As an audiophile noob, keep the tier lists coming. It’s a HUGE help

Updated headphone tier list with DMS would be amazing, keep it in mind!! (:

Really surprised the THX789 doesn't even get listed considering it's the only amp anyone could talk about a couple years ago...

There are so many headphone amplifiers, but a few a wish were included the Nitsch Schiit Piety, Drop THX One and Little Dot. Thanks for these lists, and I hope you feel better soon.

An amp I think is heavily underrated is the iFi Zen Can (NOT the Dac). It has all the relevant features of the more expensive iFi products like xBass and 3D, it has a ton of power, balanced outs and pre-outs, and sounds super god damn clean to the point where I'm not sure why people are spending thousands on amps for headphones, or even spending big money on headphone amps in the first place. For under 200 dollars it really is a steal, and it's even built really well too. Super smooth knob and all metal chassis, not flimsy cheap metal either. I run mine with an E30 and Avantone Planars and I'll die on the hill that it sounds better than most setups costing triple what mine does. Not to mention that if your headphones have large drivers but are slightly bass shy, the xBass is really what you need to get them sounding full. It only boosts sub-bass (60 Hz and down) and does it kind of dynamically so percussion is affected more than something like a bass drone would be. For another system I think is good; this is some oldschool shit, but a setup I remember super fondly was the original HD800's paired with a DNA Stratos tube amp and a Matrix something or other (maybe Xsabre?) DAC. This was back in 2013, when the go-to option for high end headphones was the original HD800, which was famously amp-picky. However it paired fabulously with the DNA Stratos, made every song I played through it sounded like I was in a concert hall, crazy width but without losing any detail. I will say that the width was artificial, it was definitely not there if you played the same song through some highly accurate monitoring headphones, but I've never heard another set of headphones sound as much like speakers as that set. As for amps I think are not good... anything costing huge money unless it's bringing some special feature to the table. I can understand why speaker amps are expensive: high power + high precision is very expensive to achieve unless you have GaN class D, and even that costs thousands. However with a headphone amp you could have pure class A if you wanted to because your transient peaks are at like what, 15, 20 watts even for hard to drive headphones? I am of the opinion that a pure headphone amp (no auxiliary features) should not be costing more than 2k for any reason. I'll extend that up to 4k if it has features or an integrated DAC or something like that.

Dx3 pro + is amazing price vs. performance... definitely a great buy and it sounds right there with the best topping makes plus it's feature loaded. At $200 it's hard to beat... On sale it's crazy.

What do you think, Fiio Q3 or Q11? Also, when you look at other Fiio products that are portable, what would be your suggestion?

Well, based on my limited experience of only a handful of amps, the 789 is my personal S tier seeing as it really doesn't leave me wanting anything more and it's driven me to sell/get rid of a few others that I've tried because they all sound worse. The A90D is in my sights for another clean and linear king at some point in the future. Right behind the 789 is the M17 even though it's a DAP. I use it for desktop use at work every day. I put it behind the 789 just because it lacks a tiny bit of bite (texture?) that the 789 has that I love so much. It's still clean and linear though and that's what I like. The most disappointing amp I've tried is the FiiO K9 (AKM). It blunted the treble while still somehow adding sibilance and harshness where literally no other amp I have tried shows either trait on the same roster of headphones/IEMs. If I desired those traits then I'd rather mace myself and shove a sock down my ear canal to get the same effect. Also I hate the interface. Those puny little cheap feeling switches that require a flashlight to use, the volume knob that wobbled and felt like a paddle in mud.... It's big, heavy, and runs hot to the point that it concerned me. Hate that thing so much.

What about the THX 789/887 that you once recommended? Which tier would they be in?

Why so many people are stuck on how a component measures is beyond me. Our ears and the music we listen to are anything but flat. We are not machines. Sources and amps should be flat, but most cans and speakers that are, do not sound natural or pleasing to the human ear. The design teams and engineers that make our stereo components are finally starting to make good sounding gear that is musical and enjoyable once again. These said stereo components measure anything but ruler flat. It's about time as far as I'm concerned. Why do you think so many people nowadays have turned back to buy various stereo components from the seventies and eighties? Because we weren't fixated on measurements, just good sound, if we had the right synergy. Thanks for the video Josh. These are a lot of work.

