kukkurovaca
1000+ Head-Fier
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- Apr 7, 2017
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"I was told this P1 requires at least 300mW (32Ohm) capable amp to drive it. Is it true?"
No: My old FiiO X1 DAP is rated at ">100mW @ 16 Ohm, >65mW @ 32 Ohm, > 8mW @ 300Ohm". And I can only drive my P1 with roughly 70 % of maximal possible loudness. My Pioneer XDP-100 has "75 mW + 75 mW 32 Ω". And to play it loud I have to go to its maximum. If I use DAC/Amps it is different: The Topping NX4 DSD has 114 mW on 300 Ω and 293 mW on 32 Ω. But it gets not loud enough for me. There seems to be something else than mere output power.
I don't have the P1, but planars want more current, in particular, than other driver types, and some amps do that better than others, even within the same overall power output. Also, if your headphones aren't exactly at an impedance that's specified by the amp maker, then it can be hard to know what the actual output would be. Few manufacturers give complete output/impedance curves.
That being said, in the case of the NX4, you may want to check other parts of your chain, to make sure volume isn't being constrained before it gets to the DAC.