In many cases, the number of headphone outputs available on our audio interfaces is not enough.
And that’s when you think, “I could use a headphone amplifier,” to simply connect more headphones when a friend is present or when an artist wants to listen to the mix at the same time as me.
Moreover, in some cases, you may also need a very high-quality headphone amplifier to achieve better sound than what the sound card outputs allow.
But which headphone amplifier should you buy?
How do you really choose?
Well, that’s exactly what we’re going to explore in this article, where I’ve gathered my favorite headphone amplifiers for studio/home studio use.
Note: If you’re looking for a good headphone amplifier for more audiophile use, feel free to check out the more expensive models at the bottom of the page, which will be perfectly suited for this purpose.
How to choose a headphone amplifier?
So, one might think that it is necessary to carefully compare specifications to determine which headphone amplifier to buy.
In reality, even though you can do that, it’s rarely essential.
Indeed, I believe that it is primarily the use you want to make of your headphone amplifier and, of course, your budget that will dictate the type of equipment you will lean towards.
Because overall, from a studio usage perspective, headphone amplifiers can be divided into two categories:
- entry-level stuff, which simply aim to multiply the sound to provide, for example, audio feedback to several artists recording. Here, sound quality is not a real criterion: of course, we want it to sound decent (and that’s the case for all the devices I recommend in the document you are reading), but we are not looking for analytical listening. So if there is a bit of background noise, if transients are not perfectly reproduced, it’s not a big deal.
- high-end stuff, which only offer one or two headphone outputs, and whose objective is to provide quality sound to the person connecting their headphones. Because it will be a client, or because it will be the person mixing or mastering the track. So a low background noise, low output impedance, and good overall sound quality are essential.
On the subject of impedance: if you are not familiar with the topic, I recommend checking out my complete guide on impedance & headphones. It’s a bit technical but essential for understanding things well.
For headphone amplifiers, the impedance should be very low (like 1 Ohm).
This is not always the case with entry-level models, which is not necessarily a problem when you just want to hear sound without worrying too precisely about quality.
Anyway, don’t overthink the specifications comparisons:
- Define your needs in terms of the number of headphone outputs;
- Define your budget
- Choose a suitable model from the list below
(and don’t forget to properly plan how you will connect your headphones to your headphone amplifier…)
1. Behringer HA400
Brand: Behringer
Number of headphone outputs: 4
Output impedance: 80 Ohms
The cheapest you can find on the market that is still sufficiently high-quality to be usable.
Sure, the output impedance is way too high.
Sure, there is a bit of background noise.
Sure, the sound is not perfect.
But if you want a utilitarian and inexpensive option to simply share sound across multiple headphones, this is really the best choice you can make in my opinion.
I have a friend who regularly uses these small Behringer boxes for headphone amplifiers for classical musicians (recording film music).
Myself, I used it for example to offer several headphone outputs at my booth when I was at the Synthfest and doing mixing demos.
It’s quite reliable, the amount of gain is correct, and it’s inexpensive.
► Compare the prices of the Behringer HA400 on: Thomann Amazon
2. Presonus HP4
Brand: Presonus
Number of headphone outputs: 4
Output impedance: 51 Ohms
A more expensive alternative from Presonus: the HP4.
Again, we have a box that offers four amplified headphone outputs — but this time you also find TRS jack outputs to connect monitoring speakers.
In other words, by connecting the Presonus HP4 to your audio interface, you can get both 4 headphone outputs AND connect speakers.
Practical, even though the sound is still a bit colored, which means that we are not on something totally transparent. It remains entry-level, let’s say, and you should see this tool more as a utility first and foremost.
► Compare the prices of the Presonus HP4 on: Thomann Amazon Woodbrass
3. ART HeadAmp 4
Brand: ART
Number of headphone outputs: 4
Output impedance: 47 Ohms
The same principle applies with ART’s HeadAmp 4, which, while not the best headphone amplifier in the world in terms of sound, does its job well as a utility headphone amplifier.
Again, we find a line input in stereo jack format (thus unbalanced), and this signal is distributed to four separate headphone amplifiers.
Note the presence of both jack and mini-jack outputs on the box, which can be very practical for situations where you don’t have enough mini-jack>jack adapters to connect everyone’s headphones.
A good headphone amplifier.
► Compare prices for the ART HeadAmp 4 at: Thomann Amazon Woodbrass
4. Behringer HA8000 V2
Brand: Behringer
Number of headphone outputs: 8
Output impedance: not confirmed
With the Behringer HA8000 V2, we move to a larger model as it features eight headphone outputs.
But that’s not all: this headphone amplifier is quite complex as it has two possible stereo inputs. And for each amplification channel, you can choose whether you prefer to hear the sound coming from input 1 or input 2.
This goes beyond simply amplifying eight headphones, and it can be very useful when you have multiple artists in your studio or even in live conditions.
In terms of sound quality, it remains relatively basic and is very inexpensive, so don’t expect something extremely detailed and without any background noise, but the sound remains decent: it’s completely usable equipment.
