Like so many Guitar gadgets, Headphone amps have come a long way since their first introduction. Early headphone amps were little more than novelty items, but many of today’s examples can now be considered to be serious equipment, with features like loopers, drum tracks, and multi-effects now commonplace.

In this guide I’ll be looking at the 7 best headphone amplifiers for guitar on sale in 2021. Each amp will be reviewed based on sound quality, features, and battery life.

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Our Top Three Picks for Best Guitar headphone Amps

The VOX VGH Rock Guitar Headphones were our best overall choice for best guitar headphone amp. Anybody looking for a well made, feature packed headphone guitar amp can have it all with this model. Featuring a range of amp modes and FX inspired by famous Vox amps, there are tons of sound combinations that are possible with this convenient true headphone amp.

The Lekato Guitar Headphone Amp is our best value pick for best guitar headphone amp. It comes with multiple effects modules, as well as cabinet and amp models, and operates on a rechargeable Li Ion battery. At any price this is a great choice for any player looking to scale down without sacrificing versatility and portability.

The Line 6 Pocket Pod is our editor’s pick for best guitar headphone amp – this is the model to go for is money isn’t an object and you’re looking to get the most possible features and a recognized brand name. It’s loaded with a huge number of presets, amp models, cabinet models and more. It works as a headphone guitar amp or a multi FX unit just like the larger Line 6 Pod models. 

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Best Guitar Headphone Amp Reviews

If you’ve been looking for a true headphone amp, the Vox VGH Rock guitar amplifier is one of the best on the market. Unlike everything else in this review, this amp is actually built into a set of high quality headphones. 

Unlike the AC30 Amplug that we also covered in this review, the VGH is not actually modeled on an actual Vox amplifier. Nevertheless, we still found that it was full of the crunchy British classic rock tones that Vox are so famous for.

The actual headphone element was made in conjunction with Audio Technica. The overall audio quality was fantastic, with a good range in volume and just the right amount of bass response. They take 2 AAA batteries – the instructions rate these headphones at 16 hours of battery life, and while we didn’t spend quite that long with them, we’re happy to report that the batteries didn’t falter during the test.

Controls were easy to access, and could be manipulated without having to remove the headphones, which was a big plus point.

To keep things interesting, this headphone amplifier is equipped with chorus, delay and reverb, as well as 3 different amp modes. The FX and amp modes can be mixed and matched to provide an extraordinary amount of variety for an amp that is literally built into its own headphones!

We found that the padding on the headphones was very comfortable, and didn’t result in pressure spots on the ears or head. As far as design goes, they’re pretty subtle, in plain black with a red stripe around each can, and a chrome vox logo.

Verdict: The VOX VHG Rock really surpassed expectations. This set was comfortable, light weight, simple to control and use, and the tones were absolutely superb. Getting through the different FX and amp modes was super easy, making this model an overall pleasure to use and an easy choice for best headphone guitar amp.

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This Lekato headphone amp was one of the biggest surprises of the entire review. This is a definite case of an amp not needing to come from a big name brand to be feature packed and great quality.

The first feature we checked out was the tuner. Line in tuners generally tend to be more accurate than clip on, so having one built into this headphone amp was super convenient.

Next we dug into the other features. Being a modeling amp, it was packed with 10 different amp modules, and 10 “classic cabinet simulations”, making it one of the most versatile headphone amps out there. Of course, there were Fender, Marshall, and Vox simulations in there to cover cleans up to classic rock tones, but there was no guidance as to what exactly everything was supposed to be, having said that, they all sounded genuinely good. 

There was also a bank of chorus, modulation, and phaser FX, together with delay and reverb. To have such a wide range of FX in a bug style headphone guitar amp was definitely beyond expectations. It isn’t going to replace a full pedal board, but for FX on the go, you can’t do much better, especially at this price. 

We got around 5 and a half hours from a charge of its rechargeable lithium ion battery pack, which was actually a little over what was advertised. Another unexpected feature of this amp was the ability to connect directly to a computer via USB for recording and further amp simulation. We did give it a go, and found that this feature alone is worth the price of the amp. If you want to play with a backing track, it does have an aux in port, too.

Verdict: Overall, the Lekato Guitar Headphone Amp is a great little amplifier with performance that way surpasses its price. It’s well made, and the audio quality is excellent. No matter what style of music you play, this Lekato amp has tones you’ll love, and that’s why it’s so deserving of its place as our top value pick.

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Line 6 is one of the go-to brands when it comes to quality solid state amps, and it doesn’t just apply to their full size products. The Line 6 Pocket Pod is a powerhouse, coming with 32 amp models and 16 cabinet models to compliment the 16 effects it ships with.

The tonal variety that this allows makes this so much more than a practice amp – you could realistically make this a primary amplifier. Not only is there an awesome selection of sounds built in from cleans to classic rock all the way up to modern high gain amps, but ownership also gives you access to free Line 6 editing tools and a tone library to update your Pocket Pod as you see fit.

