Audiophile CMOY headphone amplifier USA made with high quality parts-Altoids Red Tin

I've had this little "headphone" amp for a couple of years now. Though I probably use it more often as a power boost for my MP3 players morethan I do on my headphones (though I do still use it for those when at the beach).My headphones are Shure SE215's and with the Sony MP3's having a boost was nice. But with a new Fiio X1 it's not necessary.Music I listen to most: Grateful Dead, Los Lobos, James McMurtry, The Blasters, Little Feat, X, The Cure, NRBQ, John Prine, Kings of Leon ... you get the picture, mostly Rock and Roll but also Blues, some Country (old school guys) and pretty much anything but Pop Divas, Opera, Rap and Hip Hop.But like I said, I use it more when I want to run my old Sony MP3 Walkman players into a portable speaker.****************************************************************************************************************************PROS:Just gives you more power(loudness) at a lower volume from whatever source you input.No distortion I can notice (I rarely take it up to it's max though).Sound is clean...just makes it louder without adding anything (or taking anything away).Works great with my TV. I plug in a 3.5 into the headphone out on TV into this little AMP and then output that into my stereo. If I went straight from the TV into the stereo I'd have to turn the volume WAY UP on the TV and then I still though it sounded lousy.Have also used it as a boost plugging my Sony MP3s into my NAD receiver which has an input for 3.5 plug. Now that I bought the Fiio X1 I don't have to do that since it has a switch for either headphones out or power out which is significantly louder than HO.9 volt Battery lasts a long time. You'll know when it's crapping out. The light inside starts dimming and the sound starts getting weak.CONS:A little bulky if your planning on carrying it around to use with your headphones. But it's doable.Be better if you could see when it's powered on. I've left it on for hours because I forgot to turn the volume knob off. Though I am getting better at remembering to shut it down.Would also be better with a rechargable battery. But then it would cost a bit more. Just get a supply of 9V batteries. You know you need them for the smoke detectors anyway.****************************************************************************************In conclusion...I would recommend it to anyone who wants something they can use to boost the loudness on any of their audio equipment.Be careful with your ears though. Tinnitus sucks.

This little guy has been around for several years in pretty much the same configuration as both diy kit and pre assembled from a few different sources. The version here is about as low a price as you'll find for an assembled amp. I had been looking for something to get me back towards a better listening system, having had some severe changes over the years. Being an audio nut for the last 30+ years and finding myself at somewhat of low point, I needed just the right piece of gear to provide a good experience and start turning things back around. This amp was the perfect choice. One of the things that I've learned in that 30+ years is that when possible, the simplest circuits can sometimes sound the best. That's one of the best parts about tube audio gear...not much for parts in the signal path. That's an important part of why this amp works well...it gets out of it's own way. Very often, solid state circuitry can be more complex, but not with this amp...very simple signal path here.The other large factor is being able to use line level output from your source, compared to plugging in your phones into the dedicated phone jack. The phone jack output is often an afterthought on many pieces of gear and the associated circuitry gets the short end of the stick. Usually, line level output circuitry gets the better parts, depending on the builder or modifier. In my case, I was using the last piece I owned from the previous system...the Sony DVP-NS999ES combo CD/DVD player, which also handles SACD discs. It's somewhat of a mid line unit, but does a decent job...but without a headphone jack. A bit of cable and this amp and my old Sennheiser HD 25 SP cans and I was smiling again. With the bigger Sennheisers gone, but not forgotten, the HD 25's have had big shoes to fill..and now they get a little closer. I also took the time to get a better interconnect...the AudioQuest Evergreen 1 meter for about $30...and it's worth it versus the cheaper possibilities for a 1/8 miniplug to RCA. I figured out a long time ago that there are some differences in cable...some you can hear if done carefully. But I won't spend a ton of money for them and have built my own over the years. Don't use generic cable to connect this amp with a good source. You'll be doing yourself a disservice. When I first put this amp in place and fired up the player, I was rather pleasantly surprised. I had homemade Pretenders best of in the tray and figured I'd start with that...good choice. Had to listen to the whole 21 tracks before trying something else. And now I just want to listen to every disc I've got. That's a good sign. Haven't had that much satisfaction with a piece of audio gear in several years. Just want to add after a few days of listening...This amp will do best with some fairly neutral sounding cans. The small Sennheiser HD 25 SP's I use are an excellent match and I have the satisfying feeling that the 3 components..player/amp/phones..are a good match. There's just a very small level of detail lacking, but for the most part it's not missed. Everything I've listened to has sounded very good..both rock and jazz. Had to pull out some of the audiophile recordings..Dafos, Bluesiana Triangle, Boston Acoustics Bass Disc, SACD copy of Dark Side Of The Moon. Listening to the Epic/Legacy copy of Boston and it just sounds great..not over cooked and hot sounding..just enough of an edge to it. Foreplay/Longtime absolutely rocks and makes you reach for the volume...which is exactly the correct reaction!

This is your man if you want portable audio and high end headphones not to sound like tin garbage. If you've gotten used to using real headphones and don't know how you're going do deal with low q streams on high q stuff or you're just curious if your headphones of choice could really use an amp than this is your new best friend. It's cheap. It works. It can drive lower resistance gear to high resistance gear without an issue. It's obviously a no frills amp. It will make your music sound way nicer mobile. The lab even custom orders for people. It's been voted one of the top five mobile amps out there on the market over at Life Hacker. If you want everything to sound better or new again and you don't mind a little extra gear for the trained ear to not have to listen to tinny or whacky audio get this and never look back. If you have more serious headphones than you're going into Fiios territory but honestly, this will never become unuseful to you. Must buy.If this review has been helpful to you please click "yes".

I wanted to use studio grade power hungry headphones with my iPhone. These give me more than enough power. I’ve only had it a few days, so don’t know yet about battery longevity.I can update after I’ve had the a while, but I bet I’ll get a few months on a battery.