Short answer
Both are portable players, $180 against $179.
The TempoTec Variations V3 Blaze reaches 100 dB on 566 of the 567 models here, the Surfans F28 on 561.
| Specification | Surfans F28 | TempoTec Variations V3 Blaze |
|---|---|---|
| Power into 32Ω | 125 mW | 825 mW |
| Power into 150Ω | 27 mW | 176 mW |
| Power into 300Ω | 13 mW | 88 mW |
| Power into 600Ω | 6.7 mW | 44 mW |
| Output impedance | not published | not published |
| Output noise | not published | not published |
| Price | $180 | $179 |
| Headphones it reaches 100 dB on out of 567 | 561 | 566 |
Not published means the maker leaves it out, so that axis cannot be compared.
| Balanced | Surfans F28 | TempoTec Variations V3 Blaze |
|---|---|---|
| Socket | 4.4mm | no separate rating |
| Power into 32Ω | 450 mW | — |
| Power into 300Ω | 48 mW derived | — |
| Output impedance | not published | — |
| Output noise | not published | — |
| Headphones it reaches 100 dB on out of 567 | 566 | — |
Only the Surfans F28 has a separate balanced rating from its maker; through it, it reaches 100 dB on 566 of the 567 models here. The TempoTec Variations V3 Blaze 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 | Surfans F28 | TempoTec Variations V3 Blaze |
|---|---|---|
| 32 Ω | Published | Published |
| 150 Ω | Derived | Derived |
| 300 Ω | Derived | Derived |
| 600 Ω | Derived | Derived |
Both makers publish a power rating. Surfans F28 publishes at 32 Ω; TempoTec Variations V3 Blaze at 32 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.
5 headphones reach 100 dB on the TempoTec Variations V3 Blaze but not on the Surfans F28 — Moondrop COSMO, Moondrop PARA, Symphonium Crimson, 2 more.
561 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 Sennheiser HD 600: TempoTec Variations V3 Blaze has +11 dB of headroom there against +3 dB. 8 dB is about 6.6 times the power, which matters for peaks rather than for how loud the music sits.
The hiss columns are empty for Surfans F28 and TempoTec Variations V3 Blaze because neither maker publishes no output noise figure.
| Headphone | Impedance | Needs | Surfans F28 headroom | TempoTec Variations V3 Blaze headroom | Surfans F28 hiss | TempoTec Variations V3 Blaze hiss |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shure SE846 | 9 Ω | 0.04 mW | +29 dB | +38 dB | not published | not published |
| Campfire Audio Andromeda 2020 | 9 Ω | 4.0 mW | +9 dB | +18 dB | not published | not published |
| Audeze LCD-2 Classic | 70 Ω | 0.79 mW | +19 dB | +27 dB | not published | not published |
| Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro (250Ω) | 250 Ω | 0.63 mW | +14 dB | +22 dB | not published | not published |
| HiFiMAN HE400se | 25 Ω | 7.9 mW | +11 dB | +19 dB | not published | not published |
| Audio-Technica ATH-R70X | 470 Ω | 1.6 mW | +7 dB | +15 dB | not published | not published |
| Sennheiser HD 600 | 300 Ω | 6.6 mW | +3 dB | +11 dB | not published | not published |
| HiFiMAN Susvara | 60 Ω | 50 mW | +1 dB | +9 dB | not published | not published |
The Surfans F28 costs $1 more than the TempoTec Variations V3 Blaze, and on these three axes the money buys nothing: among the 567 models here there is not one that the Surfans F28 handles and the TempoTec Variations V3 Blaze does not — not on power, not on the one-eighth rule, not on hiss. The traffic runs the other way: the cheaper TempoTec Variations V3 Blaze drives 5 models to 100 dB that the Surfans F28 does not.
Only published figures count here; blank axes are counted separately.
Each in full: Surfans F28 and TempoTec Variations V3 Blaze.