Both are dongles, $9 against $9. This page puts them side by side on the only three things a maker can be held to — power, output impedance and noise — and then asks the question that actually matters: which headphones do they treat differently?
The Apple USB-C dongle (US) reaches 100 dB on 547 of the 567 models here, the Apple USB-C dongle (EU) on 516.
| Specification | Apple USB-C dongle (EU) | Apple USB-C dongle (US) |
|---|---|---|
| Power into 32Ω | 15 mW | 30 mW |
| Power into 150Ω | 4.0 mW | 8.0 mW |
| Power into 300Ω | 2.0 mW | 4.0 mW |
| Power into 600Ω | 1.0 mW | 2.0 mW |
| Output impedance | 1 Ω unverified | 1 Ω unverified |
| Output noise | 6 µV unverified | 6 µV unverified |
| Price | $9 | $9 |
| Headphones it reaches 100 dB on out of 567 | 516 | 547 |
A figure marked not published is missing from the maker’s own material, which is not the same as being good or bad. Where one of these two publishes a number and the other does not, the comparison on that axis cannot be made at all — and saying so is more useful than guessing.
| Load | Apple USB-C dongle (EU) | Apple USB-C dongle (US) |
|---|---|---|
| 32 Ω | Unverified | Unverified |
| 150 Ω | Unverified | Unverified |
| 300 Ω | Unverified | Unverified |
| 600 Ω | Unverified | Unverified |
Neither of these two makers publishes no electrical specification at all. That is true of 10 of the 280 sources here, and the figures in that column come from independent measurement rather than from a maker document — which is not worse, but it is not the same thing, and it cannot be checked against anything the maker will stand behind.
What each of these labels means, and why a derived figure is still worth printing, is set out in how this data was built.
31 headphones reach 100 dB on the Apple USB-C dongle (US) but not on the Apple USB-C dongle (EU) — AKG K612 Pro, Abyss AB-1266 Phi CC, Abyss AB-1266 Phi TC, 28 more.
516 of the 567 models here reach 100 dB on both. That is a power count and nothing more; whether either source suits a given headphone also depends on the two lines above.
The counts above say how many models the two treat differently. This says by how much. The same 8 headphones appear on every page of this kind, ordered from the easiest to drive to the hardest, so a row can be read across pages as well as across columns. Headroom is at a 100 dB SPL peak.
The widest gap on the list is the Campfire Audio Andromeda 2020: Apple USB-C dongle (US) has +3 dB of headroom there against +0 dB. 3 dB is twice the power, which matters for peaks rather than for how loud the music sits.
The hiss columns are empty for Apple USB-C dongle (EU) and Apple USB-C dongle (US) because neither maker publishes no output noise figure. That is a gap in the specification, not a quiet amplifier, and it is left blank here rather than filled with a plausible number.
| Headphone | Impedance | Needs | Apple USB-C dongle (EU) headroom | Apple USB-C dongle (US) headroom | Apple USB-C dongle (EU) hiss | Apple USB-C dongle (US) hiss |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shure SE846 | 9 Ω | 0.04 mW | +20 dB | +23 dB | not published | not published |
| Campfire Audio Andromeda 2020 | 9 Ω | 4.0 mW | +0 dB | +3 dB | not published | not published |
| Audeze LCD-2 Classic | 70 Ω | 0.79 mW | +10 dB | +13 dB | not published | not published |
| Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro (250Ω) | 250 Ω | 0.63 mW | +6 dB | +9 dB | not published | not published |
| HiFiMAN HE400se | 25 Ω | 7.9 mW | +2 dB | +5 dB | not published | not published |
| Audio-Technica ATH-R70X | 470 Ω | 1.6 mW | -1 dB | +2 dB | not published | not published |
| Sennheiser HD 600 | 300 Ω | 6.6 mW | -5 dB | -2 dB | not published | not published |
| HiFiMAN Susvara | 60 Ω | 50 mW | -8 dB | -5 dB | not published | not published |
These two cost the same, $9, so price settles nothing. Out of the 567 models here, the Apple USB-C dongle (US) drives 31 models to 100 dB — and on the other side there is no such advantage at all.
Everything in this paragraph counts only figures the two makers published. An advantage on an axis one of them leaves blank cannot be counted, and is not counted — how often that happens is its own page.
Each has a page of its own with a full headphone list and the provenance of every figure — worth opening here, because Apple USB-C dongle (EU) and Apple USB-C dongle (US) have published no electrical specification at all and everything above comes from independent measurement: Apple USB-C dongle (EU) and Apple USB-C dongle (US). Or put either against your own headphones in the source comparison tool.