Short answer
Both are desktop amplifiers, $350 against $289.
The SMSL SH-9 reaches 100 dB on 567 of the 567 models here, the Lake People G103-S Mk II on 566.
| Specification | Lake People G103-S Mk II | SMSL SH-9 |
|---|---|---|
| Power into 32Ω | 1.0 W | 3.0 W |
| Power into 150Ω | 804 mW | 741 mW |
| Power into 300Ω | 580 mW | 440 mW |
| Power into 600Ω | 340 mW | 220 mW |
| Output impedance | 0.1 Ω | <0.1 Ω |
| Output noise | 6.15 µV | 1.5 µV unverified |
| Price | $350 | $289 |
| Headphones it reaches 100 dB on out of 567 | 566 | 567 |
| Load | Lake People G103-S Mk II | SMSL SH-9 |
|---|---|---|
| 32 Ω | Published | Published |
| 150 Ω | Derived | Derived |
| 300 Ω | Published | Published |
| 600 Ω | Published | Published |
Both makers publish a power rating. Lake People G103-S Mk II publishes at 32 Ω, at 300 Ω and at 600 Ω; SMSL SH-9 at 32 Ω, at 300 Ω and at 600 Ω. The other rows are worked out from those.
The two publish at the same loads, which is the one case where the rows of this table can be read straight across.
1 headphone reaches 100 dB on the SMSL SH-9 but not on the Lake People G103-S Mk II — Symphonium Titan.
566 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: SMSL SH-9 has +49 dB of headroom there against +38 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 SMSL SH-9 because that maker publishes no output noise figure.
| Headphone | Impedance | Needs | Lake People G103-S Mk II headroom | SMSL SH-9 headroom | Lake People G103-S Mk II hiss | SMSL SH-9 hiss |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shure SE846 | 9 Ω | 0.04 mW | +38 dB | +49 dB | 30 dB | not published |
| Campfire Audio Andromeda 2020 | 9 Ω | 4.0 mW | +18 dB | +29 dB | 10 dB | not published |
| Audeze LCD-2 Classic | 70 Ω | 0.79 mW | +32 dB | +33 dB | 8 dB | not published |
| Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro (250Ω) | 250 Ω | 0.63 mW | +30 dB | +29 dB | 4 dB | not published |
| HiFiMAN HE400se | 25 Ω | 7.9 mW | +20 dB | +27 dB | 3 dB | not published |
| Audio-Technica ATH-R70X | 470 Ω | 1.6 mW | +24 dB | +22 dB | -3 dB | not published |
| Sennheiser HD 600 | 300 Ω | 6.6 mW | +19 dB | +18 dB | -7 dB | not published |
| HiFiMAN Susvara | 60 Ω | 50 mW | +14 dB | +15 dB | -9 dB | not published |
The Lake People G103-S Mk II costs $61 more than the SMSL SH-9, and on these three axes the money buys nothing: among the 567 models here there is not one that the Lake People G103-S Mk II handles and the SMSL SH-9 does not — not on power, not on the one-eighth rule, not on hiss. The traffic runs the other way: the cheaper SMSL SH-9 drives one model to 100 dB that the Lake People G103-S Mk II does not.
Only published figures count here; blank axes are counted separately.
Each in full: Lake People G103-S Mk II and SMSL SH-9.