1. The quick list
2. Best overall
3. Best budget portable
4. Best premium portable
5. Best budget desktop
6. Best mid-price desktop
7. Best premium desktop
8. Best high-end
9. How to choose
10. How we test
11. Recent updates
If you've decided to make your next pair of headphones wired, chances are your number one priority is sound quality. After all, the best wired headphones still beat wireless alternatives for performance-per-pound (or dollar) value. Of course, you can unbox your new pair and plug them straight into your phone, portable hi-res player (better) or home stereo amplifier (better still), but connecting them to a dedicated headphone amplifier will make them sing much more impressively... so long as it is superior to the one already in your system, of course!
Why do you need a headphone amplifier? Well, a headphone amplifier differs from a conventional stereo amplifier that is predominantly designed to drive speakers. As speakers need more power than most headphones, a headphone amplifier circuit must be engineered to perform at lower signal levels, and many standard stereo amps aren't designed primarily to do just that. Hence the need for a dedicated, separate headphone amp.
These can be small, portable and affordable, designed to be the middleman between your wired headphones and laptop or phone, and often referred to as 'portable DACs'; or they can be more substantial hi-fi components designed to integrate into a fully-fledged system to enhance private listening at home.
Our team of expert reviewers has tested headphone amplifiers of all kinds in our dedicated listening rooms, and below rounded up the class leaders of both types at various budgets to help you bag the best headphone sound-booster you can afford...
With almost 11 years of experience in reviewing and writing about hi-fi and headphones, I've tested my fair share of headphone amplifiers. In fact, as I listen to my headphone desktop system more than any other kind, it's one of the hi-fi components I use most regularly. Headphone amps vary wildly in terms of form and features – some are palm-sized and primarily suit a laptop or phone, whereas others are bulkier components designed to sit between your stereo amplifier and headphones – so below I've picked ones of each kind that lead their class in terms of sound quality, connectivity and usability.
Quick list
Best overall
Best overall
This palm-sized DAC/headphone amp suits portable, desktop or hi-fi sources and delivers a game-changing performance for its price.
Best budget portable
Best budget portable
A simple, high-performing USB DAC/headphone amp for phones and laptops.
Best premium portable
Best premium portable
There isn’t another DAC/headphone amp anywhere near this price able to communicate music so torrentially, so unambiguously or so effortlessly.
Best budget desktop
Best budget desktop
Primarily play music through your PC or laptop? This is the best way to upgrade your desktop headphone system, period.
Best mid-price desktop
Best mid-price desktop
Cambridge’s generously featured desktop headphone amp is the most versatile you can buy at this mid-range level.
Best premium desktop
Best premium desktop
Extensive features, fine build and super sound quality – we're big fans of this versatile machine for desktop and hi-fi setups.
Load the next product… ↓
Best high-end
Best high-end
Headphone obsessives should form a queue here; this analogue headphone amp is among the best we've heard.
Best overall
The fittingly named Mojo 2 is the long-anticipated, re-engineered replacement to the 2015-released original, which burst onto the scene as a real benchmark-setting game-changer in the then-fledgling world of portable DACs/headphone amps. And while those familiar with Chord’s most affordable product will see from this review’s accompanying images that the aesthetic hasn’t exactly been overhauled for the sequel, significant progress has been made elsewhere to protect its position as the pinnacle of portable headphone amps.
While from a performance point of view the Mojo 2 can just as confidently raise a hi-fi system’s game too, some of those looking for a boost might reasonably prefer a dedicated system alternative with more suitable connections, such as the Cambridge Audio DacMagic 200M (below). But for those who are after a primarily portable or desktop DAC solution in this price region (and cannot triple their budget to the territory of the Chord Hugo 2, also below), we believe the decision to Mojo 2 or not to Mojo 2 is far easier. And what about existing Mojo owners? Honestly, Chord has left us no choice but to recommend the upgrade.
Our current Product of the Year DAC/headphone amplifier, the Mojo 2 will suit portable phone, desktop computer and even hi-fi separates setups.
Read our full Chord Mojo 2 review
Best budget portable
Audioquest's top-range DragonFly USB DAC/headphone amplifier is an excellent performer for phones and laptops.
The multi-Award-winning Cobalt improves on the company's already talented and more affordable DragonFly Red by offering even better clarity and sonic precision. Its excellent transparency means that the Cobalt reveals shortcomings in the source and recordings that others in the family don't, so you might have to watch those lower-quality recordings. But give it a good signal and it's capable enough to give Chord's mighty Mojo a hard time – and that's something not many headphone amps can claim.