S tier - BURSON Soloist x3 GT, one of the best amps I’ve heard and owned. F tier - never thought about it, but I was shocked that HD 800s sounds really good on Burson (I could listen to it without eq easy) and how sharp, piercing and flat they are on D90, but D90 relatively affordable… so for F tier (from what I owned) - Musician Andromeda. Not the worst overall, but power is not it’s strong suite. For AMP it’s crucial in my opinion.

Consider keeping this list a live list, published online and updated every time you get an amp .. though you may need different categories like build quality vs sound. Would be immensely useful for someone 4 years down the line who found a thing on used market and wants to know if it was any good.

Love the list, just wish some more tube amp were included. Recently got the mt-604 and would definitely put it in S tier after about 4 months of use. Was able to get it for 100$ usd, and genuinely just sounds great (tube-ish but not over dramatic, makes eqing easier imo) with enough power to drive everything I own. Would put the khadas tea in F tier, its great for convince and has a warm neutral-ish signature, it doesnt really come close to the resolution of bt dac amps half its price (btr5 and quedelix 5k), and i didnt end up keeping it

Thanks for the list. I was surprised you didn't mention a single iFi product and that some amplifiers were also DACs. Hybrids disqualify as Amplifier in my opininon, unless they have also a line-in option (so you can bypass the DAC). If i buy an amp, i just want an amp :)

Ay bro, just wanted to let you know that the audio on your videos is consistently top-tier. Bought a pair of LCD-2's, but had some stuff to do before I could actually listen to music. Decided to listen to some youtube vids in the background while I worked, and my first "Whoa" moment with them was when one of your vids popped up in the queue. Love your content, keep doing your thing!

Josh when he's sick is just something else, man. 😂

I think that this list says more about your preferences than it does about the actual equipment. Your list seem to be an outlier relative to others I’ve seen.

Topping A90D for sure - purchased based on your recommendation, mated with SMSL SU-9 Pro. Nice! But I have to say, Im really enjoying the Chord Mojo2 dac/amp- sweeeeet!

S Tier- Audio GD Master 9- F- Tier - Most op amp based amplifiers except for the Burson stuff.

So this is a value tier list ... I'd rather see a ranking not relative to the prices. Everyone could derive the value proposition from that, but not so easily the other way around.

love it man, please do a combo dac-amp tierlist! :D

Finally a video joshua keep them coming plz

Class S: RME ADI DAC-2 fs (which I have), any THX AAA design amps (I have the THX AAA 789). Note: the RME has a special output for sensitive IEMs as well as single ended/balanced oututs to drive the most power hungry headphones. Add in your choice of anti-aliasing filters in the dac and full dsp eq with memories for multiple headphones and you have one very special device -of course with all that power you could also make poor choices and have an F-sounding setup. I disposed any F sounding amps sometime ago and don't remember their names. Edited for typos.

I know there's not a lot of talk of portable amplifiers on this channel, but would be nice to see how the Fiio Q7 and the iFi Gryphon stack up. Or any iFi product, like the Zen CAN or the Zen DAC! Because to me, the Zen DAC V2 is absolutely S-tier for its price point and its sound quality. I'm not sure about F-tier, I just haven't heard that many bad ones. Some Schiit Magnis have noisy volume knobs and I've had that with more than one (lots of crackling in the right channel). To me that's unacceptable, so that might move them into F-tier.

You didn't say anything about the Drop 789? Is that because it is no longer available, or ?

It's funny to see how tastes differ, I bought the Lyr + for my Arya and I'm very happy with it, it's exactly what I needed to tame these headphones brightness in the upper range and it's very fun to roll the tube to get different flavors. I even directly compared it to the Pro Ican Signature (4 times more expensive than le Lyr) but I returned it and kept the Lyr.

I don’t have an F tier because I don’t own one yet lol but my S tier is my IFI zen Dac v2. Extremely surprised you didn’t put this on the list.

I’m very confused on why you ranked the TA-26 as F, in your review you seemed to like it more than the dark voice?? Also there’s a new S version with 4.4 balanced and a better volume potentiometer that doesn’t skyrocket the volume as fast

Your ranking of the TA-26. In your video review, you had a totally different opnion and praised the TA-26 over tha Dark Voice and went in detail about how annoying and lower quality the Dark Voice is. Not saying opnions can't change, but the level of drastic change of opinion here about that amplifier rips away at your credibility, especially since how you just staright up threw it in F-tier with single sentence to explain your totally new opnion. How or why should we believe your reviews if your opnions will be totally different not long after, without any justification as to what changed your opinion? What changed? Which video was wrong, the previous one where you parised it or this ranking because both can't be right. As someone who was highly considering this amp at the moment, I'm a bit ticked off.

