The Universal Audio Volt 1 is an audio interface at $149. It delivers 84 mW into 32Ω and 22 mW into 300Ω, which ranks it 223 of 280 for raw power among the sources in this database.
Measured at 100 dB SPL it has comfortable headroom on 483 of the 567 dynamic and planar headphones catalogued here, enough but not generous on 70, only marginal on 5 and not enough power for 9. Power is published at 32Ω, 300Ω, 600Ω; 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 84 mW into 32Ω, 22 mW into 300Ω, 12 mW into 600Ω. The rest of the table is worked out from those.
Derived rows hold output voltage steady, as an amplifier does (method).
Source: help.uaudio.com, uaudio.com.
| Load | Power | Status | How it was arrived at |
|---|---|---|---|
| 32 Ω | 84 mW | Published | the manufacturer publishes this figure at this exact load |
| 150 Ω | 28 mW | Derived | worked out between two published loads, holding output voltage linear between them |
| 300 Ω | 22 mW | Published | the manufacturer publishes this figure at this exact load |
| 600 Ω | 12 mW | Published | the manufacturer publishes this figure at this exact load |
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 | +28 dB | Comfortable |
| 64 Audio U12t | 12.6 Ω | 108.0 dB/mW | 0.16 mW | +23 dB | Comfortable |
| Shure SE215 | 17 Ω | 107.0 dB/mW | 0.20 mW | +23 dB | Comfortable |
| Moondrop Aria | 32 Ω | 107.1 dB/mW | 0.19 mW | +26 dB | Comfortable |
| Audeze LCD-X 2021 | 20 Ω | 103.0 dB/mW | 0.50 mW | +20 dB | Comfortable |
| Truthear Hexa | 20.5 Ω | 103.1 dB/mW | 0.49 mW | +20 dB | Comfortable |
| Sennheiser IE 200 | 18 Ω | 101.6 dB/mW | 0.69 mW | +18 dB | Comfortable |
| Sony MDR-7506 | 63 Ω | 106.0 dB/mW | 0.25 mW | +23 dB | Comfortable |
| Meze 99 Classics | 32 Ω | 103.0 dB/mW | 0.50 mW | +22 dB | Comfortable |
| Focal Clear MG | 55 Ω | 104.0 dB/mW | 0.40 mW | +21 dB | Comfortable |
| Philips SHP9500 | 32 Ω | 101.0 dB | 0.79 mW | +20 dB | Comfortable |
| Focal Utopia | 80 Ω | 104.0 dB/mW | 0.40 mW | +20 dB | Comfortable |
| Meze Empyrean | 32 Ω | 100.0 dB | 1.0 mW | +19 dB | Comfortable |
| Campfire Audio Andromeda 2020 | 9 Ω | 94.0 dB | 4.0 mW | +8 dB | Enough |
| Etymotic ER2SE | 15 Ω | 96.0 dB/mW | 2.5 mW | +12 dB | Comfortable |
| AKG K371 | 32 Ω | 99.1 dB/mW | 1.2 mW | +18 dB | Comfortable |
| Audio-Technica ATH-M50X | 38 Ω | 99.0 dB/mW | 1.3 mW | +18 dB | Comfortable |
| Beyerdynamic DT 900 Pro X | 48 Ω | 100.0 dB/mW | 1.0 mW | +18 dB | Comfortable |
| Audeze LCD-2 Classic | 70 Ω | 101.0 dB/mW | 0.79 mW | +18 dB | Comfortable |
| Grado SR80x | 38 Ω | 98.0 dB/mW | 1.6 mW | +17 dB | Comfortable |
| Sennheiser HD 560S | 120 Ω | 100.8 dB/mW | 0.83 mW | +16 dB | Comfortable |
| HiFiMAN Edition XS | 18 Ω | 92.0 dB | 6.3 mW | +9 dB | Enough |
| HiFiMAN Arya Stealth | 32 Ω | 94.0 dB | 4.0 mW | +13 dB | Comfortable |
| Dan Clark Audio AEON 2 Closed | 13 Ω | 90.0 dB/mW | 10 mW | +5 dB | Enough |
| Audeze LCD-5 | 14 Ω | 90.0 dB/mW | 10 mW | +6 dB | Enough |
| Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro (250Ω) | 250 Ω | 102.0 dB/mW | 0.63 mW | +16 dB | Comfortable |
| HiFiMAN HE400se | 25 Ω | 91.0 dB | 7.9 mW | +9 dB | Enough |
| HiFiMAN Sundara | 32 Ω | 92.0 dB | 6.3 mW | +11 dB | Comfortable |
| Dan Clark Audio Stealth | 23 Ω | 90.0 dB/mW | 10 mW | +8 dB | Enough |
