Tube, Class A and balanced headphone amplifiers, including DAC and gaming combos, compared by output power, outputs and impedance range.
SMSL H200 Headphone Amp and Preamp — read reviewA desktop headphone amplifier and pre-amplifier with 4.4mm balanced and 6.35mm single-ended outputs, a stated 5W at 32Ω and THD+N of 0.00007%, listed at $399. It suits a desk stack that needs a pre-out for active speakers or a power amplifier.
Singxer SA-2 Headphone Amp and Pre-Amp — read reviewA fully analog Class A headphone amplifier and pre-amplifier from Singxer, listed at $629. The page quotes 10 watts into 32 ohms and up to 15 watts into a 20 ohm load, and lists only RCA and XLR inputs, so a separate DAC or other analog source is needed.
SMSL VMV P2 MK2 Headphone Amp — read reviewA desktop headphone amplifier and pre-amp from SMSL with a 99 op-amp parallel design, listed at $1,160. The page quotes 14W per channel at 16Ω and 8W at 32Ω, with 4.4mm, 4-pin XLR and 6.35mm outputs and XLR and RCA pre-outs.
xDuoo TA20 Plus Tube Headphone Amp — read reviewA balanced tube headphone amplifier from xDuoo, listed at $499, with a 5Z4P rectifier tube, two 12AU7 tubes and a stated maximum of 2000mW at 32Ω, per the page. It suits buyers who want 4-pin XLR and 4.4mm balanced headphone outputs alongside a 6.35mm single-ended jack.
ROSESELSA RT5000 DAC/Headphone Amp — read reviewA desktop DAC and headphone amp with two ES9038Pro chips, three headphone jacks, RCA and XLR line outputs and Bluetooth V5.1, listed at $599. The page rates it at up to 1600mW at 32Ω balanced and up to 800mW at 32Ω single-ended.
TOPPING L30 Headphone Amp — read reviewA desktop headphone amplifier with three gain settings and a preamplifier mode, listed at $97.49 with a crossed-out price of $149.99. It suits desks that already have a DAC and want gain steps from -9.9dB to 9.5dB.
FiiO K11 R2R Desktop DAC/Amp — read reviewA desktop DAC and headphone amp with a 24-bit R2R resistor array, 6.35mm and 4.4mm outputs and a listed 1300mW per channel, at $169.99. It suits desk setups that want NOS and OS modes; the Red color was sold out when the page was read.
TOPPING L50 Desktop Headphone Amp — read reviewA desktop headphone amplifier with a 4-pin XLR balanced and a 6.35mm single-ended output, listed at $229 in red. The page gives up to 3500mW at 16Ω; it suits a desk that already has a DAC, such as the E50 the page names as its match.
TOPPING L70 Balanced Headphone Amp — read reviewA fully balanced desktop headphone amplifier with 4-pin XLR, 4.4mm balanced and 6.35mm single-ended outputs, listed at $279 in black or silver. The page lists up to 7500mWx2 at 32Ω and says it can also work as a pre-amp.
FiiO K13 R2R Desktop DAC/Headphone Amp — read reviewA desktop DAC and headphone amplifier built on a fully differential 24-bit R2R resistor array, with USB, coaxial, optical and Bluetooth V5.4 inputs and a stated 2400mW per channel at 32Ω, listed at $319.99. It suits a desk that wants a DAC and amp in one box.
TOPPING A30Pro NFCA Headphone Amp — read reviewA fully balanced desktop headphone amplifier with 4-pin XLR and 4.4mm balanced outputs plus a 6.35mm single-ended output, listed at $349.99 in black or silver. The page gives up to 6W at 16 ohms; it suits balanced-cable users with demanding headphones.
FiiO K15 Streaming DAC/Headphone Amp — read reviewA desktop DAC, network streamer and headphone amplifier with dual AK4497S DAC chips, Roon Ready and AirPlay support, Bluetooth and a 3.93-inch touch screen, listed at $569. The page lists 3000mW+3000mW output but gives no load; it suits a desk that wants one box for all three jobs.
