Headphones

Yes.

Most amplifiers over $20 have a noise floor lower than 80 decibels and a distortion level lower than zero and are measured flat from 20 Hz to 20 thousand Hz

Tube amps will definitely have a noticeable difference than solid state amps due to much higher output impedance and the very high 2nd order harmonic resonance (depending on tubes and tube circuit)

They can make a difference, but as long as you have enough power you really shouldn't notice it. Make sure it meets the specifications you need at the price you want and eq for everything else.

Tube amps are different for sure, I run a tube for my verite, but it's for a particular sound.

Technically they all vary, but in the (probably vast) majority of the cases it's inaudible.

amps do make a difference and do add their own "flavor" to it. its processing the signal after all.

even while staying on the same type of amp. (Tube Amps drastically alter the sound)

its usually minimal tho.

i recently switches my Schiit Asgard 3 for a Topping A70 Pro and noticed my music sounding different. Friends confirmed it too.

The Asgard did make it sound a bit warmer while also seemingly making low end a bit more powerful.

The Topping sounded much more "reserved" and analytical. I could hear things I didnt notice before. So I traded fun sound for super clean analytical sound in my case.

And yes. using the same DAC (schiit bifrost 2), same cables (pyst rca) and headphone (Hifiman Edition XS)

If we talk about dedicated solid state headphone amps with similar specs, the difference might be difficult to tell apart.

If we compare poor laptop PC audio and dedicated headphones amp, the difference might be in noise level, volume and dynamics.

We need to get some things stickied in this sub, here's one example

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3moaaOpYZM

Most amps today have a ruler flat frequency response and distortion products at vanishing low levels. So as long as you don't drive them into clipping, they will sound the same or better formulated: they don't have a sound of their own so nothing audible that set them apart.

However, the interaction between the impedance of the amp and the impedance headphone might make an audible difference. If the amp has a impedance of 10 Ohm and you combine it with a headphone having a impedance of 30, you have a damping ration of 3. Way to low and will result in a bloated bass.

Combine at with a 300 Ohm headphone and you have a damping ration of 10, a value considered sufficient.

However the biggest difference is simply us. Most of the time we don't test properly. We simply listen with our eyes. We see that impressive piece of audio gear, we have read raving reviews, it has a eyewatering price tag so it must be good. And indeed, what we believe, we will hear. Most of these perceived differences are a product of our perception. Not to be mistaken for properties of a product.

The thing is, human hearing is notoriously susceptible to being biased by small volume differences and non-audible factors, so properly controlled comparisons are non-trivial.

Quality solid-state headphone amps generally reproduce the input signal with a great deal of accuracy when not pushed outside their power delivery capabilities, and have negligible output impedance, so to me the claim that you can tell them apart with human hearing is like saying you can hear 30khz - extraordinary claims require evidence.

With tube amps, audible differences are much more likely.

SS are mostly all the same. Ability to deliver power can make some cans sound better or worse. But that doesn't mean theres a reason they should cost north of 500 at most.

They can, but it really depends in what you are driving. Most solid state amps today aim for a true flat response and are capable of achieving it when driving most headphones and, probably, all IEMs. You usually will not notice an amp deviating from that flat response unless you are making it work hard. Whether that be via power or gain. Additionally, you probably wont notice the deviation as much on a solid state amp as you would on a tube amp.

Technically, what amp do is gives power to headphone over all frequency input without changing its source and without gives noise to sound. Is that hard? Honestly, no way that hard, it is classic technology. If people say that it change sound, then the amp alternate the sound by changing its frequency response or phase response and of course intended by manufacture. Is that snake oil? If you use sound driver from laptop, of course that is intended to be bad, but if you buy cheap china amp out there, probably will sufficient for your headphone, no need fancy hundred dollar amp.

Spend your money on headphone upgrades, not amps or DACs. There's WAYYYYYY more noticeable return for money with better headphones than better amps or DACs unless you're switching from solid state to tubes.

Even then, you can still get an entry-level or barely mid-fi tube amp and be fine.

Amps, DACs and cables are the biggest subjects of useless spec wars and snake oil in the hobby, with ease. My $220 JDS Atom+ DAC/amp stack drives just about anything with ample, clean power and neutral sonic coloring.

Don't fall for the Chinese manufacturers' snake oil that you NEED 4 watts per channel to drive a basic HiFiMan or Sennheiser headphone. That's pure bullshit, with a few exceptions in both companies' lines. And if you really think you can hear the difference of a new Topping amp that has .0000002 less THD than its predecessor, you're one of the most gullible mofos on this planet or a hardcore victim of placebo effect.

Yes amps vary alot in sound. For all nearly flat measuring headphones you will always hear the headphone ofcours but at way different technical levels. I am not even arguing with anyone who says otherwhise anymore. They clearly havent tested alot.

Amps have different sound signatures. DACs too, but they are a little less noticeable

lmao

If the output impedance of the amp is a few ohms (~ 1 or 2) and the frequency response is flat from 20 Hz to 20 kHz, then they all should sound the same.

ANYONE WHO SAYS THAT THEY CAN HEAR DETAIL, SOUNDSTAGE, WARMTH, COLD, ETC. WITH A PARTICULAR AMP IS BUL#SH#TTING

I do not know how people could come to the conclusion that amps sound the same after doing some basic listening tests. With speakers, the differences are much more pronounced and I went to a handful of stores, listening to 4-5 amplifiers each and picking my favorite, but with headphonesamps the same thing applies: Violectric amps sound dark and pleasant, Ferrum have a dip in the mids, etc.

