Short answer
Both are audio interfaces, both at $299.
The Apogee BOOM reaches 100 dB on 565 of the 567 models here, the PreSonus Studio 68c on 558.
| Specification | Apogee BOOM | PreSonus Studio 68c |
|---|---|---|
| Power into 32Ω | 240 mW | 86 mW |
| Power into 150Ω | 51 mW | 56 mW |
| Power into 300Ω | 26 mW | 28 mW |
| Power into 600Ω | 13 mW | 14 mW |
| Output impedance | 0.5 Ω | not published |
| Output noise | not published | not published |
| Price | $299 | $299 |
| Headphones it reaches 100 dB on out of 567 | 565 | 558 |
Not published means the maker leaves it out, so that axis cannot be compared.
| Load | Apogee BOOM | PreSonus Studio 68c |
|---|---|---|
| 32 Ω | Published | Derived |
| 150 Ω | Derived | Derived |
| 300 Ω | Derived | Derived |
| 600 Ω | Derived | Derived |
Only one of these two columns starts from a power rating. Apogee BOOM publishes one at 32 Ω; PreSonus Studio 68c publishes none at any of these four loads, so its column is worked out from power it published at other loads. Both are arithmetic on a maker’s own figures rather than guesses, and the method used for the PreSonus Studio 68c understates rather than flatters — but at 32 Ω is the only load here at which its maker can be held to a figure.
7 headphones reach 100 dB on the Apogee BOOM but not on the PreSonus Studio 68c — Moondrop COSMO, Moondrop PARA 2, Moondrop VENUS, 4 more.
558 of the 567 models here reach 100 dB on both.
Headroom is at a 100 dB SPL peak.
The widest gap on the list is the HiFiMAN HE400se: Apogee BOOM has +14 dB of headroom there against +9 dB. 4 dB is about 2.8 times the power, which matters for peaks rather than for how loud the music sits.
The hiss columns are empty for Apogee BOOM and PreSonus Studio 68c because neither maker publishes no output noise figure.
| Headphone | Impedance | Needs | Apogee BOOM headroom | PreSonus Studio 68c headroom | Apogee BOOM hiss | PreSonus Studio 68c hiss |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shure SE846 | 9 Ω | 0.04 mW | +32 dB | +28 dB | not published | not published |
| Campfire Audio Andromeda 2020 | 9 Ω | 4.0 mW | +12 dB | +8 dB | not published | not published |
| Audeze LCD-2 Classic | 70 Ω | 0.79 mW | +21 dB | +22 dB | not published | not published |
| Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro (250Ω) | 250 Ω | 0.63 mW | +17 dB | +17 dB | not published | not published |
| HiFiMAN HE400se | 25 Ω | 7.9 mW | +14 dB | +9 dB | not published | not published |
| Audio-Technica ATH-R70X | 470 Ω | 1.6 mW | +10 dB | +11 dB | not published | not published |
| Sennheiser HD 600 | 300 Ω | 6.6 mW | +6 dB | +6 dB | not published | not published |
| HiFiMAN Susvara | 60 Ω | 50 mW | +4 dB | +4 dB | not published | not published |
These two cost the same, $299, so price settles nothing. Out of the 567 models here, the Apogee BOOM drives 7 models to 100 dB — and on the other side there is no such advantage at all.
Only published figures count here; blank axes are counted separately.
Each in full: Apogee BOOM and PreSonus Studio 68c.