Both are desktop DAC/amps, $2399 against $2050. This page puts them side by side on the only three things a maker can be held to — power, output impedance and noise — and then asks the question that actually matters: which headphones do they treat differently?
The Benchmark DAC3 HGC reaches 100 dB on 567 of the 567 models here, the Ferrum ERCO on 566.
| Specification | Benchmark DAC3 HGC | Ferrum ERCO |
|---|---|---|
| Power into 32Ω | 1.2 W | 1.1 W |
| Power into 150Ω | 250 mW | 580 mW |
| Power into 300Ω | 125 mW | 300 mW |
| Power into 600Ω | 62 mW | 150 mW |
| Output impedance | 0.11 Ω | 0.3 Ω |
| Output noise | not published | not published |
| Price | $2399 | $2050 |
| Headphones it reaches 100 dB on out of 567 | 567 | 566 |
A figure marked not published is missing from the maker’s own material, which is not the same as being good or bad. Where one of these two publishes a number and the other does not, the comparison on that axis cannot be made at all — and saying so is more useful than guessing.
1 headphone reaches 100 dB on the Benchmark DAC3 HGC but not on the Ferrum ERCO — Symphonium Titan.
566 of the 567 models here reach 100 dB on both. That is a power count and nothing more; whether either source suits a given headphone also depends on the two lines above.
Each has a page of its own with every power figure traced to what the maker published and a full headphone list: Benchmark DAC3 HGC and Ferrum ERCO. Or put either against your own headphones in the source comparison tool.