Short answer
Both are audio interfaces, $299 against $210.
The Apogee BOOM reaches 100 dB on 565 of the 567 models here, the Roland Rubix22 on 542.
| Specification | Apogee BOOM | Roland Rubix22 |
|---|---|---|
| Power into 32Ω | 240 mW | 19 mW |
| Power into 150Ω | 51 mW | 15 mW |
| Power into 300Ω | 26 mW | 9.4 mW |
| Power into 600Ω | 13 mW | 5.4 mW |
| Output impedance | 0.5 Ω | 47 Ω |
| Output noise | not published | not published |
| Price | $299 | $210 |
| Headphones it reaches 100 dB on out of 567 | 565 | 542 |
Not published means the maker leaves it out, so that axis cannot be compared.
| Load | Apogee BOOM | Roland Rubix22 |
|---|---|---|
| 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; Roland Rubix22 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 Roland Rubix22 understates rather than flatters — but at 32 Ω is the only load here at which its maker can be held to a figure.
23 headphones reach 100 dB on the Apogee BOOM but not on the Roland Rubix22 — Audeze LCD-5, Dan Clark Audio AEON 2 Closed, Dan Clark Audio AEON 2 Noire, 20 more.
560 headphones are left alone by the Apogee BOOM under the one-eighth rule but coloured by the Roland Rubix22 (64 Audio Aspire 1, 64 Audio Fourte, 64 Audio Nio, 557 more).
542 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 Shure SE846: Apogee BOOM has +32 dB of headroom there against +21 dB. 11 dB is about 12 times the power, which matters for peaks rather than for how loud the music sits.
The hiss columns are empty for Apogee BOOM and Roland Rubix22 because neither maker publishes no output noise figure.
| Headphone | Impedance | Needs | Apogee BOOM headroom | Roland Rubix22 headroom | Apogee BOOM hiss | Roland Rubix22 hiss |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shure SE846 | 9 Ω | 0.04 mW | +32 dB | +21 dB damping | not published | not published |
| Campfire Audio Andromeda 2020 | 9 Ω | 4.0 mW | +12 dB | +1 dB damping | not published | not published |
| Audeze LCD-2 Classic | 70 Ω | 0.79 mW | +21 dB | +13 dB damping | not published | not published |
| Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro (250Ω) | 250 Ω | 0.63 mW | +17 dB | +12 dB damping | not published | not published |
| HiFiMAN HE400se | 25 Ω | 7.9 mW | +14 dB | +3 dB damping | not published | not published |
| Audio-Technica ATH-R70X | 470 Ω | 1.6 mW | +10 dB | +6 dB | not published | not published |
| Sennheiser HD 600 | 300 Ω | 6.6 mW | +6 dB | +2 dB damping | not published | not published |
| HiFiMAN Susvara | 60 Ω | 50 mW | +4 dB | -4 dB damping | not published | not published |
The Apogee BOOM costs $89 more than the Roland Rubix22. Out of the 567 models here, that difference buys 23 more models driven to 100 dB and 560 more models left alone under the one-eighth rule.
Nothing runs the other way: there is no axis here on which the cheaper of the two does better.
Only published figures count here; blank axes are counted separately.
Each in full: Apogee BOOM and Roland Rubix22.