Great to hear your personal preferences! Seeing you compare such a huge range of headphone amps is really useful to me. Thanks! If I were to select an S Tier headphone amp - maybe my Nitsch Piety or my Geshelli Labs Archel 2,5 XL. F Tier - xDuoo MT602.

I had a Topping A90D for 2 weeks from a friend and for some years now I'm using the RME ADI-2 Dac fs. tbh the RME eats the the Topping for breakfast, spits it out again and wipes the floor with it. The fact that the RME is not even on your Tier list eventhough its AMP and DAC in one and the price is only 1k just shows, that you really need to give it ago. Srsly the difference between the both is so insane, that with for example a HD800s it sound like a completely different beast with the RME. Soundstage is bigger, more resolution in the highs and low and the music come ALIVE with the RME, it's honestly insane. And I used the RME as a dac connected to the Topping in case anyone is wondering what dac i used for the Topping for comparision.

I'm thinking about the new RME 2/4...does this sound better than the toppings A90D? This price difference is not an issue. Have you reviewed this newer RME? I don't see that you have yet so just wondering if I missed it.

'It just completely shits the bed' and that picture, well done XD

Bought the Xduoo TA 22 after your review and very glad I did, so thank you for that. But S tier experiences would be Schiit Folkvengr and upcoming Mjolnir 3. I thought I was anti-tube because I’ve been an objectivist, ahem, on faith. My faith was misplaced. I’ll be exploring tubes.

No liquid spark? Damn, its a fantastic amp for the price, its my go-to budget amp.

Great content as usual! I've got to ask, where would the WA7 fall in this tier list in your opinion? I'll be testing out the Diana MR and Empyrean II on that amp (along with a few others) and would love to know if it's maybe A or S tier for you. Thanks!!

I'd add the a30pro to A or S tier. For the price and power and form factor. And the Gustard H16 to a low rank. Not a bad amp, just nothing interesting bout it.

Nice video appreciate the Tier List Josh :) I own the Schitt Magni/Modi and Magnius/Modius and LOVE THEM!!! You said in the video Magnius/Modius is A teir but notice it is actually listed in S Teir? Do you stand by S Tier? I have Senn. HD 560s, HD58X, Beyerdynamic DT 177x GO, HiFiman HE-4XX and a few others along with some IEMs as well Dunu Vulkan, Dunu Falcon Pros. My Daily drivers are HD 560S and Dunu Vulkans. I do listen to some music but really mainly use it for PC Gaming mostly FPS games and for amazing positional awareness in games, like HUNT Showdown (LOVE IT)!! Would there be any reason for me to go to Topping A90 or A90D from what I have?

I have the Topping A30pro & the Sabaj A20d, love both of them, would put them in A tier for sure, love the the styling on the Sabaj, feel better soon and keep doing what you do ;-)

I have the TA-22 and it blows everything else I've used away, from my Schiit Modi/Magni stack, iFi Zen stack, Loxjie P20 with a Qudelix 5k... the list goes on. For me personally, the price to performance and absolutely incredible sound even with the stock tubes can't be beat in the $500 range. It's an S Tier from me imo and highly recommended if you want an all in one unit. Alternatively, TA-20 plus and an SMSL SU-9 DAC are a good combo too.

How come I've never seen you review or "rank" the RME ADI-2 DAC FS?

I‘ve just started the audiophile journey with the Topping DX 3pro + & Hifiman HE400se as well as Hifiman Sundara. I’m more than happy at the moment and I‘m curious to discover more within the upcoming months and years. Thx for the great job as well as the for Tier list! That will help for further selections!

The Sony amp is really the best if you're powering any dynamic headphone. Not really a planar guy so it's not really an issue for me, but obviously a limitation as far as those power hungry things are concerned.

S tier, definitely: - HFM EF400 - Schiit Magni+ - ifi Zen Can Singature - HFM Ef500 - Topping DX3 Pro+ - xDuoo TA22 and TA30 - Schiit Jotunheim 2

Kinda surprised not to see anything from Chord. I had an EF400 and liked but decided to switch to a Mojo 2 and was much happier. Good video either way!

really helpful tier list! I'm curious with your opinion about some of dirt cheap amp like Douk U3 and U5, haven't really found a comparison that include this 2 amps.

