Ferrum OOR vs HeadAmp GS-X mk2

Short answer

  • More power: the HeadAmp GS-X mk2, with 7.06 W into 32 Ω; the Ferrum OOR has 1.07 W. The HeadAmp GS-X mk2 drives 1 headphone to 100 dB that the Ferrum OOR cannot (Symphonium Titan).
  • Hiss with sensitive IEMs: cannot be compared — the maker of the HeadAmp GS-X mk2 publishes no noise figure.
  • Price: the HeadAmp GS-X mk2 costs $1000 more; what that buys on these numbers is set out further down, under What the price difference buys.

Both are desktop amplifiers, $1995 against $2995.

The HeadAmp GS-X mk2 reaches 100 dB on 567 of the 567 models here, the Ferrum OOR on 566.

Every published figure, next to each other

SpecificationFerrum OORHeadAmp GS-X mk2
Power into 32Ω1.1 W7.1 W
Power into 150Ω800 mW2.0 W
Power into 300Ω400 mW1.0 W
Power into 600Ω200 mW500 mW
Output impedance0.3 Ωnot published
Output noise1.5 µV unverifiednot published
Price$1995$2995
Headphones it reaches 100 dB on
out of 567
566567

Not published means the maker leaves it out, so that axis cannot be compared.

The 4.4 mm or XLR socket, rated on its own

BalancedFerrum OORHeadAmp GS-X mk2
SocketXLR4no separate rating
Power into 32Ω4.3 W derived—
Power into 300Ω1.6 W—
Output impedance0.3 Ω—
Output noisenot published—
Headphones it reaches 100 dB on
out of 567
567—

Only the Ferrum OOR has a separate balanced rating from its maker; through it, it reaches 100 dB on 567 of the 567 models here. The HeadAmp GS-X mk2 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.

Where each power figure comes from

LoadFerrum OORHeadAmp GS-X mk2
32 ΩDerivedDerived
150 ΩDerivedDerived
300 ΩPublishedDerived
600 ΩDerivedDerived

Only one of these two columns starts from a power rating. Ferrum OOR publishes one at 300 Ω; HeadAmp GS-X mk2 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 HeadAmp GS-X mk2 understates rather than flatters — but at 300 Ω is the only load here at which its maker can be held to a figure.

What the labels mean.

The headphones that tell them apart

1 headphone reaches 100 dB on the HeadAmp GS-X mk2 but not on the Ferrum OOR — Symphonium Titan.

566 of the 567 models here reach 100 dB on both.

Headroom and hiss on 8 models, both sources

Headroom is at a 100 dB SPL peak.

The widest gap on the list is the Shure SE846: HeadAmp GS-X mk2 has +49 dB of headroom there against +39 dB. 10 dB is about 9.6 times the power, which matters for peaks rather than for how loud the music sits.

The hiss columns are empty for Ferrum OOR and HeadAmp GS-X mk2 because neither maker publishes no output noise figure.

HeadphoneImpedanceNeedsFerrum OOR headroomHeadAmp GS-X mk2 headroomFerrum OOR hissHeadAmp GS-X mk2 hiss
Shure SE8469 Ω0.04 mW+39 dB+49 dBnot publishednot published
Campfire Audio Andromeda 20209 Ω4.0 mW+19 dB+29 dBnot publishednot published
Audeze LCD-2 Classic70 Ω0.79 mW+33 dB+37 dBnot publishednot published
Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro (250Ω)250 Ω0.63 mW+29 dB+33 dBnot publishednot published
HiFiMAN HE400se25 Ω7.9 mW+20 dB+30 dBnot publishednot published
Audio-Technica ATH-R70X470 Ω1.6 mW+22 dB+26 dBnot publishednot published
Sennheiser HD 600300 Ω6.6 mW+18 dB+22 dBnot publishednot published
HiFiMAN Susvara60 Ω50 mW+16 dB+20 dBnot publishednot published

The gap in dollars, against the gap in numbers

The HeadAmp GS-X mk2 costs $1000 more than the Ferrum OOR. Out of the 567 models here, that difference buys 1 more model driven to 100 dB.

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.

Both pages in full

Each in full: Ferrum OOR and HeadAmp GS-X mk2.

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