Best Budget Headphone Amplifier Reviews

Today’s review will cover the best headphone amp under 100. For a given price on the market, you can find excellent solutions to your problems with low-quality music.

Basically, of course, such devices are inferior to more expensive models both in terms of technical characteristics and in size and design, but at the same time, you can significantly improve the sound quality of your headphones once and for all, even for such a relatively small amount.

Such amplifiers are more suitable for those people who are just discovering the world of really high-quality music. If you want to check if an amplifier is worth the money spent on it, then this review will be great for helping you decide.

But, you should know that in order to make a really correct choice, you must first determine the operating conditions of the future amplifier, as well as the requirements for it. If you want the perfect sound for this price, then you can hardly find something suitable.

Our pick

AudioQuest DragonFly

The best Headphone AMP under $100

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DragonFly Black, the most affordable model of the award-winning DragonFly family, has been praised by Darko.

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Best Cheap Headphone AMP Reviews

AudioQuest DragonFly Black – best overall

This portable and stylish best headphone amplifier under 100 is suitable for people who want to enjoy the best quality music everywhere.

Whether you are at home, on the road or anywhere, you can connect it to your headphones using the only input that is present on it – a 3.5 mm jack.

This best budget headphone amp also has a built-in 32-bit DAC that does a great job of enhancing the quality of any tracks you listen to, and the amp is sized to fit in your pocket without any hassle.

The maximum DAC frequency is 96 kHz, and the built-in sound chip version is ESS Saber 9010.

In this case, the ADC capacity is 24 bits. Perfect for any laptop, there is no need to download additional configuration software. All you need is to use one of the USB inputs, and on the other hand connect headphones to enjoy excellent sound.

Cambridge Audio DacMagic XS – best portable

One of the best headphone amp under 100, it’s great for changing the way you think about quality music.

Suitable for playing tracks from a computer or laptop, regardless of the operating system, it also does not require downloading additional drivers for excellent trouble-free operation.

For convenient control, there are two round buttons for adjusting the volume on the front panel of the amplifier, on the bottom panel you can find a 3.5 mm headphone jack, and on the opposite side there is a connector for USB.

It has a built-in 24-bit DAC, which is quite enough for listening to most tracks.

The maximum frequency of the ASC is 96 kg, and the signal-to-noise ratio is 103 dB, which is also bad enough for such a small device.

Loxjie P20

Another budget amplifier worth mentioning is the Loxjie P20. It has a durable body with thick walls made of aluminum alloy, combined with bright color options that play interestingly in the light. The design of the front is very minimal.

The Loxjie P20 is based on 6N3 electron tubes and carefully tuned circuitry. Powerful driver circuit up to 600mW at 64 Ω. Besides, this amplifier has a built-in line unit with a toroidal transformer.

Moreover, the unexpected note of merit, on the board, there is a switching to produce the + 115V necessary for the power supply of the volume control and the operational amps with dual 7V. For its class, this amplifier has a wide dynamic range (102 dB). The device’s biggest advantage is that it has the broadest functionality that will be enough for the most fastidious audiophiles for many years to come: it delivers very high SNR and low distortion to keep your music reproduced to the finest detail.

FiiO E10K

This product has the exact same price as the previous amplifier, so it will be interesting to compare their specifications.

This device can perfectly handle any task that the best cheap headphone amp can supply.

In addition, it also has an additional bass boost function, which will definitely appeal to fans of hip-hop and other similar genres of music.

It works perfectly in the frequency range from 20 to 20,000 Hz, and the output power is 200/32 ohms. Together with the amplifier, you will also receive a USB cable.

To control the device there is a volume control, a lever for turning on and off the bass amplifier.

Powered by USB and has a 3.5 mm headphone jack.

Monoprice 111567

Among all the previous amplifiers, this one is the most expensive, so it should be better in terms of technical characteristics, since it certainly does not differ much in design.

In the first place, it differs from the rest at least by the fact that it needs a separate power source for its operation, so there is a special output and also charging with this device in the kit.

As for the rest of the outputs, there are clearly more of them than on all other devices. There is an output for a pre-amplifier, line-out, AUX, USB input, as well as a 3.5 mm jack for connecting your headphones to this device.

It has a built-in 24-bit DAC, which will cope with the fact that you listen to only truly high-quality music. As for the power of the amplifier, it is very large – 900mW (32Ω loaded).

At the same time, the headphone impedance range is from 16 to 600 ohms, as well as Frequency Response, which is completely standard for such types of devices, and ranges from 20 Hz to 20 kHz.

Budget Tube Headphone AMP Review

Tube amplifiers are a great choice for professionals and hobbyists. They do a much better job of conveying a variety of stringed instruments, making music warmer and more comfortable to listen to.

As for the disadvantages of using it, it is definitely bass, which also becomes softer, which can upset some users.

Nobsound NS-08E – best under 50

This device is a headphone amp under 50. At the same time, it is a really high-quality tube amplifier that perfectly copes with any task assigned to it.

The output power is 1100 mW (32 ohms), which should be enough for any user.

The frequency range is wider than usual, so listening to tracks with high frequency sounds will be much better with a range from 20Hz to 30,000Hz.

The impedance of the headphone adapter will be between 18 and 600 ohms.

Sound transmitted by this amplifier is very juicy, soft and also warm, which is typical of most tube amplifiers. Power supply is 6V DC, 2000mA.