On power: 32 of the 34 desktop DAC/amps here reach 100 dB SPL on the HiFiMAN Susvara. It needs 50 mW at its 60Ω, and 2 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 2 that fall short are Creative Sound Blaster X3, Marantz SACD 30n. The closest of them, the Creative Sound Blaster X3, delivers 36 mW into 60Ω against the 50 mW needed — 1.5 dB short.
The cheapest one that does reach it is the Aiyima A2 Pro at $75, which delivers 80 mW into 60Ω — 2 dB of headroom over the 50 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 1.6 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 HiFiMAN Susvara wants a source below 7.50Ω. 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 1× 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 83.0 dB and 60Ω, the HiFiMAN Susvara turns one microvolt of source noise into about -25 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 60Ω | Output impedance | Hiss in these | Power verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FiiO K7 | $199 | 656 mW | 1 Ω | -15 dB SPL | Comfortable |
| SMSL C200 | $219 | 693 mW | not published | not published | Comfortable |
| JDS Labs Element III MK2 | $449 | 1.3 W | 0.7 Ω | not published | Comfortable |
| Topping DX5 | $449 | 989 mW | 0.1 Ω | not published | Comfortable |
| xDuoo XA-10 | $449 | 1.6 W | not published | not published | Comfortable |
| HiFiMAN EF500 | $459 | 704 mW | not published | not published | Comfortable |
| SMSL DO400 | $520 | 1.8 W | <0.1 Ω | not published | Comfortable |
| JDS Labs Element IV | $549 | 1.7 W | 1 Ω | -19 dB SPL | Comfortable |
| FiiO K9 Pro | $799 | 1.1 W | 1 Ω | -19 dB SPL | Comfortable |
| HiFiMAN EF600 | $799 | 960 mW | not published | not published | Comfortable |
| FiiO K17 | $990 | 1.0 W | 1 Ω | -11 dB SPL | Comfortable |
| FiiO K19 | $1430 | 1.2 W | 0.6 Ω | -14 dB SPL | 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 HiFiMAN Susvara on other categories: USB dongles · Bluetooth receivers · portable players · desktop amplifiers · audio interfaces.
The HiFiMAN Susvara page has every source in the database against this headphone, and the matcher takes your own numbers.