On power, yes — all of them. Every one of the 34 desktop DAC/amps in this database reaches 100 dB SPL on the Audio-Technica ATH-M50X, which needs 1.3 mW at its 38Ω.
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 cheapest one that does reach it is the Aiyima A2 Pro at $75, which delivers 126 mW into 38Ω — 20 dB of headroom over the 1.3 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 0.04 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 Audio-Technica ATH-M50X wants a source below 4.75Ω. Of the 19 desktop DAC/amps here that publish an output impedance, 17 are under it and 2 are not.
The furthest over is the Matrix mini-i Pro 4 at 11Ω, which is 2× 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 15 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 99.0 dB/mW and 38Ω, the Audio-Technica ATH-M50X turns one microvolt of source noise into about -7 dB SPL — and the threshold where that stops being noticeable in a quiet room is around 20 dB SPL.
Of the 10 desktop DAC/amps here that publish a noise figure, 10 stay below that threshold with this headphone and 0 cross it.
The remaining 24 publish no noise figure, so they cannot be placed on either side.
| Source | Price | Into 38Ω | Output impedance | Hiss in these | Power verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aiyima A2 Pro | $75 | 126 mW | not published | not published | Comfortable |
| Creative Sound Blaster X3 | $100 | 42 mW | not published | not published | Comfortable |
| FiiO K11 | $143 | 439 mW | 1.2 Ω | 2 dB SPL | Comfortable |
| Loxjie A30 | $170 | 84 mW | not published | not published | Comfortable |
| FiiO K11 R2R | $176 | 388 mW | 1 Ω | 10 dB SPL | Comfortable |
| FiiO K7 | $199 | 1.0 W | 1 Ω | 3 dB SPL | Comfortable |
| Fosi Audio K7 | $199 | 505 mW | not published | 1 dB SPL | Comfortable |
| SMSL C200 | $219 | 1.1 W | not published | not published | Comfortable |
| iFi Zen DAC 3 | $229 | 178 mW | 1 Ω | not published | Comfortable |
| Creative Sound Blaster X5 | $285 | 65 mW | 1 Ω | not published | Comfortable |
| Aune X1s GT | $319 | 269 mW | not published | not published | Comfortable |
| WiiM Ultra | $349 | 124 mW | not published | 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 Audio-Technica ATH-M50X on other categories: desktop amplifiers · audio interfaces.
The Audio-Technica ATH-M50X page has every source in the database against this headphone, and the matcher takes your own numbers.