Physically, it’s around the size of a hand held tuner, so it will easily fit into any gig bag, or into your pocket directly, and it does come with a belt clip for convenience while playing. Speaking of tuners, it features a built in chromatic tuner with mute mode to kill output for tuning on stage. The LCD display is clear, and very easy to navigate thanks to the 4 way navigation pad. You’ll have the option to run this amp from either 4 AAA batteries, or by a 9v DC adapter, which is sold separately.

Verdict: If you’re not concerned about keeping the price down and you’re looking for a fully loaded, 6oz headphone amplifier that thinks it’s a 240 watt Line 6 Spider, you’re looking in the right place with the Line 6 Pocket Pod. It boasts artist designed tones, classic amp profiles, and will start conversations when people see what it’s capable of.

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The Valeton Rushead Max is a great little bug style headphone amplifier for budget conscious players who aren’t interested in hundreds of FX and just want a good quality sound with a couple of options to warm up the tone.

It comes with delay and reverb for ambience, and flanger, tremolo, and chorus for modulation. There are built in knobs to control the intensity of these FX, which was a nice touch – often these headphone amps have button adjustments, but the dials allow a lot of control and a tactile feel. In addition to these FX, you can switch between clean, overdrive and distortion. 

For practicality, it charges by USB and runs for about 5 hours after a charge. Being rechargeable, most people will save money on batteries, and this prevents the issue of not having fresh batteries when you need them most!

The interface is extremely simple, with analog controls for all functions. You change between the available FX using a physical switch, and modify those settings using rotary dials – while some do enjoy digital controls, the feeling of analog switchgear does feel more like a regular amp and would definitely be helpful if you were trying to use this headphone guitar amp for live performance through a speaker.

Verdict: The Valeton Rushead Max is a strong performer and is best suited to guitarists who don’t need, or don’t want digital controls. Both sound and build quality are great, but it would definitely benefit from a folding plug as having it fixed in one position could cause compatibility issues with certain electric guitars fitted with unusually located output sockets.

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The Vox Amplug AC30 is a tiny solid state replica of one of the most legendary amps of all time, the Vox AC30. While you won’t be fooling anybody into thinking you’re playing through a high end tube amp, you will be able to enjoy the sounds of a cranked AC30 and all of the sparkly highs that it’s famous for through the convenience of your headphones.

For texture, it offers 9 different effects, including 3 chorus tones, 3 delay settings, 3 levels of reverb. While there are headphone guitar amps with more FX built in, with this Amplug AC30, you’re getting a relatively faithful replica of an exotic amp, and the built in FX compliment that modeling rather than mask it. 

This unit solves the issue that many of the bug style headphone guitar amps suffer from – fixed position jacks. The Amplug AC30’s jack rotates through 180 degrees, making it easy to transport, and ensuring compatibility with pretty much any guitar.

It’s non rechargeable, but it squeezes a massive 17 hours of battery life out of its 2 AAA batteries, so you shouldn’t need to change them all too often. To help preserve battery life, it has an auto off function that will turn the power off if no activity is detected for more than 10 minutes.

If you want to play along with a backing track, it does offer an aux in, and for occasions where you want to line out to a speaker, simply plug in a 1/8” cable to the headphone output jack socket.

It’s also worth noting that Vox has a full range, of Amplug units, from amp specific models like this AC30 all the way to genre amps, like the Vox Amplug Classic Rock. Something for everyone.

Verdict: The VOX Amplug AC30 has a big name to live up to, and while functionality is limited, everything it does do, it does extremely well. Build quality is excellent, and the tones are phenomenal. Operation is straight forward, but on the downside, to switch between FX, you do have to cycle through the various settings using a single button, which can make it difficult to establish exactly which setting you’re on. Besides that, it looks cool, and is a great all round performer.

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The Kithouse B6 is a feature packed bug style headphone amp. It comes with reverb, flanger, chorus, wah, overdrive, and of course, a clean setting. The clean was surprisingly good, but the biggest surprise was the overdrive which provides a lovely crunch without excessive distortion. One of the standout features of the B6 is the Bluetooth in function, which allows you to stream music or backing tracks into the amp to jam along through your headphones. 

This is a rechargeable amp that runs for a little over 8 hours on a full charge, making it the longest lasting of the rechargeable amps on test. To cycle through the various FX on this amp, there is a single side mounted button, and to adjust the levels, there is a slider on the front. Kithouse did outfit this headphone amp with display lights that show at a glance which setting you’re currently running, which is definitely a nice touch. 

Verdict: The Kithouse B6 is a genuinely good headphone amp. Tonally speaking, it sounds good, and looks-wise it’s pretty unique, especially with the wood effect trim. It’s well made, too, although I do feel a dial would have been a better choice for level control than the slider they fitted. It’s one of the easiest headphone amps to use, and the fact that it offers Bluetooth input at such a low price is quite remarkable. 

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Andoer aren’t a big name, but this metal focused headphone amp really impressed. As far as form factor goes, it’s a bug style amp with a fixed position jack and a tiny body, measuring just 1.5” x 3.4”. After charging this amp to 100% we got around 4 hours of use, which is definitely enough to get through most practice sessions.