It shares many of the same features as the DragonFly Red, including the 2.1v headphone output, bit-perfect digital volume control and MQA renderer. But there are also numerous upgrades, like the more advanced DAC chip, delivering a clearer, more natural sound, and a new microprocessor which increases processing speed by 33 per cent. Plus improved power supply filtering (increasing immunity to wi-fi, Bluetooth and cellular noise), a 10 per cent smaller enclosure, and included DragonTail USB-A (female) to USB-C (male) adaptor for use with the growing number of electronics with connectivity for the latter.
Want a more affordable portable/desktop USB option? We simply recommend looking further down the DragonFly line to the cheaper Red or cheaper still Black model – both are excellent for the money.
Read our full Audioquest DragonFly Cobalt review
Best premium portable
The Hugo 2 is a strange one. It's just about small enough to take with you (this is clearly the intention, as it has its own built-in battery), but a little too large to sit in a pocket, so it is portable... but more in the sense that you'd carry it from room to room as opposed to out and about with you on the daily commute. It's also not the easiest device to use at times, mostly thanks to its system of coloured lights, which can get confusing. It's also at the higher end of the price scale, so entry-level users seeking a bargain may want to consider a cheaper alternative.
So what's it doing on this list, you might wonder? Two words for you: sound quality. It's very difficult indeed to fault the way Hugo 2 converts and delivers your digital audio files. And not just sparklingly high res ones, but lower-quality files, too – whatever you feed it, Hugo 2 serves your headphones a detailed, dynamic and punchy performance. This is the most headphone amp most audiophiles will ever need – honestly, it really is that good.
There are plenty of inputs to take advantage of, plus aptX Bluetooth as well. See past its quirky looks, and you'll be rewarded with a hugely insightful, musical performer.
Read our full Chord Hugo 2 review
Best budget desktop
The ‘if it ain’t broke…’ saying isn’t lost on us. But at the same time we realise that in a competitive industry such as hi-fi, making the best even better off your own back isn’t necessarily a bad idea. It’s what iFi has done with its budget home DAC and headphone amp offering, with the original Zen DAC now making way for a ‘V2’ model that offers improvements in terms of processing, MQA decoding and circuitry.
They pay off. This budget DAC, which can be USB or mains powered, is excellent in both the features and performance department for the money. The compact Zen will polish your laptop or computer music with a new level of sparkle, revealing not only more detail but offering a greater sense of dynamic range as it does so.
Offering a significant upgrade over computer sound quality in an era where people need it most, the Zen DAC V2 is another feather in the cap for iFi’s highly acclaimed budget Zen series.
Read our full iFi Zen DAC V2 review
Best mid-price desktop
If you're looking for a DAC/headphone amplifier that combines all manner of useful features into an attractive and sonically astute package, the DacMagic 200M is a bit of a no-brainer, especially at this price.
It's well-equipped enough to slot effortlessly into any desktop or even modest hi-fi system. A wide selection of digital inputs caters to a range of sources and there's aptX Bluetooth on board too. Add balanced and unbalanced outputs into the mix, plus a headphone output and hi-res audio support and that's pretty much any and all bases covered.
Sonically, it's got that recognisable 'Cambridge' sound which means a full, smooth tone partnered with an open, expressive, and authoritative delivery. While the Chord Mojo 2 offers greater levels of rhythmic accuracy and detail at a now lower asking price, the Cambridge is still a fine option and is more clearly labelled, too. Ignore this talented all-rounder at your peril.
Read our full Cambridge Audio DacMagic 200M review
Best premium desktop
Look at this tank. Unsurprisingly, it's very much a desktop headphone amp – and you'll need a sizeable desktop, at that! Indeed, if you're looking for something portable, best look further up this page. But if it's home headphone listening you're after, whether that's primarily through a separates or desktop system, this Audiolab could well be the one for you.
Sonically, it's a valuable additional to your home audio setup. It’s an overtly neat and tidy listen – showing a slavish attention to detail when it comes to the delineation of the soundstage. That’s a trait we wholly admire, and few other comparably priced headphone amp/DACs describe a stage quite as explicitly as the M-DAC+.
Even the densest, busiest recordings are laid out openly – in terms of staging, focus and sheer three-dimensionality, the Audiolab dishes out the details like a bar room gossip.
