Short answer
Both are desktop amplifiers, $375 against $600.
The Soncoz SGA1 reaches 100 dB on 566 of the 567 models here, the Bottlehead Crack (OTL kit) on 565.
| Specification | Bottlehead Crack (OTL kit) | Soncoz SGA1 |
|---|---|---|
| Power into 32Ω | 271 mW | 407 mW |
| Power into 150Ω | 403 mW | 207 mW |
| Power into 300Ω | 333 mW | 210 mW |
| Power into 600Ω | 227 mW | 105 mW |
| Output impedance | 120.0 Ω | 0.1 Ω |
| Output noise | not published | 1.8 µV |
| Price | $375 | $600 |
| Headphones it reaches 100 dB on out of 567 | 565 | 566 |
Not published means the maker leaves it out, so that axis cannot be compared.
| Balanced | Bottlehead Crack (OTL kit) | Soncoz SGA1 |
|---|---|---|
| Socket | no separate rating | 4-Pin XLR + 4.4mm |
| Power into 32Ω | — | 407 mW derived |
| Power into 300Ω | — | 840 mW |
| Output impedance | — | 0.05 Ω |
| Output noise | — | 3.6 µV |
| Headphones it reaches 100 dB on out of 567 | — | 566 |
Only the Soncoz SGA1 has a separate balanced rating from its maker; through it, it reaches 100 dB on 566 of the 567 models here. The Bottlehead Crack (OTL kit) may still have a balanced socket — its spec sheet simply gives no figure for one, so there is nothing to put beside it. Derived figures are worked out from the loads the maker did publish.
| Load | Bottlehead Crack (OTL kit) | Soncoz SGA1 |
|---|---|---|
| 32 Ω | Derived | Derived |
| 150 Ω | Derived | Derived |
| 300 Ω | Published | Published |
| 600 Ω | Derived | Published |
Both makers publish a power rating. Bottlehead Crack (OTL kit) publishes at 300 Ω; Soncoz SGA1 at 300 Ω and at 600 Ω. The other rows are worked out from those.
So the two columns are not equally firm row by row: at 600 Ω only the Soncoz SGA1 figure is the maker’s own. On those rows the derived number is the one to doubt first.
1 headphone reaches 100 dB on the Soncoz SGA1 but not on the Bottlehead Crack (OTL kit) — Moondrop PARA.
567 headphones are left alone by the Soncoz SGA1 under the one-eighth rule but coloured by the Bottlehead Crack (OTL kit) (64 Audio Aspire 1, 64 Audio Fourte, 64 Audio Nio, 564 more).
565 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 Audio-Technica ATH-R70X: Bottlehead Crack (OTL kit) has +22 dB of headroom there against +19 dB. 3 dB is about 1.9 times the power, which matters for peaks rather than for how loud the music sits.
The hiss columns are empty for Bottlehead Crack (OTL kit) because that maker publishes no output noise figure.
| Headphone | Impedance | Needs | Bottlehead Crack (OTL kit) headroom | Soncoz SGA1 headroom | Bottlehead Crack (OTL kit) hiss | Soncoz SGA1 hiss |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shure SE846 | 9 Ω | 0.04 mW | +33 dB damping | +35 dB | not published | 20 dB |
| Campfire Audio Andromeda 2020 | 9 Ω | 4.0 mW | +13 dB damping | +15 dB | not published | -0 dB |
| Audeze LCD-2 Classic | 70 Ω | 0.79 mW | +26 dB damping | +25 dB | not published | -2 dB |
| Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro (250Ω) | 250 Ω | 0.63 mW | +27 dB damping | +25 dB | not published | -7 dB |
| HiFiMAN HE400se | 25 Ω | 7.9 mW | +14 dB damping | +16 dB | not published | -8 dB |
| Audio-Technica ATH-R70X | 470 Ω | 1.6 mW | +22 dB damping | +19 dB | not published | -14 dB |
| Sennheiser HD 600 | 300 Ω | 6.6 mW | +17 dB damping | +15 dB | not published | -18 dB |
| HiFiMAN Susvara | 60 Ω | 50 mW | +7 dB damping | +8 dB | not published | -20 dB |
The Soncoz SGA1 costs $225 more than the Bottlehead Crack (OTL kit). Out of the 567 models here, that difference buys 1 more model driven to 100 dB and 567 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: Bottlehead Crack (OTL kit) and Soncoz SGA1.