| Fostex T50RP MK3 | 50 Ω | 92.0 dB/mW | 6.3 mW | +10 dB | Enough |
| AKG K702 | 62 Ω | 92.9 dB/mW | 5.1 mW | +10 dB | Enough |
| ZMF Verite Closed | 300 Ω | 99.0 dB/mW | 1.3 mW | +12 dB | Comfortable |
| Sennheiser HD 650 | 300 Ω | 97.8 dB/mW | 1.7 mW | +11 dB | Comfortable |
| Sennheiser HD 800S | 300 Ω | 96.8 dB/mW | 2.1 mW | +10 dB | Comfortable |
| Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro (250Ω) | 250 Ω | 96.0 dB | 2.5 mW | +10 dB | Enough |
| 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 | +9 dB | Enough |
| Abyss AB-1266 Phi TC | 50 Ω | 88.0 dB/mW | 16 mW | +6 dB | Enough |
| Sennheiser HD 600 | 300 Ω | 91.8 dB/mW | 6.6 mW | +5 dB | Enough |
| HiFiMAN Susvara | 60 Ω | 83.0 dB | 50 mW | +0 dB | Marginal |
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 prints an output impedance but not in a form that can be tied to this output, so this page has no usable figure. 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.
| Product | Price |
|---|---|
| Universal Audio Volt 1 | $149 |
| Universal Audio Volt 2 | $199 |
| Universal Audio Volt 276 | $299 |
| Universal Audio Volt 476P | $589 |
On every figure Universal Audio publishes for this headphone output, the Universal Audio Volt 1 is identical to the Universal Audio Volt 2, Universal Audio Volt 276 and Universal Audio Volt 476P. Each of them states power at 32 Ω, at 300 Ω and at 600 Ω — and each states the same values.
They do not cost the same. The spread across the 4 of them is $440, and none of that difference is visible in the figures above.
Identical published figures do not mean identical products. A spec sheet for a headphone output covers power, output impedance and noise. It says nothing about the converter, the inputs, the case, the battery, the volume control or how any of it sounds, and those are real differences that cost real money. What this section says is narrower and worth saying anyway: if you are choosing between these on what the maker printed about the headphone jack, there is nothing to choose.
15 groups of products in this database share a spec sheet this way, 36 products in all.
| Source | Type | Price | Into 300 Ω | Output impedance | Output noise |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FiiO KA11 | USB dongle | $29 | 22 mW | 0.7 Ω | 1.7 µV |
| ddHiFi TC35AL | USB dongle | $46 | 22 mW | not published | not published |
| ddHiFi TC35Air | USB dongle | $46 | 22 mW | not published | not published |
Of the 280 sources here, 32 do everything the Universal Audio Volt 1 does as a headphone output: reach 100 dB on every headphone it reaches. The cheapest of them is the FiiO KA11 at $29, against this one’s $149 — $120 less, and a USB dongle rather than an audio interface.
The cheaper one also publishes an output impedance and a noise figure, which the Universal Audio Volt 1 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.
$149 · 27 mW into 32Ω · output Ω not published
Compare →$149 · 139 mW into 32Ω · 10 Ω out
Compare →$149 · 139 mW into 32Ω · 10 Ω out
Compare →$150 · 30 mW into 32Ω · 10 Ω out
Compare →$139 · 31 mW into 32Ω · 50 Ω out
Compare →$130 · 26 mW into 32Ω · <0.1 Ω out
Compare →Compared with its closest rivals: vs Arturia MiniFuse 1 · vs Arturia MiniFuse 2 · vs Steinberg UR22C · vs Universal Audio Volt 876 · vs Zoom AMS-22.