First of all, the question of why anyone needs to own a headphone amp needs to be answered. In most CD players, the headphone amplifier is extremely cheap and has very bad sound quality. However, most people are used to this and do not expect anything more. Many who call themselves "Headphone Audiophiles" use headphone amplifiers to get better sound quality from their sources. Also, many high quality headphones have high impedance ratings. The higher the impedance, the harder they are to drive from a regular source. Headphones like the Sennheiser HD600 (impedance of 300 ohms) practically require a dedicated headphone amplifier to give decent sound quality. Without an amplifier, these phones sound very dark and murky and the high frequencies are practically nonexistent. Adding the amp opens entire range of frequencies and gives crystal clear highs and tight bass. The difference is quite amazing. Other headphones like Grados with an impedance of 32 ohms are driven by most portables just fine. A headphone amp still will improve the sound quality in that situation as well. If you find yourself wanting better sound quality (from any source) and if you have high impedance headphones, you need a headphone amplifier.

You have two options: solid state or tube. Solid state amps tend to be analytical, clean, and unlively. If you are listening for details, solid state is the way to go. However, tubes offer more vitality, smoothness (especially in the midrange), sweetened highs, and a cool glow. This editorial will take a look at some of the most popular tube and solid state amps: the Creek OBH-11SE (solid state) and the Antique Sound Labs MG Head DT (tube).

Creek OBH-11SE
Manufacturer: Creek Audio
Distributor: $350 Audio Advisor

Creek is a Hi-Fi specialist manufacturer in the UK. The reviewed amp was the OBH-11SE, which includes a special power brick to provide clean power. There is also a OBH-11 version without the special power brick.

I found it surprisingly small and quite well built. The volume control was especially nice - it was very smooth. Paired with my Grado SR325 headphones, it sounded awesome. The harshness I had before was gone. It was very clear. There was absolutely no hiss or static, no matter how loud the amp was turned up. But I felt that something was lacking.

Next I tried it with the Sennheiser HD600 headphones. The sound was very dark, murky, and dull. I really didn't like it at all and would much rather listen to Grados with the Creek.

It almost felt the Creek took away something from the music. It was not all that engaging. Yet it did sound great in it's own way. But at that moment, I had not tried any other headphone amps.

Antique Sound Labs MG Head DT
Distrubtor: $279 Divergent Technologies

The MG Head DT by Antique Sound Lab is sold by the Canadian distributor Divert Technologies. There are many similar looking models sold throughout the world, like the VP Head in Asia.

First look at the MG Head DT will surprise anyone. Yes, those are real vacuum tubes on the front of it. A friend of mine commented, "it looks stupid with those dumb things put on the front of it just for looks." Most people probably aren't aware that tubes are becoming very popular in audiophile audio products. In fact, it is a tube renaissance. The growing popularity has to do merely with the sound quality. Tubes add something that makes digital music feel more human. It sounds much more musical than just a bunch of notes (which is how solid state amps now sound to me).

Out of the box I was amazed. The build quality was simply awesome. It feels like a brick and it is quite heavy. After slipping in the included JJ tubes, the sound really impressed me. It adds a whole new dimension to music. It was incredibly smooth. There was more detail and clearness to the highs than with the Creek (the Creek rolls off more details to remove harshness, where the MG Head DT preserves them without harshness). In complex passages where the Creek sometimes had trouble separating the instruments, the MG Head DT came out just fine. The MG Head DT sounded like it had life. It was the most engaging musical experience I've ever enjoyed. Now when I listen to music I can't help but singing along or busting out my air guitar. Yes, people make fun of me with my headphones on, rocking out. But I don't care :)

It sounded quite amazing with the Grado SR325 headphones. But it sounded even better with the Sennheiser HD600s. The sound opened up incredibly. It was very smooth, open, clear, beautiful, and sweet. Sometimes the beauty of the music is what you don't hear: in this case the air that was noticeable between the notes and instruments. The bass was thicker and more enjoyable, yet still incredibly tight and clear. The midrange is incredibly smooth and enjoyable.

Many consider the Sennheiser HD600's the best for classical music and Grado SR325s the best for rock, techno, and pop. However, using the MG Head DT I found the Sennheiser HD600s best for absolutely any type of music.