像大多数人一样，您可能不会三思而后行将耳机直接插入计算机、笔记本电脑或智能手机的耳机插孔(headphone jack)。对于典型的一对移动耳机来说，这是可以接受的，但是当您提升耳机质量的阶梯时，这些设备的输出并没有减少芥末味。
如果您想要高质量的音频并期望被震撼，那么耳机放大器可能正是您所需要的。
什么是耳机放大器？
本质上，任何音频放大器都是一种设备，它接收强度相对较低的信号并以较高的功率电平再现它。我们认为更高的功率水平意味着更大的响度。
然而，并不是所有的放大器都是平等的。一个好的放大器不仅仅是让你的音乐更响亮。它还将尝试保留原始信号的细节和意图。好的放大器不会增加噪音，并且可以解决原始音频的问题。
放大器的设计有许多不同的方法，耳机放大器也不例外。
例如，有些只接受模拟输入，这意味着您设备自己的内部放大器和音频硬件将首先获得声音。
如果您的音频源是模拟的（例如黑胶唱片），那么这对于耳机放大器来说不是问题，因为您可以避免不必要的模数转换。
然后，有些耳机放大器有自己的DAC（数模转换器）(DAC (Digital to Analogue Converter))，通过USB连接到您的计算机。这些放大器可以完全控制音频，因为它们只接收数字音频数据并处理将其从耳机扬声器中取出并进入耳朵的每个阶段。
许多耳机放大器提供两种类型的输入，考虑到许多移动设备无法与外部USB DAC一起使用，这可能很有用。
为什么我们需要耳机放大器？
无论(Whether)是在耳机中还是在桌子上，扬声器都需要电力来产生我们认为是声音的空气振动。如果点击时没有足够的能量，则产生的音频很弱且安静。结果，它缺乏细节和冲击力。
智能手机和计算机声卡中的内部放大器会妥协。它们必须适应极小的空间，并与其他组件共享。在电池供电的设备中，放大器必须经过精心设计和平衡，以免它们耗电。老实说，这些设备有很多值得钦佩的地方，尽管看似不可能的工程障碍，它们仍设法提供可用的、令人愉悦的音频。
如今，大多数耳机都明确设计为可与智能手机和其他类似设备配合使用，因此它们的声音足够大，这也有帮助。这与给定耳机的灵敏度有关。
专为移动设备使用而设计的耳机具有很高的灵敏度，这基本上意味着它们可以使用很少的功率达到给定的响度水平。这样做的缺点是高灵敏度水平往往会使音频浑浊，影响声音的完整性。
如果您在早上慢跑时收听压缩的流媒体音乐(streaming music)，这没什么大不了的，但是如果您注意有意识地收听，问题就会出现。
要解决此问题，您必须降低耳机的灵敏度，但手机灵敏度越低，您可以通过智能手机或计算机的功率输出实现的音量越低。
哪些耳机(Headphones)适合(Suitable)安培(Amps)？_ _
简短的回答是，高阻抗耳机需要专用的耳机放大器才能发挥其全部潜力。
“阻抗(Impedance)”是电能通过耳机线路到达扬声器时遇到的电阻。阻抗以欧姆(Ohms)为单位测量，通常高阻抗、低灵敏度耳机的额定值为 25欧姆(Ohms)或更高。高端耳机的阻抗往往超过 100欧姆(Ohms)。
因此，如果您的耳机的阻抗小于 25欧姆(Ohms)，则您不需要放大器，从该数字开始越高，放大器就越重要。
蓝牙(Bluetooth)耳机显然不需要外部放大器，因为它们内置了一个，但一些蓝牙(Bluetooth)耳机也有有线选项。此选项通常会绕过内部放大器，因此根据它们的灵敏度水平，放大器也可能适合那里。
耳机放大器类型
在内部，有多种方式可以设计放大器，在发烧友论坛上进行了极其详细的讨论。但是，对于我们其他人来说，有两种主要类型的耳机放大器需要考虑：固态放大器(solid state amplifiers)和电子管放大器(tube amplifiers)。
固态放大器只使用连接到您实际耳膜的组件链中的微芯片。它是全数字的，清晰的，而且，正如一些人所说，冷。固态放大器通常更实惠、更耐用且更紧凑。
电子管(Tube)放大器可以追溯到晶体管和集成电路超越音频行业之前的时代。由于突出的玻璃管伸出底盘，它们很容易被发现。更昂贵的通常有更多的电子管，更便宜的型号倾向于使用固态元件与模拟电子管串联。
许多发烧友对温暖的音调和染色管给音乐和声音发誓，但这是非常主观的。不太主观的是，电子管放大器通常更昂贵、更脆弱并且占用更多空间。事实是，一个好的固态放大器对大多数人来说都很好，但你应该对电子管放大器的音频进行采样，看看它是否符合你的喜好。
耳机放大器建议
所以，如果您打算投资一套优质的罐子，并且知道您需要一个放大器来充分利用它，您应该买什么？
我们查看了亚马逊(Amazon)上最畅销的耳机放大器，发现三个选项对于想要涉足耳机放大器的人来说看起来很有希望。作为奖励，它们还代表了三种不同类别的耳机放大器。
FiiO E10K耳机放大器是一款非常实惠的固态放大器，具有干净的外壳和最少的控制。您所要做的就是将所有东西都插上电源并将音量调高到舒适的水平。
E10K仅支持通过 USB 进行数字输入，但(USB)除了耳机插孔之外还有多种输出。如果您将它连接到您的计算机并与高阻抗耳机一起使用，您应该可以享受到低噪音和低失真的强劲、细腻的音频。
虽然它不会让真正的发烧友的嘴巴（耳朵？）流水，但基于对放大器的许多正面评价，它对于几乎任何人来说都是一种负担得起且有效的升级。
Neoteck 耳机放大器(Neoteck Headphone Amplifier)
Neoteck放大器一开始并没有因为它翻译得很差的营销文案而激发太多信心，但它是一款经过充分审查且无可否认的有趣产品。这个放大器的最大卖点是它是电池供电的。
支持 16 到 150欧姆(Ohm)之间的耳机，有大量中档耳机可供选择，这些耳机将受益于这种简单的放大器。
