The Violectric V226 is a desktop DAC/amp at $1600. It delivers 2.2 W into 32Ω and 1.8 W into 300Ω, which ranks it 31 of 156 for raw power among the sources in this database.
Measured at 100 dB SPL it has comfortable headroom on 396 of the 396 dynamic and planar headphones catalogued here.
The manufacturer publishes 1.5 W into 16Ω, 2.2 W into 32Ω, 2.8 W into 50Ω, 3.5 W into 100Ω, 1.8 W into 300Ω, 900 mW into 600Ω. Everything else in the table above is worked out from those figures, and this table says which is which.
The balanced output is rated separately: 2.2 W into 32Ω through the balanced 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: violectric.de, violectric.de.
| Load | Power | Status | How it was arrived at |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 Ω | 1.5 W | Published | the manufacturer publishes this figure at this exact load |
| 32 Ω | 2.2 W | Published | the manufacturer publishes this figure at this exact load |
| 50 Ω | 2.8 W | Published | the manufacturer publishes this figure at this exact load |
| 100 Ω | 3.5 W | Published | the manufacturer publishes this figure at this exact load |
| 150 Ω | 2.6 W | Derived | worked out between two published loads, holding output voltage linear between them |
| 300 Ω | 1.8 W | Published | the manufacturer publishes this figure at this exact load |
| 600 Ω | 900 mW | Published | the manufacturer publishes this figure at this exact load |
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 | +43 dB | Comfortable audible hiss |
| 64 Audio U12t | 13 Ω | 108.0 | 0.16 mW | +39 dB | Comfortable audible hiss |
| Shure SE215 | 17 Ω | 107.0 | 0.20 mW | +39 dB | Comfortable audible hiss |
| Moondrop Aria | 32 Ω | 107.1 | 0.19 mW | +41 dB | Comfortable audible hiss |
| Audeze LCD-X 2021 | 20 Ω | 103.0 | 0.50 mW | +35 dB | Comfortable audible hiss |
| Truthear Hexa | 21 Ω | 103.1 | 0.49 mW | +35 dB | Comfortable audible hiss |
| Sennheiser HD 25 (1-II) | 70 Ω | 108.0 | 0.16 mW | +43 dB | Comfortable audible hiss |
| Sennheiser IE 200 | 18 Ω | 101.6 | 0.69 mW | +34 dB | Comfortable audible hiss |
| Sony MDR-7506 | 63 Ω | 106.0 | 0.25 mW | +41 dB | Comfortable audible hiss |
| Meze 99 Classics | 32 Ω | 103.0 | 0.50 mW | +36 dB | Comfortable audible hiss |
| Focal Clear MG | 55 Ω | 104.0 | 0.40 mW | +39 dB | Comfortable audible hiss |
| Philips SHP9500 | 32 Ω | 101.0 | 0.79 mW | +34 dB | Comfortable audible hiss |
| Focal Utopia | 80 Ω | 104.0 | 0.40 mW | +39 dB | Comfortable audible hiss |
| Meze Empyrean | 32 Ω | 100.0 | 1.0 mW | +33 dB | Comfortable audible hiss |
| Campfire Audio Andromeda 2020 | 9 Ω | 94.0 | 4.0 mW | +23 dB | Comfortable audible hiss |
| Etymotic ER2SE | 15 Ω | 96.0 | 2.5 mW | +27 dB | Comfortable audible hiss |
| AKG K371 | 32 Ω | 99.1 | 1.2 mW | +33 dB | Comfortable faint hiss |
| Audio-Technica ATH-M50X | 38 Ω | 99.0 | 1.3 mW | +33 dB | Comfortable faint hiss |
