On power: 63 of the 65 audio interfaces here reach 100 dB SPL on the Beyerdynamic DT 880 Edition (600Ω). It needs 2.5 mW at its 600Ω, 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 Zoom AMS-22, Steinberg UR22C. The closest of them, the Zoom AMS-22, delivers 1.8 mW into 600Ω against the 2.5 mW needed — 1.4 dB short.
The cheapest one that does reach it is the Steinberg IXO22 at $119, which delivers 2.7 mW into 600Ω — 0 dB of headroom over the 2.5 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 0.08 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 Beyerdynamic DT 880 Edition (600Ω) wants a source below 75.00Ω. Of the 43 audio interfaces here that publish an output impedance, 43 are under it and 0 are not.
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 96.0 dB and 600Ω, the Beyerdynamic DT 880 Edition (600Ω) turns one microvolt of source noise into about -22 dB SPL — and the threshold where that stops being noticeable in a quiet room is around 20 dB SPL.
Of the 4 audio interfaces here that publish a noise figure, 4 stay below that threshold with this headphone and 0 cross it.
The remaining 61 publish no noise figure, so they cannot be placed on either side.
| Source | Price | Into 600 Ω | Headroom | Output impedance | Hiss in these |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RME Babyface Pro FS | $899 | 20 mW | 9.0 dB | 10 Ω | -6 dB SPL |
| RME ADI-2 DAC FS | $1399 | 64 mW | 14.1 dB | 0.1 Ω | -15 dB SPL |
| RME ADI-2 Pro FS R | $2199 | 158 mW | 18.0 dB | 0.1 Ω | -15 dB SPL |
4 of the 65 audio interfaces here publish all three figures. 4 of those clear all three for the Beyerdynamic DT 880 Edition (600Ω), and the cheapest is the RME Babyface Pro FS at $899.
It delivers 20 mW into 600 Ω where this headphone needs 2.5 mW for 100 dB — 9.0 dB of headroom — its output impedance of 10 Ω sits under the one-eighth ceiling of 75.00 Ω, and its 6.3 µV of noise leaves the hiss 26 dB under the 20 dB SPL threshold this site uses.
Cheapest that satisfies three published numbers is not the same as best, and the sources left out of this count are left out for want of a published figure, not for failing one. How often that happens is its own page.
| Source | Price | Into 600Ω | Output impedance | Hiss in these | Power verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audient iD4 MkII | $199 | 50 mW | not published | not published | Comfortable |
| Audient iD14 MkII | $349 | 50 mW | not published | not published | Comfortable |
| Audient iD24 | $599 | 52 mW | 50 Ω | not published | Comfortable |
| SSL 12 | $599 | 63 mW | 1 Ω | not published | Comfortable |
| Apogee Duet 3 | $649 | 63 mW | 0.5 Ω | not published | Comfortable |
| Audient iD44 MkII | $809 | 54 mW | 50 Ω | not published | Comfortable |
| Universal Audio Volt 876 | $999 | 35 mW | not published | not published | Comfortable |
| Audient iD48 | $1300 | 126 mW | 50 Ω | not published | Comfortable |
| RME ADI-2 DAC FS | $1399 | 64 mW | 0.1 Ω | -15 dB SPL | Comfortable |
| Apogee Symphony Desktop | $1495 | 90 mW | not published | not published | Comfortable |
| RME ADI-2 Pro FS R | $2199 | 158 mW | 0.1 Ω | -15 dB SPL | Comfortable |
| RME ADI-2 Pro EX | $2499 | 185 mW | 0.1 Ω | -15 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 Beyerdynamic DT 880 Edition (600Ω) on other categories: USB dongles · Bluetooth receivers · portable players · desktop amplifiers.
The Beyerdynamic DT 880 Edition (600Ω) page has every source in the database against this headphone, and the matcher takes your own numbers.