Most Popular Portable Headphone Amplifier: FiiO Alpen 2 E17K
Whether you have headphones that can use an amplifier, or you have an audio source that can use one, a portable amplifier can change the way you listen to music on the go. Last week we asked you to make a good choice and then reviewed five of the best portable headphone amplifiers . We will now return to your favorite.
Voting was pretty tight this week across all five competitors, with no clear and wide majority of votes. However, the FiiO Alpen 2 E17K took first place in our survey with over 25% of votes cast due to its value for money, portability, battery life, design, and of course, most of all, its performance and improved audio quality in use.
There were several FiiO models in the top five, which was the result of a round of nominations, but it was not another FiiO that came in second. Lucid Labs’ CMOY Headphone Amp scored 21% of the votes and is a great amp inside an Altoids or other candy box. Plus, they are handcrafted and hand-inspected before each one is shipped. Demand means they are currently out of stock, but when they return we recommend picking up one. 20% of the votes cast and third place went to the FiiO Fujiyama E6 , an amplifier that is by no means one of the best in its category, but it is certainly one of the most affordable, easy-to-use, and most portable – and it all earned great points in this category. In fourth place with almost 17% of the votes was the FiiO Mont Blanc E12 , a sleek and slim portable amplifier that can be used at the table or on the go. In second place with over 16% of the votes was the Objective2 headphone amplifier , which is customizable and slightly more than others, but sounds amazing.
For more details on each of them, as well as honorable mentions not listed here, return to our full Hive Five feature to find out more.