Have you ever felt your headphones sounded a little low, and is there just a way to make them louder and better? The solution to your problem is a headphone amp.
Quick Answer
A headphone amp is a mini audio amplifier that improves your wired headphone’s loudness, clarity, and details. It makes the headphone’s sound much better than your smartphone or laptop’s audio jack.
You can get a headphone amp for as low as $50 and couple it with your wired headphones to take your music-listening experience several notches higher.
In this article, we’ll discuss in detail how a headphone amp works, different types of amps, and whether you should even get one.
How Does a Headphone Amp Work?
A headphone amp basically takes digital audio signals from your laptop/smartphone (through the USB port) and converts them into analog signals. The analog signals are then sent to your headphones through a 3.5mm headphone jack.
A headphone amp has an internal circuit that receives low-power digital audio signals from your laptop, amplifies them, converts them into analog signals, and sends them to the wired headphones. Such headphone amplifiers are also called DACs (digital to analog converters).
There are several smartphone-friendly headphone amps (like the iFi Go Link) that connect to your smartphone via the USB-C port. The amp’s package also comes with a USB-A adapter to connect it to a laptop/desktop.
Do I Need a Headphone Amplifier?
If you’re using high-quality wired headphones (>$100), I highly recommend getting a headphone amp.
During my time at Audio46, a lot of customers would complain that their wired headphones don’t sound as good as they expected. Then, I would connect their headphones to a headphone amp, and they’d be blown away by the improvement in sound output and clarity.
A headphone amp makes a world of difference to your audio listening experience when compared to your smartphone or laptop’s built-in 3.5mm headphone jack.
My Personal Experience with a Headphone Amp
I still remember the first time I paired my Soundmagic E11C in-ear headphones with a USB-C headphone amp.
The earbuds sounded so much better.
I could hear intricate sound details, improved soundstage, and a few instruments, which were missing when listening to music via my smartphone’s headphone jack.
I listened to ‘Sound the Bugle,’ composed by Hans Zimmer and sung by Bryan Adams. Music composed by Hans Zimmer is exceptionally layered, and there are plenty of instruments and intricate sounds used within a song.
I’ve been listening to this song since 2007; however, when I coupled it with a headphone amp, the experience changed altogether.
Firstly, the headphone amp improved the song’s clarity; thus, I didn’t need to listen to the song at a higher volume.
Plus, I could hear cracks in Bryan Adams’ vocals and tiny sounds scattered across the song like bells, trinkets, steel drums, synthesizers, and more. The bass also sounded much deeper and tighter, and the headphones had an overall improved soundstage.
Headphone amp vs built-in Headphone Jack
Most laptop and smartphone manufacturers use cheap-quality or cost-effective electronic circuits for the headphone jack to keep the product price.
Hence, you get a below-average audio quality when listening to music on your headphones via the smartphone/laptop’s cheap integrated headphone amp.
The integrated amp doesn’t offer enough power to drive your wired headphones to their full potential, which leaves you with a below-par audio listening experience.
On the other hand, a headphone amp comes with advanced circuitry and a high-quality audio processor, which gives you improved sound quality and audio performance.
The vital use of a headphone amp is to drive high-impedance headphones. Over-ear headphones like the Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro have a high impedance of 250 Ohms.
Hence, to drive such high-impedance headphones, you need a powerful headphone amp to get the best audio quality from them. In some cases, the headphone amp costs as much as the headphones or more.
Portable vs Desktop Headphone Amp
With the standardization of USB-C across smartphones, tablets, and laptops, there’s a massive emergence of portable headphone amps.
A portable headphone amp connects directly to your smartphone’s USB-C port, and the other end has a headphone jack.
The design of a portable amp is similar to Apple’s USB-C to 3.5mm headphone jack adapter. Thus, you can carry it in your pocket and listen to high-quality audio on the go.
On the other hand, a desktop headphone amp is bigger in size and ideal for a desktop setup.
It connects to your desktop via a USB cable. Depending on the desktop amp’s size, it draws power via the USB port or has a dedicated power cable.
A desktop headphone amp can also have multiple headphone jacks, coaxial output, volume controller, knobs to control bass & treble, and more.
Here’s a quick comparison between portable and desktop headphone amps.
| Portable Amp | Desktop Amp | |
| Connectivity | Only one headphone jack | Multiple connectivity options |
| Volume Controller | No | Yes |
| Power Output | Ideal for in-ear headphones | Best for high-impedance over-ear headphones |
| Sound Quality | Better than your smartphone’s integrated headphone amp | Superior sound quality and support for high-resolution audio |
| Ideal For? | Casual listening and during commutes | Driving high-impedance headphones and for audio enthusiasts |
| Cost | <$50 | $100-$600 |
Advantages of a Headphone Amp
- Drives your wired earphones and headphones better, which results in improved loudness, clarity, and more details
- Instruments and vocals are more audible than before
- Improved soundstage
- Support high-resolution audio up to 384 kHz and 32-bit audio
- Available in portable form factor and under $50
- Must for driving high impedance (>80Ω) headphones
Disadvantages of a Headphone Amp
- Cannot be used with wireless earbuds and headphones
- Additional wires and cables on your desktop
- A good quality headphone amp can cost over $100
FAQs
Can I use a headphone amp with Bluetooth headphones?
No! Headphone amps do not work with Bluetooth headphones because they have their own built-in amp and audio processor. However, there are a few wireless headphone amps that connect to your laptop/smartphone wirelessly via Bluetooth, and then you can connect your wired headphones to the amp.
Do I need a headphone amp for all my headphones?
No! A headphone amp only works with wired headphones; thus, you don’t need one for wireless/Bluetooth headphones. Secondly, if you’re using cheap headphones, then a headphone amp won’t make much difference to the sound quality.
Can I use a headphone amp with my smartphone?
Yes, you can. There are several portable headphone amp that connects to your smartphone’s USB-C port, and then you can connect your headphones to the amp’s headphone jack.
Conclusion
If you want to elevate your audio listening experience to a new level, then a headphone amp is a must.
Even a portable headphone amp may seem a little expensive if you want to keep things under budget. But it’s a small price you pay to experience a new realm of audio listening.
The only major downside is that you lose the convenience of wireless earbuds and headphones.
Do you have further questions? Don’t hesitate to leave them in the comments section below.