The Tascam US-2x2HR is an audio interface at $199. It delivers 18 mW into 32Ω and 12 mW into 300Ω, which ranks it 277 of 280 for raw power among the sources in this database.
Measured at 100 dB SPL it has comfortable headroom on 343 of the 567 dynamic and planar headphones catalogued here, enough but not generous on 169, only marginal on 29 and not enough power for 26. 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 18 mW into 32Ω. The rest of the table is worked out from those.
Derived rows hold output voltage steady, as an amplifier does (method).
Source: tascam.com.
| Load | Power | Status | How it was arrived at |
|---|---|---|---|
| 32 Ω | 18 mW | Published | the manufacturer publishes this figure at this exact load |
| 150 Ω | 17 mW | Derived | worked out from the published figure and the published output impedance, through the divider that impedance creates |
| 300 Ω | 12 mW | Derived | worked out from the published figure and the published output impedance, through the divider that impedance creates |
| 600 Ω | 7.3 mW | Derived | worked out from the published figure and the published output impedance, through the divider that impedance creates |
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 | +21 dB | Comfortable damping |
| 64 Audio U12t | 12.6 Ω | 108.0 dB/mW | 0.16 mW | +17 dB | Comfortable damping |
| Shure SE215 | 17 Ω | 107.0 dB/mW | 0.20 mW | +17 dB | Comfortable damping |
| Moondrop Aria | 32 Ω | 107.1 dB/mW | 0.19 mW | +20 dB | Comfortable damping |
| Audeze LCD-X 2021 | 20 Ω | 103.0 dB/mW | 0.50 mW | +14 dB | Comfortable damping |
| Truthear Hexa | 20.5 Ω | 103.1 dB/mW | 0.49 mW | +14 dB | Comfortable damping |
| Sennheiser IE 200 | 18 Ω | 101.6 dB/mW | 0.69 mW | +12 dB | Comfortable damping |
| Sony MDR-7506 | 63 Ω | 106.0 dB/mW | 0.25 mW | +18 dB | Comfortable damping |
| Meze 99 Classics | 32 Ω | 103.0 dB/mW | 0.50 mW | +16 dB | Comfortable damping |
| Focal Clear MG | 55 Ω | 104.0 dB/mW | 0.40 mW | +16 dB | Comfortable damping |
| Philips SHP9500 | 32 Ω | 101.0 dB | 0.79 mW | +14 dB | Comfortable damping |
| Focal Utopia | 80 Ω | 104.0 dB/mW | 0.40 mW | +16 dB | Comfortable damping |
| Meze Empyrean | 32 Ω | 100.0 dB | 1.0 mW | +13 dB | Comfortable damping |
| Campfire Audio Andromeda 2020 | 9 Ω | 94.0 dB | 4.0 mW | +1 dB | Marginal damping |
| Etymotic ER2SE | 15 Ω | 96.0 dB/mW | 2.5 mW | +5 dB | Enough damping |
| AKG K371 | 32 Ω | 99.1 dB/mW | 1.2 mW | +12 dB | Comfortable damping |
| Audio-Technica ATH-M50X | 38 Ω | 99.0 dB/mW | 1.3 mW | +11 dB | Comfortable damping |
| Beyerdynamic DT 900 Pro X | 48 Ω | 100.0 dB/mW | 1.0 mW | +12 dB | Comfortable damping |
| Audeze LCD-2 Classic | 70 Ω | 101.0 dB/mW | 0.79 mW | +13 dB | Comfortable damping |
| Grado SR80x | 38 Ω | 98.0 dB/mW | 1.6 mW | +10 dB | Comfortable damping |
| Sennheiser HD 560S | 120 Ω | 100.8 dB/mW | 0.83 mW | +13 dB | Comfortable damping |
| HiFiMAN Edition XS | 18 Ω | 92.0 dB | 6.3 mW | +2 dB | Marginal damping |
| HiFiMAN Arya Stealth | 32 Ω | 94.0 dB | 4.0 mW | +7 dB | Enough damping |
| Dan Clark Audio AEON 2 Closed | 13 Ω | 90.0 dB/mW | 10 mW | -1 dB | Not enough damping |
| Audeze LCD-5 | 14 Ω | 90.0 dB/mW | 10 mW | -1 dB | Not enough damping |
| Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro (250Ω) | 250 Ω | 102.0 dB/mW | 0.63 mW | +13 dB | Comfortable damping |
| HiFiMAN HE400se | 25 Ω | 91.0 dB | 7.9 mW | +2 dB | Marginal damping |
| HiFiMAN Sundara | 32 Ω | 92.0 dB | 6.3 mW | +5 dB | Enough damping |
| Dan Clark Audio Stealth | 23 Ω | 90.0 dB/mW | 10 mW | +1 dB | Marginal damping |
| Fostex T50RP MK3 | 50 Ω | 92.0 dB/mW | 6.3 mW | +4 dB | Enough damping |
| AKG K702 | 62 Ω | 92.9 dB/mW | 5.1 mW | +5 dB | Enough damping |
| ZMF Verite Closed | 300 Ω | 99.0 dB/mW | 1.3 mW | +10 dB | Enough damping |
| Sennheiser HD 650 | 300 Ω | 97.8 dB/mW | 1.7 mW | +9 dB | Enough damping |
| Sennheiser HD 800S | 300 Ω | 96.8 dB/mW | 2.1 mW | +8 dB | Enough damping |
| Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro (250Ω) | 250 Ω | 96.0 dB | 2.5 mW | +7 dB | Enough damping |
| Audio-Technica ATH-R70X | 470 Ω | 98.0 dB/mW | 1.6 mW | +7 dB | Enough damping |
| ZMF Atrium | 300 Ω | 96.0 dB/mW | 2.5 mW | +7 dB | Enough damping |
| Abyss AB-1266 Phi TC | 50 Ω | 88.0 dB/mW | 16 mW | -0 dB | Not enough damping |
| Sennheiser HD 600 | 300 Ω | 91.8 dB/mW | 6.6 mW | +3 dB | Marginal damping |
| HiFiMAN Susvara | 60 Ω | 83.0 dB | 50 mW | -5 dB | Not enough damping |
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 66Ω output impedance, the one-eighth rule says this source suits headphones of 528.0Ω and above. 564 of the 567 models here fall below that. That is most of the database, not a niche — 222 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 |
| iFi GO link | USB dongle | $59 | 14 mW | 0.4 Ω | not published |
Of the 280 sources here, 29 do everything the Tascam US-2x2HR 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 $199 — $170 less, and a USB dongle rather than an audio interface.
The cheaper one also publishes a noise figure, which the Tascam US-2x2HR 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.
$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 · 12 mW into 32Ω · output Ω not published
Compare →$199 · 106 mW into 32Ω · output Ω not published
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 IK Multimedia AXE I/O ONE · vs MOTU M2 · vs MOTU M4 · vs PreSonus Quantum ES 2 · vs PreSonus Studio 68c · vs SSL 2 MkII · vs SSL 2 Plus MkII · vs Steinberg UR24C · vs Tascam US-4x4HR · vs Universal Audio Volt 2 · vs Universal Audio Volt 276.