| Beyerdynamic DT 900 Pro X | 48 Ω | 100.0 | 1.0 mW | +34 dB | Comfortable faint hiss |
| Audeze LCD-2 Classic | 70 Ω | 101.0 | 0.79 mW | +36 dB | Comfortable faint hiss |
| Grado SR80x | 38 Ω | 98.0 | 1.6 mW | +32 dB | Comfortable faint hiss |
| Sennheiser HD 560S | 120 Ω | 100.8 | 0.83 mW | +36 dB | Comfortable faint hiss |
| HiFiMAN Edition XS | 18 Ω | 92.0 | 6.3 mW | +24 dB | Comfortable faint hiss |
| HiFiMAN Arya Stealth | 32 Ω | 94.0 | 4.0 mW | +27 dB | Comfortable faint hiss |
| Dan Clark Audio AEON 2 Closed | 13 Ω | 90.0 | 10 mW | +21 dB | Comfortable faint hiss |
| Audeze LCD-5 | 14 Ω | 90.0 | 10 mW | +21 dB | Comfortable faint hiss |
| HiFiMAN Sundara | 37 Ω | 94.0 | 4.0 mW | +28 dB | Comfortable faint hiss |
| Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro (250Ω) | 250 Ω | 102.0 | 0.63 mW | +35 dB | Comfortable faint hiss |
| HiFiMAN HE400se | 25 Ω | 91.0 | 7.9 mW | +24 dB | Comfortable faint hiss |
| Dan Clark Audio Stealth | 23 Ω | 90.0 | 10 mW | +23 dB | Comfortable faint hiss |
| Fostex T50RP MK3 | 50 Ω | 92.0 | 6.3 mW | +26 dB | Comfortable faint hiss |
| AKG K702 | 62 Ω | 92.9 | 5.1 mW | +28 dB | Comfortable faint hiss |
| ZMF Verite Closed | 300 Ω | 99.0 | 1.3 mW | +32 dB | Comfortable faint hiss |
| Sennheiser HD 650 | 300 Ω | 97.8 | 1.7 mW | +30 dB | Comfortable |
| Sennheiser HD 800S | 300 Ω | 96.8 | 2.1 mW | +29 dB | Comfortable |
| Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro (250Ω) | 250 Ω | 96.0 | 2.5 mW | +29 dB | Comfortable |
| Audio-Technica ATH-R70X | 470 Ω | 98.0 | 1.6 mW | +29 dB | Comfortable |
| ZMF Atrium | 300 Ω | 96.0 | 2.5 mW | +29 dB | Comfortable |
| Abyss AB-1266 Phi TC | 50 Ω | 88.0 | 16 mW | +22 dB | Comfortable |
| Sennheiser HD 600 | 300 Ω | 91.8 | 6.6 mW | +24 dB | Comfortable |
| HiFiMAN Susvara | 60 Ω | 83.0 | 50 mW | +18 dB | Comfortable |
At 6.15 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 30 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 | 30 dB SPL |
| 64 Audio Fourte | 10 Ω | 134.0 dB/V | 30 dB SPL |
| Shure SE535 | 36 Ω | 133.4 dB/V | 29 dB SPL |
| Shure AONIC 5 | 36 Ω | 133.4 dB/V | 29 dB SPL |
| Campfire Audio Andromeda 2023 | 6.375 Ω | 132.6 dB/V | 28 dB SPL |
At 0.25 Ω output impedance this source satisfies the one-eighth rule with every headphone in the database, down to the 5Ω in-ears. Nothing here will have its frequency response shaped by the source.
The rule is a rule of thumb, not physics: a source impedance below one eighth of the headphone's keeps the interaction under about 1 dB. The checker works it out for any pair.
$1499 · 1.2 W into 32Ω · 11 Ω out
Compare →$2399 · 1.2 W into 32Ω · 0.11 Ω out
Compare →$799 · 2.0 W into 32Ω · 1.0 Ω out
Compare →$2499 · 1.5 W into 32Ω · not published out
Compare →$549 · 3.2 W into 32Ω · 1 Ω out
Compare →$520 · 3.0 W into 32Ω · <0.1 Ω out
Compare →Or put any two side by side in the source comparison tool, or run your own headphones through the amplifier matcher.