I prefer sound quality over sound quantity. My daily is Sony DMP-Z1 with Diana v2 headphone.

So what's this list about? Price to value or sound?

I'm very happy with my SH-6... excellent dynamics!

Singxer SA1 D and topping A90 S tier??? Man! Hope you get well soon!? 😅

Awesome sound mate, how do you process you audio?

I feel the focus on power is a bit extreme at times. Some of the amps get criticism for lacking power that only is needed for a handful of headphones. The K7 for instance. For a cheap DAC/amp it is unreasonable to expect it to have power to handle even the most demanding headphones.

Just a thought, but you may want to put links to your KZfaq video reviews of each of these headphone amps, especially S tier and A tier. 💡Just saying...

Super curious to know what you think of the ifi zen DAC v2... Especially vs the Topping DX3 Pro+...

Was hoping to upgrade from my DX3 Pro+ next month, taking advantage of a trip to the US. But having trouble finding something that’s significantly better, which might be a good problem. Thoughts Josh?

Thanks for the updated list! I’m curious where you think something like a GSX Mini would fall. I’m currently running an A90 and Modius, but am considering upgrading both. I’m looking at the Mini and Schiit Bifrost 2/64, but don’t know if the significant cost would yield a comparable upgrade in quality. Would love your thoughts!

Stay away from Topping a90d amps. First one after 6 months blew my headphone driver out. Second one gave me -5 error code after 2 months. Switched brand after that shit.

Josh I think to me the Mal Valve Head Amp MK-IV would be an excellent choice on the S-tier list. It is one of the few headphone amps that is designed to accommodate both electrostatic and dynamic type headphones in one chassis and enough connections (for most) to enhance your musical enjoyment.

Note that the Darkvoice is based on a decades old design so the TA-26 isn't really a rip-off.

SA-1 straight to D tier while A90 in S tier 🤣. Well sold my A90 long time ago, cant stand its cold and piercing sound from this amp...

Schiit Jotunheim 2. If only you could shut the headphone output off in the front or the back for that matter when you output to speakers it could be between an A and S. I heard something about it being that way for people who want to use subwoofers, but really? This is a damn headphone amplifier. Don't want to wear out my 4-pin XLR connector because I constantly go from headphone to desktop monitors.

I came here ready to brace myself for some Topping-biased p[references... and this was a very fair review. JV pointed out valid points (e.g. not enough power, sound quality could be better, etc.) and I'm impressed with his rankings. I bought my Arya hp's based on JV's recommendation, so thanks for this video!

I don't know anything about audio. But the audio that comes out of my pc. Not only for music, but also for social networks and games its horrible. What AMP do you recommend for this case? I was thinking that Fiio K7 might be a good option. I read you guys. Great video!

How would the IFI Zen Dac 2 compare? I know it is a DAC/AMP combo but how would it rank compared to these on the list?

I hope you feel better soon! Unfortunately this list is as good as buying cheap lenses that a manufacturer in China made for your expensive Sony and Canon cameras. It might work but it won’t give you the quality that matches their performance.

Mojo 2 is my top amp/dac that I’ve heard. The eq and versatility is amazing. F tier would be smsl vmv a1. The headphone out is terrible.

Please use segments! That would make your videos so much more accessible..

The TA-ZH1ES can drive every Headphone that exists currently right now to well above 100db and it is not getting S-Tier because it does not have enough power. It has 1300mW on 32 Ohms... that is enough to destroy most headhpones. You could easily destroy 10 IEMs simultaniously with that power. It has barely enough power to drive Sonys own Heapdhones, the MDR-Z1R? It can drive the MDR-Z1R, on balanced, to 128db. Nobody will ever listen at that volume to this headphone. This is enough to make you faint. It can also drive the Hifiman Susvara to 111db on balanced. I highly disagree that the TA-ZH1ES doesn't have enough power. I do own it, i have it here and it can drive everything.

Thanks for the upload Joshua! Could you review the zoom UAC-2?

Glad one of my amps made it to s tier :P (topping dx3 pro +).

Thanks for this list! I'm Mr. Frugal, so I'm naturally inclined to choose the S.M.S.L. SH-6 as my favorite since it's the least expensive S-tier amp.

Where would you rank the SMSL C200?

I really apriciate that you have linked every product in the description :) Keep up the great work 😊

I bought the SH-6 and SU-6 based on your recommendation a year or so ago and I love them.

