On power: 62 of the 65 audio interfaces here reach 100 dB SPL on the Abyss AB-1266 Phi TC. It needs 16 mW at its 50Ω, and 3 of them do not get there.
Power is one of three questions and the one that goes wrong least often. The other two — whether the source’s output impedance leaves the frequency response alone, and whether you will hear its noise floor — are answered further down, separately, because a source can pass one and fail another.
The 3 that fall short are Zoom AMS-22, Steinberg UR22C, Tascam US-2x2HR. The closest of them, the Tascam US-2x2HR, delivers 16 mW into 50Ω against the 16 mW needed — 0.0 dB short.
The cheapest one that does reach it is the Steinberg IXO22 at $119, which delivers 32 mW into 50Ω — 3 dB of headroom over the 16 mW this headphone needs for 100 dB SPL.
100 dB SPL is a peak level, not a listening level. If you listen at 85 dB the same headphone needs 0.50 mW, which is 15 dB less, and the answer above changes for most of the category. The model page has the full ladder.
Under the one-eighth rule the Abyss AB-1266 Phi TC wants a source below 6.25Ω. Of the 43 audio interfaces here that publish an output impedance, 15 are under it and 28 are not.
The furthest over is the Tascam US-2x2HR at 66Ω, which is 11× the ceiling. Above that threshold the source stops being a volume control and starts being part of the frequency response. The simulator shows what that looks like.
The other 22 publish nothing at all on this, so they are not on either side of that count. This site leaves them blank rather than assuming a figure.
Hiss depends on the source’s own noise floor and on how sensitive the headphone is. At 88.0 dB/mW and 50Ω, the Abyss AB-1266 Phi TC turns one microvolt of source noise into about -19 dB SPL — and the threshold where that stops being noticeable in a quiet room is around 20 dB SPL.
The one audio interface here that publishes a noise figure stays below that threshold with this headphone.
The remaining 64 publish no noise figure, so they cannot be placed on either side.
| Source | Price | Into 50Ω | Output impedance | Hiss in these | Power verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MOTU M2 | $219 | 213 mW | not published | not published | Comfortable |
| SSL 2 MkII | $229 | 239 mW | 1 Ω | not published | Comfortable |
| MOTU M4 | $279 | 213 mW | not published | not published | Comfortable |
| SSL 2 Plus MkII | $299 | 239 mW | 1 Ω | not published | Comfortable |
| IK Multimedia AXE I/O | $400 | 180 mW | <0.1 Ω | not published | Comfortable |
| MOTU M6 | $499 | 213 mW | not published | not published | Comfortable |
| SSL 12 | $599 | 757 mW | 1 Ω | not published | Comfortable |
| Apogee Duet 3 | $649 | 757 mW | 0.5 Ω | not published | Comfortable |
| MOTU UltraLite-mk5 | $699 | 301 mW | 1 Ω | not published | Comfortable |
| RME ADI-2 DAC FS | $1399 | 768 mW | 0.1 Ω | not published | Comfortable |
| Apogee Symphony Desktop | $1495 | 331 mW | not published | not published | Comfortable |
| RME ADI-2 Pro FS R | $2199 | 1.9 W | 0.1 Ω | not published | Comfortable |
Sorted by how many of the three questions the source answers well, then by price. A blank in a column is a blank in the manufacturer’s own documentation, not a zero.
The Abyss AB-1266 Phi TC on other categories: USB dongles · portable players · desktop amplifiers · desktop DAC/amps.
The Abyss AB-1266 Phi TC page has every source in the database against this headphone, and the matcher takes your own numbers.