PSA: The O2 headphone amplifier is available for just US$79.99
PSA: The O2 headphone amplifier is available for just US$79.99
If you love music, it makes sense to invest in a pair of high-quality headphones. There's no shortage of great headphones out there today, but to get the most out of them, you need an amplifier. Unfortunately, decent amplifiers can be a little pricey.
Luckily, there's one now that you can get at a relatively low price. I'm referring to the Objective 2 (O2) headphone amplifier. The Objective 2 headphone amplifier was designed by a man who goes by the online moniker of NwAvGuy. He created this amplifier as a challenge to the audio industry, insisting that good audio need not come at wallet-bursting prices.
And indeed, for the price, there are few amplifiers that can come close to the Objective 2 headphone amplifier's impressive specifications. The Objective 2 headphone amplifier boasts impressively low THD values and its low output impedance and high power means that it can comfortably drive all but the most power-hungry headphones.
You can now get the Objective 2 headphone amplifier from Massdrop from just US$79.99 (~S$112). Shipping to Singapore, in case you were wondering, is a mere US$9.75, bringing the total cost to just under US$90 (~S$126). You would be hard pressed to find a headphone amplifier that is as capable at this price.
If you are willing to fork out US$15 (~S$21) more, you can opt for the more ergonomic desktop version. The desktop version has a few changes that most users will welcome. It swaps the 3.5mm headphone output for a 6.35mm headphone output and also moves the power inputs to the rear for a cleaner front facade. Finally, the desktop version also sees the 3.5mm analog input swapped for a pair of RCA inputs, which have also been moved to the rear, making easier to pair the O2 headphone amplifier with a separate DAC.