► Compare prices for the Behringer HA8000 V2 at: Thomann Amazon Woodbrass
5. ART HeadAmp 6
Brand: Art
Number of headphone outputs: 18
Output impedance: 47 Ohms
If you really need a lot of headphone outputs, there’s no doubt that the ART HeadAmp 6 will be a very good candidate.
Indeed, even though the headphone amplifier is numbered 6, it can potentially power no less than 18 headphones, as you have 6 amplification channels, each offering three headphone outputs: one on the front and two at the back.
Also worth noting: the presence of a balanced audio output “THRU”, which allows you to connect for example speakers in addition to the headphones or send the sound at line level to another device (to another amplifier for 18 more headphones? You can if you want!).
► Compare prices for the ART HeadAmp 6 at: Thomann Amazon
6. Lake People G103-P
Brand: Lake People
Number of headphone outputs: 2
Output impedance: < 0.1 Ohm
With the G-103P from Lake People, we start to move into higher-end equipment, aimed at providing a good headphone amplifier with a maximum of one or two channels.
In this case, on this model, you simply have two balanced line inputs in XLR format, two headphone outputs in jack format, a volume knob, and that’s it.
It plugs directly into the mains, so there’s no need to manage an additional power supply — but the amplifier remains quite compact nonetheless.
In terms of sound, it’s very high quality: I find the price-to-performance ratio really very good.
If you need a good headphone amplifier without wanting to spend a fortune, this is probably a good idea.
► Compare prices for the Lake People G103-P at: Thomann
7. Grace Design m900
Brand: Grace Design
Number of headphone outputs: 2
Output impedance: “zero Ohm”
With the m900 from Grace Design, we are dealing with a slightly different product this time as it also includes a converter inside.
This means that instead of sending a line-level signal to the headphone amplifier, you will send it a digital signal: the m900 can connect via USB, but in a studio context, you will probably use the S/PDIF coaxial or optical (Toslink) inputs.
As for the converter, you can set it to the sampling frequency of your choice, with a maximum of 192 kHz (96 kHz if you use the Toslink connection).
And at the front of the device, you find your two headphone connectors in standard jack format.
This type of device can be very handy, especially if you have unused S/PDIF connections on your audio interface: it saves you from having to use line outputs for your headphone amplifier.
► Compare prices for the Grace Design m900 at: Thomann Woodbrass
8. SPL 2Control
Brand: SPL
Number of headphone outputs: 2
Output impedance: 22 Ohms
Another rather high-end device, the 2 Control from SPL, which is somewhat of a monitoring controller.
Indeed, you will find on this unit:
- 2 line inputs;
- 2 line outputs (to connect speakers) and a separate mono output to possibly connect an isolated subwoofer;
- a ground lift to avoid ground loops;
- mono/dim options and of course a source selector;
- and, uniquely, a crossfeed adjustment for the headphones (to achieve a stereo effect closer to what you would get if you were using speakers).
In other words, it’s very comprehensive and goes beyond simple headphone amplification — but I find the price remains reasonable for the number of features, especially since the sound quality is very good.
► Compare the prices of the SPL 2Control on: Thomann Amazon Woodbrass
9. SPL Phonitor 3
Brand: SPL
Number of headphone outputs: 1
Output impedance: 0.18 Ohm
With the Phonitor 3, we enter the very high-end market: you can tell just by the price.
But the unit offers truly original features, so it remains understandable. And in terms of sound, we are really dealing with very high quality in any case.
In fact, you can only connect one headphone.
BUT you can manage with a lot of precision the sound you hear:
- 3 possible sound sources
- control of laterality: to shift the sound stage to the left or right as needed;
- crossfeed management: to give an impression of listening closer to what you would have on speakers;
- stereo angle management: to widen or reduce the stereo image;
- mono or stereo listening.
It’s really a complete headphone amplifier, with the added possibility of connecting monitoring speakers to it.
It’s hard to expect more, I think, from a headphone amplifier…
► Compare the prices of the SPL Phonitor 3 on: Thomann Amazon Woodbrass
10. RME ADI-2 Pro FS R
Brand: RME
Number of headphone outputs: 2
Output impedance: 0.1 Ohm
To conclude this article, I present you a machine from the German brand RME, which is one of my favorite brands for studio/home studio equipment.
With the ADI-2 Pro FS R, we find a two-channel headphone amplifier paired with an ultra high-end AD/DA converter (which can even be used for audio measurements up to 768 kHz, so you can imagine…).
The positive thing is that you have two analog inputs: also, if you want to connect your headphone amplifier “the old-fashioned way” to retrieve an analog signal coming for example from a sound card, no problem.
But if you want to use digital inputs, you can also use USB, ADAT, S/PDIF, and AES connections to retrieve your signal.
Note the existence of an optional remote control, which fortunately is much cheaper than the machine itself (we appreciate that the brand does not overcharge for accessories).
In short, the best of the best if you want a quality headphone amplifier for your (home) studio!
► Compare the prices of the RME ADI-2 Pro FS R on: Thomann Woodbrass
In conclusion
There you go, you know everything about headphone amplifiers for the studio & home studio, and you have access to all my recommendations on different types of budgets.
► To go further, also check out my recommendations for studio headphones