Enough desktop amplifier for almost any headphone anyone actually owns, at a price that used to buy the amplifier alone. Long-term complaints are about heat and hiss, not about capability.
This entry is written from the 4 sources listed at the bottom of the page. The numbers are our editorial estimates drawn from that material, not measurements, and no statistical sample sits behind them.
On the evidence gathered here, yes. 87% of owners say they would buy it again, and satisfaction is still 8.4 out of 10 two years in. Owners on head-fi report years of daily desk use.
It becomes a thing you never think about, which in desktop audio is the highest possible outcome.
Heat is the most common lasting grumble. Sensitive in-ear users end up using a different output. Feature set stays fixed — there is no firmware story here.
Owners on head-fi report years of daily desk use. Sentiment across the ownership period stays close to flat, which is rare: it reads 8.7 out of 10 in the first week and 8.4 two years later.
Worth it for: Driving full-size headphones from a computer; One box instead of separate DAC and amp; People done with upgrading. Think twice if: Very sensitive in-ear monitors; Tiny desks with no airflow; You want app or remote control.
Our reading of how sentiment moves across an ownership period, drawn from the sources below. It is an editorial estimate, not tracked longitudinal data.
| At purchase | 8.2 / 10 |
|---|---|
| First week | 8.7 / 10 |
| One month | 8.6 / 10 |
| Six months | 8.5 / 10 |
| One year | 8.4 / 10 |
| Two years or more | 8.4 / 10 |
Owner reviews move this score. The researched figure stays visible next to it, so you can always see what the sources said before anyone voted.
Leave a review on the live pageEvery complaint and every piece of praise above traces back to these. The summaries are ours; nothing is quoted, and no link, quote or username anywhere on this site is invented.
Owner reviews across long-term desktop use.
Discussion of heat, noise floor and pairing.
Review of measured performance and value.
Head-to-head comparison of the two desktop options.