Moondrop x SMSL DHA15 DAC and Headphone Amp — read reviewA desktop DAC and headphone amplifier made by S.M.S.L with Moondrop, listed at $649.99. The page lists dual CS43198 DACs, 32-bit/384kHz PCM, native DSD256 and 15W per channel, and it suits buyers who want 6.35mm, 4.4mm and 4-pin XLR outputs plus PEQ tuning.
AUNE S9c Pro DAC and Headphone Amp — read reviewA desktop DAC and headphone amplifier from AUNE with dual ES9068A chips, Bluetooth input and a 5W rated output, listed at $679.15. It suits desk setups that want USB, coaxial, optical, AES and Bluetooth inputs plus a 10MHz external clock input.
FiiO K17 DAC and Headphone Amplifier — read reviewA desktop DAC and Class AB headphone amplifier from FiiO, listed at $989.99 in black or silver. The page lists AK4191 and AK4499EX DAC chips, up to 4,000mW per channel, Bluetooth, WiFi, Roon Ready and AirPlay, so it suits one-box setups that also stream.
TOPPING A900 Headphone Amplifier — read reviewA fully balanced desktop headphone amplifier from TOPPING, listed at $1,199 in four plug options (EU, US, AU, UK). The page quotes 22,000mW per channel at 16Ω and 750mW at 600Ω, with six output ports and a pre-amp mode, for buyers with power-hungry headphones.
TOPPING DX9 Discrete DAC and Amp — read reviewAn all-in-one desktop DAC, headphone amplifier and pre-amp from TOPPING, listed at $1,299. The page describes a 16-element 1-bit PSRM DAC, a six-channel NFCA amplifier quoted at 7,080mW x2 at 32Ω, and Bluetooth V5.1, with XLR, RCA and three headphone outputs.
SMSL DS100 DAC and Headphone Amp — read reviewA desktop DAC and headphone amp built on the CS43131 chip, with USB, coaxial and fiber inputs and 6.35mm and 4.4mm headphone jacks, listed at $89.99. It suits desktop setups that feed it from USB, coaxial or fiber sources.
xDuoo MH-02 USB DAC/Tube Amp — read reviewA desktop USB DAC and tube headphone amplifier with a CS43131 chip, dual 6J1 tubes in the pre-amp stage and three headphone jacks, listed at $149. It suits buyers who want a tube stage and RCA line outputs in one desktop unit.
TempoTec MARCH V DAC/Headphone Amp — read reviewListed from $178 for the M5 and $198 for the M5 BT, this DAC and headphone amp has USB, optical and coaxial inputs, XLR and RCA line outputs and 6.35mm and 4.4mm headphone outputs. The pictures give 1750mW+1750mW at 32Ω from the 4.4mm output and a weight of 986g.
xDuoo XA-02 DAC/Headphone Amp — read reviewA DAC and headphone amplifier listed at $199 as the XA02/XA-02, with 6.35mm and 4.4mm balanced headphone outputs. Its pictured table gives 910mW and 2000mW at 32Ω, so it suits a buyer who wants a balanced jack plus USB, coaxial, optical and Bluetooth inputs.
SMSL RAW-HA1 Headphone/Speaker Amp — read reviewA headphone and speaker amplifier with a CS43131 DAC, 6.35mm and 4.4mm headphone jacks and speaker terminals, listed at $249.99. A pictured table gives 165Wx2 at 4Ω and 85Wx2 at 8Ω, so it suits a buyer who wants headphones and speakers from one unit.
FiiO K13 DAC/Headphone Amp — read reviewA FiiO K13 DAC and headphone amplifier in black or silver, listed at $309.99. The page has no description text; the photos read for this review carry printed labels only: XLR balanced and RCA line outputs, with coaxial, optical and USB-C inputs. It suits buyers who can confirm the rest elsewhere.
HiBy FD5 Desktop DAC/Headphone Amp — read reviewA desktop DAC and headphone amp listed at $429. A picture footer names USB and Bluetooth input, independent 3.5mm and 4.4mm headphone outputs and line outputs, and a picture gives PCM up to 32/768 and DSD512. It suits buyers who want a separate jack for each plug type on a desk.