What are the benefits?

[Owade73]

Are there any benefits to using an amplifier with a laptop? What are those benefits, if any, and what are good sub $100 amps? 

[JAKEBAB]

The only reason to buy an amp is to drive higher impedance headphones which basically means they need more power to go louder i doubt u need an amp what headphones do u have?

[siberiansteel11]

I'm using the fiio ones their pretty loud. And clearer but that's just my opinion 

[ZacDaMan72]

Is your laptop's audio getting static and crap like that? Get a DAC instead.

[mr moose]

If your headphones are too quiet at full volume then yes you need an amp.

 

But amps only make stuff louder, if your source is crap then it makes that into louder crap, so work out if your laptop sound is crap and if so get a USB DAC/amp combo instead.

[Owade73]

Thank you. I thought AMPs were for better sound quality through high impedance headphones. 

[mr moose]

Thank you. I thought AMPs were for better sound quality through high impedance headphones. 

 

Nope, impedance has next to nothing to do with sound quality or the need for an amp.

[BoredErica]

Impedance has next to nothing to do with the need for an amp? It's half of the equation figuring out current and voltage requirements.

[mr moose]

Impedance has next to nothing to do with the need for an amp? It's half of the equation figuring out current and voltage requirements.

 

It is half of the equation for calculating current/voltage yes, but sensitivity determines the need for an amp, not impedance. 

[BoredErica]

I think next to nothing is an exaggeration.

[mr moose]

I think next to nothing is an exaggeration.

 

I get tired of people constantly banging on about the importance of impedance,  It's already bad enough with all the marketing guff that totally confuses people.  At the end of the day if people buy an amp based on the impedance of their headphones there will be a lot of people who unnecessarily buy amps, however if they buy amps based on sensitivity there will be a lot less wasted money and bad advice going around.

 

I recognise the importance of impedance in calculating wattage, current, voltage requirement etc, however to the end consumer that is like using the size of an engine and the weight of a car to work out which is the cheapest to run. Especially when every car has an efficiency sticker on the window.

[creatip123]

Thank you. I thought AMPs were for better sound quality through high impedance headphones. 

 

Every amps give sound coloration, meaning every amp sounds a bit different than the other. Different, not better (well, not counting badly designed/produced amps that give statics, or noises, etc). Biggest probability is you won't even notice the difference, because it's so tiny and subtle. For some people that got sharp ears and can hear the differences, they say 'this amp sounds better than that amp' mostly because the sound coloration match their preference.

 

Amps won't give better sound quality on a high impedance headphone. If anything, the amp would just make it louder. Most people deem louder = better, but to really compare the sounds of 2 (or more) amps, of course you gotta set them to approximately the same volume/loudness. 

 

So, if your laptop being not able to drive your headphone to the desired volume, then you need an amp. But if your laptop is fine, but you want to get an amp anyway, that's still perfectly fine, I do that too. At least then you already understand that you're getting the amp because you want it, not because you need it.