Add in fantastic powers of organisation and a rhythmic assurance that few can match, and you've got a solid headphone amplifier that truly justifies the outlay.
Read our full Audiolab M-DAC+ review
Best high-end
The Phonitor xe marked the first time we'd reviewed a product from the German audio manufacturer SPL, but it didn't take long to make an impression. At the higher price end of the headphone amp scale, the handsome and well-made analogue-only model certainly looked the part and had a chunky price tag to match, leaving us interested to see just how much it could enhance our headphone listening experience.
Played from a top-quality source, the Phonitor xe is a smooth, articulate performer. The premium amp feels fluid and full-bodied without losing detail or dynamics, excelling when it comes to bringing out voices with their natural warmth and passion. There is an optional digital module available that offers digital inputs and hi-res compatibility, but it costs an additional £875 / $850 / AU$700 – we've stuck with the analogue-only model in this five-star review.
If you are after a high-end DAC-and-headphone-amp combo, then the class-leading Chord Hugo TT2 (£3995 / $5795) that delivers exceptional transparency, articulation and dynamic expression should be on your list.
This SPL headphone amplifier does requires some decent accompanying kit to get the most out of it, but provide the Phonitor xe with an appropriately talented source and headphones, and it will deliver some of the finest sound quality you'll hear for this price.
Read our full SPL Phonitor xe review
How to choose the best headphone amp for you
So what should you look for in a headphone amplifier? Analogue inputs are the most common and mean you can plug in any source that has analogue outputs (which is most of them). These days, though, analogue-only headphone amplifiers like the Chord Anni and SPL Phonitor xe are a rare breed, as the majority of headphone amps also boast built-in DACs (digital-to-analogue converters) that feed digital inputs for broader compatibility – ideal if, say, you are listening to music stored on a computer.
This means many headphone amplifiers are also DACs (and can be called such, or, commonly, 'DAC/headphone amplifier'), although be aware that you can get DACs without headphone sockets, such as the Chord Qutest, which only improve sound between sources and speaker-fronted systems.
Size and portability are also key considerations. Some of the headphone amplifiers below will happily slip into a jeans pocket and, with the right cables and perhaps even an adaptor, can be paired with a phone. Bigger models, whether they're are battery- or mains-powered, command that you clear your desk or make some room on your hi-fi rack (like you'd need to for the new and rather large Yamaha HA-L7A). In short, you'll need to decide whether you'll be listening to your headphones on the move or solely at home before committing to a purchase.
Then, of course, there's the matter of price, and the quality of the equipment you're going to be plugging your new gadget into in the first place. Your headphones need to be of a pretty decent standard before you get the benefits of a dedicated amp – we would say the £330/$295/AU$419 Grado SR325x are decent starting benchmarks – so you might not want to bother if you're currently rocking a pair of £50/$50/AU$100 headphones.
Conversely, you may decide that your headphones are performing well enough as it is, and that you like the sound just fine without needing any extra oomph or refinement. If you've just forked out many hundreds of pounds for some decent wired over-ears, you may not be that keen on parting with even more cash to make some noticeable, but possibly incremental, audio gains. That's a totally reasonable position.
How we test headphone amplifiers
The What Hi-Fi? in-house reviews team, with over 150 years of collective experience, has unique access to state-of-the-art testing facilities in London and Reading, where nearly every hi-fi, audio and AV component you see reviewed on www.whathifi.com are put through their paces. Those include headphone amplifiers.
Portable and often desktop headphone amplifiers don't often require such facilities, of course, so instead we test those in real-world scenarios, at our office and home desktops and/or out and about with our phones.
We compare every product that passes through our test rooms to the best in its class, which is usually a current What Hi-Fi? Awards winner, allowing us to gauge how good a headphone amplifier is in the context of the wider market. We are fortunate to be bale to keep a well-stocked kit room that gives us access to these award winners (and many other products) when we need them for comparative purposes, all year round.
We are always impartial and ensure every headphone amplifier is tested within controlled, optimal conditions. We'll use music of varying genre and quality, and give them plenty of listening time – and time to run in too.
You can read more about how we test and review products at What Hi-Fi? here.
Recent updates
- March 2024: Added 'how to choose' and 'how we test' sections to help readers make more informed buying decisions.
- January 2024: The number of entries was reduced for a more focused selection.
- November 2023: Our newly crowned What Hi-Fi? Award winners were labelled as such.
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