Both are desktop amplifiers, $699 against $699. 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 SMSL SH-X reaches 100 dB on 567 of the 567 models here, the Rupert Neve RNHP on 566.
| Specification | Rupert Neve RNHP | SMSL SH-X |
|---|---|---|
| Power into 32Ω | 262 mW | 5.5 W |
| Power into 150Ω | 175 mW | 1.2 W |
| Power into 300Ω | 88 mW | 600 mW |
| Power into 600Ω | 44 mW | 300 mW |
| Output impedance | 0.08 Ω | <0.1 Ω |
| Output noise | 8.03 µV | not published |
| Price | $699 | $699 |
| Headphones it reaches 100 dB on out of 567 | 566 | 567 |
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 SMSL SH-X but not on the Rupert Neve RNHP — 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: Rupert Neve RNHP and SMSL SH-X. Or put either against your own headphones in the source comparison tool.