As for tone, you can probably guess from the name that this is voiced for heavy rock and metal. It offers incredible distortion for such a small unit, which isn’t too common for guitar headphone amplifiers. The level of distortion is controlled by rotary dials at the top of the unit, which alters tone, volume, and overdrive. You can turn down the drive to play clean, but as this amp is voiced for metal, it’s not a truly clean sound – something to bear in mind if you are considering this amp. If you want to play with a backing track, this model does feature an aux in port.

Verdict: The Andoer Vitoos Heavy Rock headphone amp offers great tones for anybody looking for a darker sound. The majority of headphone amps for guitar aim for mass appeal, and offer a wide range of tones, but Andoer have chosen to drill down to a very specific niche and have made a great little headphone amp for those who strictly play metal.

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How to choose the best guitar headphone amp

In many ways, shopping for a headphone amplifier isn’t much different to shopping for a regular amp, after all, the features of the best headphone guitar amps are largely similar to their larger counterparts, albeit compressed to a smaller scale. Some of the features available on today’s headphone amps include:

Metronomes

Metronomes keep a steady rhythm in the form of continuous clicking. They are great for practicing scales and strumming rhythms.

Drum Tracks

Some headphone amps now carry numerous drum tracks, and some even allow tempo modification. Drum tracks provide a more realistic beat than metronomes do, and are great for practicing whole songs, or even as accompaniment for solo artists.

Loopers

Loopers record short sections of your playing and repeat them in a loop. Much like drum tracks, they can be used for self accompaniment, and can even be used for creating experimental sounds.

Tuners

Having access to a tuner built into your headphone amp is very convenient and makes it an ideal practice tool. There’s no need to worry about clip on tuners coming off your headstock, and there’s no need to buy additional line-in tuners.

FX

Effects, or FX, are what separate modern headphone amps from older versions. In the past, headphone amps for guitar only played dry signals and produced bland tones. They were OK for practice but were far from inspiring. New headphone amps with built in FX have a range of sounds and tones also found in standalone pedals and units, but in a much more convenient form factor.

What To Look For In The Best Guitar Headphone Amps?

Form 

A prime consideration when choosing your headphone amp is which style, or form factor, you’d like to use.

Bug Style

The most common guitar headphone amplifiers are referred to as bug style. Bug style amps have a bult in 1/4” jack and plug directly into your guitar without the need for cables. They are the most portable of all the headphone amps because they are completely standalone (save for your headphone cord), and are what many would consider the classic guitar headphone amp.

Belt Clip

Alternatively, there are belt clip headphone amps for guitar. They tend to look like a mini multiFX unit, and for all intents and purposes, they are. The key difference between these units and an actual multiFX processor is that they have a built in amplifier with a headphone out socket which means they can be used with or without a standalone amplifier. They lose some practicality over the bug style units due to the fact that you need to run a cable from your guitar to the unit, but they gain it back and more in functions and features.

Headphone Style

There are also true headphone style amps. With these amps, your headphones directly plug into the guitar, and all of the amp components live inside the cans themselves. These are the most convenient to use, but the drawback is that they can feel quite heavy in comparison to normal headphones, which may cause discomfort during extended use.

Tone

Most guitar headphone amplifier users understand that they aren’t going to rival the tone of a Fender Bluesbreaker with a sub $200 solid state headphone amp, but there’s no reason for the tone not to be decent for a practice amp. Some headphone guitar amps have been designed to suit certain genres, so, for example, if you play mostly metal, there are guitar headphone amplifiers to suit, the same goes for blues, classic rock, or pretty much any other genre you could think of. There are also some headphone guitar amplifiers that come with multiple amp models – try out a few to find the one that covers what you need.

Power

When considering any portable gear, you need to think about power. Most headphone amps for guitar are battery powered, although some do have mains power options (which can open you up to background noise). Battery powered amps will either require disposable batteries or will be equipped with a permanent rechargeable battery. Remember, while the initial cost of purchasing those that require AA or AAA batteries may be cheaper, they will require regular replacements. Conversely, if your amp is rechargeable only and it dies during play, you may have to stop until it’s charged again.

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Final Thoughts on the Best Guitar Headphone Amps

Headphone amps offer a lot of possibilities for almost every player. Not only are they a way to practice quietly without disturbing others, but some can genuinely hold up to semi professional, or even professional use should the need arise.

They can go literally anywhere, and with the advancement of modern technology, many of them sound amazing. It is worth adding the caveat that the quality of the amp sound will depend heavily on the quality of your headphones.

If you’re using budget earbuds, you’ll lose a significant amount of fidelity – if you can, try to play your headphone amp through a pair of studio monitor headphones or in-ear monitors for best results.

So if you’re in the market for a headphone amp, our top pick, the Vox VGH Rock, delivered great tones at a fair price. If you need to keep costs down, take a look at our best budget pick, the LEKATO Headphone Amp. If budget isn’t a concern, we’d highly recommend our Editor’s Choice, the Line 6 Pocket Pod due to its wide array of features and fantastic performance.

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