 mW into 32Ω · 0.12 Ω out
Compare →$75 · 125 mW into 32Ω · 0.3 Ω out
Compare →$75 · 270 mW into 32Ω · 0.3 Ω out
Compare →$79 · 50 mW into 32Ω · 1.7 Ω out
Compare →$60 · 280 mW into 32Ω · 0.6 Ω out
Compare →Or put any two side by side in the source comparison tool, or run your own headphones through the amplifier matcher.