Holo Audio Bliss KTE vs SPL Phonitor x

Short answer

  • More power: the Holo Audio Bliss KTE, with 3.00 W into 32 Ω; the SPL Phonitor x has 1.00 W (balanced: 12.00 W against 700 mW). The Holo Audio Bliss KTE drives 1 headphone to 100 dB that the SPL Phonitor x cannot (Symphonium Titan).
  • Hiss with sensitive IEMs: cannot be compared — the maker of the Holo Audio Bliss KTE publishes no noise figure.
  • Output impedance: 15 headphones are left alone by the SPL Phonitor x under the one-eighth rule but coloured by the Holo Audio Bliss KTE (64 Audio Nio, 64 Audio Volur, Campfire Audio Andromeda 2023, 12 more).
  • Price: the Holo Audio Bliss KTE costs $598 more; what that buys on these numbers is set out further down, under What the price difference buys.

Both are desktop amplifiers, $3798 against $3200.

The Holo Audio Bliss KTE reaches 100 dB on 567 of the 567 models here, the SPL Phonitor x on 566.

Every published figure, next to each other

SpecificationHolo Audio Bliss KTESPL Phonitor x
Power into 32Ω3.0 W1.0 W
Power into 150Ω600 mW3.1 W
Power into 300Ω300 mW4.2 W
Power into 600Ω150 mW2.1 W
Output impedance1.0 Ω0.18 Ω
Output noisenot published5.48 µV
Price$3798$3200
Headphones it reaches 100 dB on
out of 567
567566

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

BalancedHolo Audio Bliss KTESPL Phonitor x
Socket4-pin XLRbalanced
Power into 32Ω12.0 W700 mW
Power into 300Ω1.2 W derived2.9 W derived
Output impedance<0.1 Ω0.36 Ω
Output noisenot published9.75 µV
Headphones it reaches 100 dB on
out of 567
567566

Through the balanced sockets the Holo Audio Bliss KTE reaches 100 dB on 567 of the 567 models here and the SPL Phonitor x on 566. Derived figures are worked out from the loads the maker did publish.

Where each power figure comes from

LoadHolo Audio Bliss KTESPL Phonitor x
32 ΩPublishedPublished
150 ΩPublishedDerived
300 ΩDerivedDerived
600 ΩDerivedDerived

Both makers publish a power rating. Holo Audio Bliss KTE publishes at 32 Ω and at 150 Ω; SPL Phonitor x at 32 Ω. The other rows are worked out from those.

So the two columns are not equally firm row by row: at 150 Ω only the Holo Audio Bliss KTE figure is the maker’s own. On those rows the derived number is the one to doubt first.

What the labels mean.

The headphones that tell them apart

1 headphone reaches 100 dB on the Holo Audio Bliss KTE but not on the SPL Phonitor x — Symphonium Titan.

15 headphones are left alone by the SPL Phonitor x under the one-eighth rule but coloured by the Holo Audio Bliss KTE (64 Audio Nio, 64 Audio Volur, Campfire Audio Andromeda 2023, 12 more).

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 Sennheiser HD 600: SPL Phonitor x has +28 dB of headroom there against +17 dB. 11 dB is about 14 times the power, which matters for peaks rather than for how loud the music sits.

The hiss columns are empty for Holo Audio Bliss KTE because that maker publishes no output noise figure.

HeadphoneImpedanceNeedsHolo Audio Bliss KTE headroomSPL Phonitor x headroomHolo Audio Bliss KTE hissSPL Phonitor x hiss
Shure SE8469 Ω0.04 mW+43 dB+38 dBnot published29 dB
Campfire Audio Andromeda 20209 Ω4.0 mW+23 dB+18 dBnot published9 dB
Audeze LCD-2 Classic70 Ω0.79 mW+32 dB+33 dBnot published7 dB
Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro (250Ω)250 Ω0.63 mW+28 dB+39 dBnot published3 dB
HiFiMAN HE400se25 Ω7.9 mW+25 dB+20 dBnot published2 dB
Audio-Technica ATH-R70X470 Ω1.6 mW+21 dB+32 dBnot published-4 dB
Sennheiser HD 600300 Ω6.6 mW+17 dB+28 dBnot published-8 dB
HiFiMAN Susvara60 Ω50 mW+15 dB+15 dBnot published-10 dB

The gap in dollars, against the gap in numbers

The Holo Audio Bliss KTE costs $598 more than the SPL Phonitor x. Out of the 567 models here, that difference buys 1 more model driven to 100 dB.

It does not run one way only: the cheaper SPL Phonitor x leaves 15 models alone under the one-eighth rule that the Holo Audio Bliss KTE does not, which is the part worth checking against your own headphones before paying the difference.

Only published figures count here; blank axes are counted separately.

Both pages in full

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