如果您正在寻找用于公共交通工具或在工作或学校使用的放大器，这是一个非常实惠的选择。
LOXJIE P20 全平衡电子管功放(LOXJIE P20 Full Balance Tube Amplifier)
最后，我们有Loxjie P20电子管放大器。它是我们能找到的最便宜的入门级电子管放大器之一，它代表了一种完美的方式，让您在购买具有更严重价格标签的东西之前，先将脚趾浸入标志性的电子管声音中。
您可以品尝管子的温暖和光滑度，并决定它是否适合您。尽管大多数买家似乎都被放大器本身作为日常驱动解决方案所震撼。
您需要耳机放大器吗？
现在轮到您告诉我们您对耳机放大器的看法了。你试过了吗？他们值得吗？你会推荐哪些？让我们在评论中知道！
What Is a Headphone Amp and Should You Buy One?
Like most people, you рrobably don’t think twice about plυgging your headphones directly into the headphone jack of your computer, laptop or smartphone. For the typical pair of mobile headphones this is acceptable, but as you move up the ladder of headphone quality the output from these devices just doesn’t cut the mustard.
If you want quality audio and expect to be blown away, then a headphone amp might be just what you need.
What Is a Headphone Amp?
In essence any audio amplifier is a device that takes a signal which has relatively low strength and reproduces it at a higher power level. We perceive that higher power level as more loudness.
However, not all amplifiers are equal. A good amplifier does more than simply make your music louder. It will also try to preserve the detail and intent of the original signal. Good amplifiers won’t add noise and will work to clean up issues with the original audio.
There are many different approaches to the design of amplifiers and headphone amps are no different.
For example, some only accept an analog input, which means your device’s own internal amp and audio hardware will have the first go at the sound.
If your audio source is analog (e.g. vinyl records) then this isn’t a problem for the headphone amplifier, because you avoid unnecessary analog to digital conversion.
Then, there are headphone amps that have their own DAC (Digital to Analogue Converter) which connects to your computer via USB. These amplifiers have complete control over the audio, since they only receive digital audio data and handle every stage involved in getting it out of your headphone speakers and into your ears.
Many headphone amplifiers offer both types of input, which can be useful given that many mobile devices won’t work with an external USB DAC.
Why Do We Need Headphone Amps?
Whether in headphones or on a desk, speakers need electrical power to create the air vibrations we perceive as sound. If there isn’t enough energy on tap, then resulting audio is weak and quiet. As a result, it lacks detail and punch.
