I’ve seen people state both that they so not influence the tuning as long as they deliver the same power and others stating that they can make headphones “sound warmer” or “brighter”. I don’t see how that would happen though and a lot of audiophiles just hear things that I feel aren’t there, like some noise difference between the Apple DAC Dongle and a 500 EUR DAC using an off the rack chip.
Take this comment from ASR:
Amps are more likely to make an audible difference than most DACs, but that certainly doesn’t mean there are audible differences between most amps
I’m talking purely about AMPs here, not a DAC combination.
Spend your money on headphone upgrades, not amps or DACs. There’s WAYYYYYY more noticeable return for money with better headphones than better amps or DACs unless you’re switching from solid state to tubes.
Even then, you can still get an entry-level or barely mid-fi tube amp and be fine.
Amps, DACs and cables are the biggest subjects of useless spec wars and snake oil in the hobby, with ease. My $220 JDS Atom+ DAC/amp stack drives just about anything with ample, clean power and neutral sonic coloring.
Don’t fall for the Chinese manufacturers’ snake oil that you NEED 4 watts per channel to drive a basic HiFiMan or Sennheiser headphone. That’s pure bullshit, with a few exceptions in both companies’ lines. And if you really think you can hear the difference of a new Topping amp that has .0000002 less THD than its predecessor, you’re one of the most gullible mofos on this planet or a hardcore victim of placebo effect.