Hello Mr. Valour. Please, I have question. Can Topping DX1 theoretically damage Tygr 300 R when maxed out?

My S-Tier: Schiit Jotunheim. My F-Tier: Sennheiser GSX 1200 Pro. The Jotunheim just checked all the boxes for me. The GSX 1200 has a great interface, and it’s eye candy. But it has 0 power, most of it’s features are useless, and USB 2.0 means microphone quality suffers and is limited to phone quality.

I have the chance to get Topping A90 for $300, but still dont have the DAC. What DAC do you recommend to be paired with Topping A90 with price around $200 max?

I have the Topping DX3 Pro + and its been great for my everyday use. You are right for a couple of hundred bucks its hard to beat what it offers. One day I hope to afford a higher price one but I'm just starting off.

I was a bit disappointed xduoo mt-604 was not included. Would love to know how it compares to ta-22 if it's worth it to get an all in one vs. separate dac and amp

MT-604 is missing from this list. A tier!

Thank you this came in perfect timing!!

Planning on getting a pair of HD 6XX. Entertaining level enthusiast wanting to get into the hobby. Do you think it would be better to buy a Topping DX3 Pro +, or a Schiit Magni paired with a Schiit Modi+. Both around the same price. What would you recommend…

Why do you go so hard on the XA-10? It’s just a lower cost slightly less crisp A30 stack with balance and extreme power?

was really suprised to see the Singxer so low on the list. I have a THX 789, a Aune X1s, and a Xduo MT-604, and I heard the Singxer in comparison to them as a friend brought it over and I felt it sounded better than anything I owned. Maybe I am crazy, or maybe his was just built on a Wednesday I don't know but I have been considering ordering one. Now I want to hear one compared to the A90D side by side. I just liked how warm the Singxer sounded

That intro! Lol I had to replay it like 4 times cuz I was like, “Did he… did he just say my name?” 😂 P.S. I liked the video… I better not see you in my dreams 😅

Just came to see my A90/D90 in S-tier. Wasn't disappointed

Hi Josh, nice up! What's your tier ranking for Gustard H16? Just curious. Thanks!

How come no mention of the AMP that was the one to get? Massdrop/Drop AAA 789?

whats the opinion of the topping l30 ii? better than the smsl sh 6? im having a hell of a hard time finding any answers

Surprised by how you put Sinxger SA-1 saying it's "not the most clean" which is funny since it's one of the cleanest ever measured by ASR. Other than that, thanks for this list. It is helpful.

The Zen air and Uno are $20 apart, which do you suggest between the two? I use Sennheiser 560s And 58x, and mostly game and watch videos.

What do you think of "XDUOO XD05 Pro Portable Full Balanced DAC Headphone Amplifier Double Screen 4.4 Balanced USB XMOS XU316 AMP Decoder" and how would you rank it. And is "SENNHEISER HD 820 Over-the-Ear Audiophile Reference Headphones" a good match for the XDUOO? Thank you.

Just bought Schiit Magni Modi stack today, and I'm getting a really horrible buzzing/tapping sound out of the Left earcup when the volume knob is above 40 percent on low gain. Higher the gain the worse it gets where I cant hear audio over it. Really not happy with Schiit Products at the moment.

Did you stick that smsl on your wall brooo??

Why is the JDS element just not talked about?

Hey Josh. A few months ago you mentioned you were working on a video on gaming audio. Did I miss that, or did it just not come to fruition?

I watch this guy the odd time but almost never agree.. that's the beauty of music . If watching take with a pinch . My fav amps are singxer sa1 and ta 26. Topping etc so linear and boring. I used the try and get the most neutral clean sounding powerful amp until I realised I wasn't enjoying the actual music with this gear.. on another note fiio k9 pro sounds great had 2 both failed within months of purchase

S- A90D, features, power and is clean without being as sterile as the OG A90 F- TBH don't think I've experienced an F personally but one of my friends uses a Focusrite audio interface that supposedly sounds awful

The Sennheiser is not for enjoying music. It's for mastering music. It's supposed to increase the volume with as close to zero coloring of the music as possible. It should should as close to exactly as the the music that enters is with very little noise and no change to the EQ so it should sound very very plain, flat, bland. That's what I'm trying to find. flat amplification.

Do you NEED a dac as well? Only a few options are a combo, the rest seem to be amps with the option of adding a dac. Looking to get some dt 990 pros