The answer — one pick, priced
Get the
iFi xDSD Gryphon
no budget ceiling
1000mW balanced and every input — the most powerful in-production pick across these 11 sources, and $91 less than the Amazon Chord Mojo 2 listing.
Fit ledger — need → measured evidence
■ The catch — co-equal billing, always
iFi publishes no output impedance for it. Every other spec is public, but the one number that decides whether a low-impedance multi-driver IEM keeps its intended frequency response is missing — the Mojo 2's 0.06 ohm is the only measured figure on this card. And above roughly $200 these units are close to audibly transparent: you are buying power, inputs and IEMatch here, not resolution.
Dealbreaker? Runner-up №1 — the Mojo 2 publishes 0.06 ohm ↓
■ Every product has a catch. Verdicts that hide it are how bad buys happen.
Don't buy this if…
- you want a USB DAC for desktop/PC use only and never away from a wall outlet — desktop DACs offer more power and connectivity per dollarStereo amplifier verdict →
- you only need wireless earbuds with built-in DAC and no external devicePremium wireless earbud verdict →
- you want a Bluetooth speaker, not a headphone DAC/ampBluetooth speaker verdict →
Wrong product for you is still a bad buy. These are the cases where we'd send you somewhere else.
Runners-up — if your needs differ
Adjacent verdicts — other needs, same method
Different budget, different household, different job — each of these is already researched, priced and verified. Take the one that matches your need.
Traps — this verdict avoids
Why the iFi xDSD Gryphon is right for you
It avoids every trap below — and for just me, no budget cap, it is the pick because it delivers:
"Desktop mode" is not phone power
The number on the box is measured with a second USB port feeding the device. The FiiO BTR17 is rated 650mW into 32 ohms balanced in desktop mode but drops to roughly 300mW on phone power alone — and the KA13, KA17 and BTR17 all need external power to reach their headline figure.
Hiss is the failure you'll actually hear
Above roughly $200 competent units are close to audibly transparent; what you do hear is hiss when an ultra-sensitive IEM (>110 dB/mW) meets a high-output amp. A high output impedance also shifts a low-impedance multi-driver IEM's frequency response — favour a published figure under 1 ohm (the Chord Mojo 2's 0.06 ohm is the only measured number on this card) or an IEMatch attenuator.
The 4.4mm socket costs extra
Balanced 4.4mm delivers 2-4x the power of 3.5mm and is what every big power figure here is quoted from — but it needs a 4.4mm-terminated headphone cable you almost certainly don't own, a separate $20-$60 purchase. An iPhone 14 or earlier also needs a USB-C-to-Lightning adapter ($10-$20) unless the DAC ships with one.
Provenance — 11 sources, dated
Winners are picked from the full research dossier at knowledgelib.io. Prices, stock and listings are re-verified monthly.