On power: 64 of the 65 audio interfaces here reach 100 dB SPL on the Dan Clark Audio Expanse. It needs 10 mW at its 26Ω, and 1 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 1 that fall short are Steinberg UR22C. The closest of them, the Steinberg UR22C, delivers 9.7 mW into 26Ω against the 10 mW needed — 0.1 dB short.
The cheapest one that does reach it is the Zoom AMS-22 at $100, which delivers 16 mW into 26Ω — 2 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 43 audio interfaces here that publish an output impedance, 15 are under it and 28 are not.
The furthest over is the Tascam US-2x2HR at 66Ω, which is 20× 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 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 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 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 26 Ω | Headroom | Output impedance | Hiss in these |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RME ADI-2 DAC FS | $1399 | 1.1 W | 20.4 dB | 0.1 Ω | -7 dB SPL |
| RME ADI-2 Pro FS R | $2199 | 2.4 W | 23.8 dB | 0.1 Ω | -7 dB SPL |
| RME ADI-2 Pro EX | $2499 | 1.9 W | 22.8 dB | 0.1 Ω | -7 dB SPL |
4 of the 65 audio interfaces here publish all three figures. 3 of those clear all three for the Dan Clark Audio Expanse, and the cheapest is the RME ADI-2 DAC FS at $1399.
It delivers 1.1 W into 26 Ω where this headphone needs 10 mW for 100 dB — 20.4 dB of headroom — its output impedance of 0.1 Ω sits under the one-eighth ceiling of 3.25 Ω, and its 2.18 µV of noise leaves the hiss 27 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MOTU M2 | $219 | 271 mW | not published | not published | Comfortable |
| SSL 2 MkII | $229 | 304 mW | 1 Ω | not published | Comfortable |
| MOTU M4 | $279 | 271 mW | not published | not published | Comfortable |
| Apogee BOOM | $299 | 195 mW | 0.5 Ω | not published | Comfortable |
| SSL 2 Plus MkII | $299 | 304 mW | 1 Ω | not published | Comfortable |
| M-Audio AIR 192|14 | $329 | 130 mW | not published | not published | Comfortable |
| MOTU M6 | $499 | 271 mW | not published | not published | Comfortable |
| SSL 12 | $599 | 961 mW | 1 Ω | not published | Comfortable |
| Apogee Duet 3 | $649 | 961 mW | 0.5 Ω | not published | Comfortable |
| MOTU UltraLite-mk5 | $699 | 383 mW | 1 Ω | not published | Comfortable |
| Universal Audio Volt 876 | $999 | 183 mW | not published | not published | Comfortable |
| RME ADI-2 DAC FS | $1399 | 1.1 W | 0.1 Ω | -7 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: portable players · desktop amplifiers · desktop DAC/amps.
The Dan Clark Audio Expanse page has every source in the database against this headphone, and the matcher takes your own numbers.