On power, yes — all of them. Every one of the 39 portable players in this database reaches 100 dB SPL on the Dan Clark Audio Expanse, which needs 10 mW at its 26Ω.
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 Hidizs AP80 Pro Max at $179, which delivers 57 mW into 26Ω — 8 dB of headroom over the 10 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 0.32 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 Dan Clark Audio Expanse wants a source below 3.25Ω. Of the 26 portable players here that publish an output impedance, 25 are under it and 1 are not.
The furthest over is the Shanling H5 at 4.7Ω, 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 13 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 90.0 dB/mW and 26Ω, the Dan Clark Audio Expanse turns one microvolt of source noise into about -14 dB SPL — and the threshold where that stops being noticeable in a quiet room is around 20 dB SPL.
Of the 12 portable players here that publish a noise figure, 12 stay below that threshold with this headphone and 0 cross it.
The remaining 27 publish no noise figure, so they cannot be placed on either side.
| Source | Price | Into 26 Ω | Headroom | Output impedance | Hiss in these |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FiiO JM21 | $199 | 270 mW | 14.3 dB | 1 Ω | -10 dB SPL |
| FiiO M11S | $499 | 222 mW | 13.5 dB | 1.5 Ω | -9 dB SPL |
| FiiO M21 | $599 | 416 mW | 16.2 dB | 1.0 Ω | -8 dB SPL |
11 of the 39 portable players here publish all three figures. 11 of those clear all three for the Dan Clark Audio Expanse, and the cheapest is the FiiO JM21 at $199.
It delivers 270 mW into 26 Ω where this headphone needs 10 mW for 100 dB — 14.3 dB of headroom — its output impedance of 1 Ω sits under the one-eighth ceiling of 3.25 Ω, and its 1.6 µV of noise leaves the hiss 30 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 26Ω | Output impedance | Hiss in these | Power verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TempoTec Variations V3 Blaze | $179 | 670 mW | not published | not published | Comfortable |
| Surfans F28 | $180 | 102 mW | not published | not published | Comfortable |
| FiiO JM21 | $199 | 270 mW | 1 Ω | -10 dB SPL | Comfortable |
| Shanling M1 Plus | $209 | 158 mW | 0.6 Ω | not published | Comfortable |
| TempoTec Variations V6 | $369 | 268 mW | not published | not published | Comfortable |
| Shanling M3 Ultra | $479 | 114 mW | 1 Ω | not published | Comfortable |
| iBasso DX180 | $480 | 323 mW | 0.6 Ω | not published | Comfortable |
| FiiO M11S | $499 | 222 mW | 1.5 Ω | -9 dB SPL | Comfortable |
| FiiO M21 | $599 | 416 mW | 1 Ω | -8 dB SPL | Comfortable |
| Cayin N3 Ultra | $649 | 203 mW | 0.5 Ω | not published | Comfortable |
| FiiO M23 | $699 | 150 mW | 1 Ω | -9 dB SPL | Comfortable |
| FiiO M33 R2R | $730 | 478 mW | 0.8 Ω | 1 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 Dan Clark Audio Expanse on other categories: desktop amplifiers · desktop DAC/amps · audio interfaces.
The Dan Clark Audio Expanse page has every source in the database against this headphone, and the matcher takes your own numbers.