Pro-Ject's pocket-sized Head Box E headphone amp costs just £89

If you want to improve your headphone performance without breaking the bank, Pro-Ject's new amp could be for you.

The Head Box E is small enough to fit in a coat pocket, yet Pro-Ject claims it can drive "even the most demanding headphones."

Better yet, it costs just £89 (around $120 / AU$180) – that's about half the price of the AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt and iFi Zen DAC V2 (our pick of the budget portable and budget desktop models in our best headphone amplifiers guide).

Weighing just 390g, the Head Box E shouldn't put too big a dent in your pocket should you choose to take it with you. And Pro-Ject claims it's "one of the most effective pound-for-pound hi-fi upgrades around."

Its 665 milliwatts (0.665 watts) into 32 ohms is enough to drive wired headphones, while Pro-Ject says it can outperform your typical stereo amp in a two-channel setup involving a CD player or turntable.

Inside are fully discrete electronics (instead of the integrated chip designs often seen in cheaper amps), giving Pro-Ject's designers greater control over the signal path. Which should translate to more robust power handling, cleaner performance and easier servicing and repair.

In terms of connections, you get a pair of RCA sockets for inputs, along with a bypass RCA loop output for passing the signal on to another amplifier or audio device for integrating the Head Box E into a bigger system.

The front of the device houses two headphone outputs: one 6.3mm and one 3.5mm. These can be used simultaneously for shared listening.

Pro-Ject has built a name of itself in terms of more affordable devices. Its 'E' line has previously included the Stereo Box E stereo amp and System E hi-fi system.

We'll bring you a review of the Head Box E as soon as we can.

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