Headphone listening can be great, especially if you have kids, a renter or for late night. Headphone amps are like tonic water for your gin or gin for your tonic water! In other word, it is important and will effect your over all listening enjoyment and ability to engage with your headphone. I've owned and tried a number of them but since I bought the "can opener" , aka, a break out box, I've sold all my headphone amps. I now use my stereo amp to run my headphones and it sounds freak'n fantastic. You can build your own or just buy the "can opener" for $65.00 and be done with it headphone amps forever.