It might be that many brands try to be a wire with gain and not sound like anything, but a lot of brands have a „house sound“ that makes them work well with certain gear and not so well with others, depending on your taste.

I've A/B tested hundreds of amps. Not just headphones, everything from pro audio rack amps, to 12v car amps, to home A/V receivers.

When it comes to modern solid-state/digital amps driven below the power level where they distort, there's generally no perceptible difference.

Some low end units might have a bit more noise, but everything above that has noise so low you really can't tell a difference. The only real variation is how much power you can get before distortion occurs, and the dynamics that come with that headroom.

Tube amps are totally separate from this. Between the harmonics and overall higher distortion across the power range, they clearly sound different.

There shouldn't be any audible difference in timbre/tone between competently made solid state amps running within spec

Humans are very sensitive to small changes in volume but often mistakenly attribute this change to other nebulous sound qualities that they might be seeking such as “clarity” “dynamics” “punch” or negative ones such as “veiled” “muffled” “dull” etc.

When people "test" amps in store or at home, they always just use their ears to approximate a consistent listening volume and they will mostly get it wrong.

I have yet to see any compelling double-blind, volume-matched tests where people have been able to consistently distinguish between different models and tiers of competently made solid state amps. If the differences are so pronounced, then it should be trivial to conclusively prove this once and for all and end the debate (ditto cables, power conditioners, DACs etc)

I agree that when you introduce tubes into the mix, they indeed can audibly colour the sound and if you like that colour/distortion, then fair enough!

At the end of the day, amplifiers should *amplify* and not change the tone or dynamics of the signal it is being fed.

I've done a ton of reading of opinions since getting into this hobby. I couldn't disagree more with people who say that all dacs and amps essentially sound the same. For a long time, I had exclusively "entry level" AMPS (Schiit Magni/Modi, JDS Labs Atom+ Stack). I recently pulled the trigger on a topping a9o and the difference was insane. The details on songs that I've heard a million times, the sound stage... almost everything sounded different (in a good way).

I'd put more weight on changing the synergy of my system with a DAC than an amp once the amp meets whatever criteria. It personally bothers me more when I listen to a source that doesn't sound how I expect.

Anyone who says amps sound the same has probably only tried the same 2 brands of Asian made hyper transparent delta Sigma's.

It's patently false.

amps can vary in sound

that variation can be both positive or negative, or give benefits with tradeoffs in other areas

Oamp's can but usually they can also be changed quite cheap.

This depends a lot on the headphones and the amps.

I've heard IEMs and headphones (HD650, HD800, ZMF, ect) that can sound VERY different out of amps depending on the headphone impedance, ect.

Other headphones (like Hifiman Ananda) barely sound different on different SS Amps. Ananda didn't sound all that different going from a Jotunheim 2 to a BHA-1, where as something like a Focal Clear (or Arya, to a smaller extent) did sound different.

I've also heard amps that were touted as "neutral" sound a lot brighter/metallic than was described. Something like the Schiit Hel 2E had an amp.in it that had very obvious upper-mid glare/coloration that made hifiman headphones annoying to listen to.

At the end of the day, it was all very minor differences (with some exceptions) and there's not a need to spend huge dollars on an amp.

When people switch between solid state amps and they say "oh it sounds xyz" it's not the amp, it's the output impedance and the gain most likely. (Which is the amp but you get what I mean)

My old amp had 5 gain (no gain switch). My new one 0 gain. Sooooo much better like damn. (Which is why I got a new amp. Anyone want a magni 1st gen? I spent like 200 bucks on my new amp tho, no need for ultra fancy gear)

If you're talking solid-state amps, it's mostly snake oil.

It depends on what amps you're talking about. In the ASR world, tube amps, R2R DACs, and Class-A amps is all broken garbage only enjoyed by suckers. More or less. So all "real" amps sound the same, because the rest doesn't count.

Most modern hifi gear that targets transparent reproduction do achieve it. These are your Schiit Magnis, JDS Atom amps, and anything from Topping. Their distortion figures are so far below the limits of human hearing that SINAD is mostly a marketing gimmick. I'm not going to say it's impossible to hear some differences between ostensibly transparent amps with enough ear training, but the reports are unreliable and the results, true or not, are irrelevant for the vast majority of users.

But you can stil find modern amps that have clear deficiencies. Many of the cheap DACs and amps from brands like Fosi do suffer from stuff like treble and bass roll-off. High output impedance can also be a problem when paired with low impedance dynamic driver head or earphones. I know one of the Focusrite interface models has significantly bad distortion when driving low impedance loads. And some well regarded amps might still have too much noise for very sensitive IEMs, or not enough power for very demanding headphones.

In short, if you're on a tight budget, take care in picking an amp that will fit the headphones you want to use. If you want something that's pretty much universal, then I recommend the JDS Atom amp.

Idk but amp doesn't stand for anything so it is not capitalized

AMPs can make certain frequencies go up (I see it mostly on bass).

Amp can make a difference in sound due to the nature of output impedance and damping factors.

But this is perceptually noticeable only in certain special circumstances.