The internal amplifiers in smartphones and computer sound cards compromise. They have to fit into an incredibly tiny amount of space, shared with other components. In battery powered devices, amps have to be carefully designed and balanced so that they aren’t power hogs. Honestly, there’s a lot to admire about these devices, which manage to offer usable, pleasing audio despite seemingly impossible engineering obstacles.
It also helps that most headphones these days are explicitly designed to work with smartphones and other similar devices, so they are loud enough. This has to do with the sensitivity of a given headphone set.
Headphones designed for mobile device use have a high level of sensitivity, which essentially means that they can achieve a given level of loudness using very little power. The downside of this is that high sensitivity levels tend to muddy audio, compromising the integrity of the sound.
It’s not such a big deal if you’re listening to compressed streaming music while out for a morning jog, but for intentional listening the problems are there if you pay attention.
To fix this problem you have to reduce the sensitivity of the headphones, but the less sensitive the phones, the lower the volume you can achieve with the power output of a smartphone or computer.
Which Headphones are Suitable for Amps?
The short answer is that high-impedance headphones need a dedicated headphone amplifier to achieve their full potential.
“Impedance” is the resistance electrical energy encounters as it travels through the headphone wiring on the way to the speakers. Impedance is measured in Ohms and generally high-impedance, low sensitivity headphones have a rating of 25 Ohms and higher. Higher-end headphones tend to have more than 100 Ohms of impedance.
So if your headphones have less than 25 Ohms of impedance, you don’t need an amp, the higher up you go from that number the more crucial an amp becomes.
Bluetooth headphones obviously don’t need an external amplifier because they have one built in, but some Bluetooth headphones also have a wired option. This option commonly bypasses the internal amplifier, so depending on their sensitivity levels an amp could be suitable there as well.
Headphone Amp Types
Internally, there are various ways in which amplifiers can be designed, which are discussed in excruciating detail on audiophile forums. However, for the rest of us there are two main types of headphone amplifier to consider: solid state amplifiers and tube amplifiers.
Solid state amplifiers use nothing but microchips in the chain of components leading to your actual eardrums. It’s all-digital, crisp, and, as some contend, cold. Solid state amplifiers are usually more affordable, durable and compact.
Tube amplifiers hark back to the days before transistors and integrated circuits overtook the audio industry. They are easy to spot thanks to the prominent glass tubes sticking out of the chassis. More expensive ones usually have more tubes, cheaper models tend to make use of solid state components in tandem with analog tubes.
Many audiophiles swear by the warm tone and coloration tubes give to music and sound, but it is very subjective. What’s not so subjective is that tube amps are generally more expensive, fragile and take up more space. The truth is that a good solid-state amp will be fine for most people, but you should sample tube amplifier audio to see if it tickles your fancy.
Headphone Amp Suggestions
So, if you’re set on investing in a quality set of cans and know that you’ll be needing an amp to make the best of it, what should you buy?
We had a look at the best-selling headphone amplifiers on Amazon and found three options which look quite promising for someone looking to dabble in headphone amps. As a bonus, they also represent three distinct categories of headphone amp.
The FiiO E10K headphone amp is a very affordable solid-state amp with a clean shell and minimal controls. All you have to do is plug everything in and crank up the volume to a comfortable level.
The E10K only supports digital input via USB, but has a variety of outputs beyond just a headphone jack. If you hook this up to your computer and use it with high-impedance headphones, you should enjoy strong, detailed audio with low levels of noise and distortion.
While it’s not going to make the mouths (ears?) of true audiophiles water, based on the many positive reviews of the amp it’s an affordable and effective upgrade for virtually anyone.
The Neoteck amplifier doesn’t inspire much confidence at first with it’s poorly-translated marketing copy, but it’s a well-reviewed and undeniably interesting product. The big selling point of this amp is that it’s battery powered.
Supporting headphones between 16 and 150 Ohm, there’s a large selection of mid-grade headphones that would benefit from a straightforward amplifier such as this one.
If you’re looking for an amp to take on public transport or to use at work or school, it’s a very affordable option.
Finally, we have the Loxjie P20 tube amplifier. It’s one of the cheapest entry-level tube amps we could find and represents a perfect way for you to dip your toes into the signature tube sound before buying something with a more serious price tag.
You get to sample the warmth and smoothness of tubes and decide if it’s for you. Although most buyer’s seem blown away by the amp as a daily driver solution in its own right.
Do You Need a Headphone Amp?
Now it’s your turn to tell us what you think about headphones amps. Have you tried them? Are they worth it? Which ones would you recommend? Let us know in the comments!
