HELM DB12 AAAMP Mobile Headphone Amplifier, THX AAA Technology, Analog Amplifier, 12 dB Signal Boost,+6 dB Bass Boost, THX Certified, Male 3.5mm to Female 3.5mm Audio Jack, Studio Sound On The Go

What a phenomenal product! When I first unboxed my Helm AAAmp cable, I was skeptical. At the lower price point, smaller design, and THX amplifier I had never experienced (but heard good things about), I was curious to see how this product would stand up to some of my favorite go-to portable amps. So, naturally, I lined up some of my favorite amps, including the Audioquest Dragonfly Red, CHORD Mojo, Earmen TR-Amp and SCHIIT Vali.I then conducted a full day of testing (remote working sure does allow for some ample listening time) using a variety of earphones & headphones with a range of impedance and driver technology. For reference, some of the devices I used were my JH Audio Layla's, Dan Clark Audio Ether-C, Meze 99-Classics, Westone W-80, Sennheiser HD-650 and both 1More Triple & Quad. For a source, I primarily used my Microsoft Surface laptop streaming TIDAL, but also tested on a few of my HiFi DAP's.One after the other, this little AAAmp cable rose to meet the complexities and demands of every earphone and headphone I used. It produced easily enough power to sufficiently drive my Ether-C (71x45mm Drive at 23ohms) without ever needing to surpass 50% volume level, yet also was sensitive enough to pair well with my multi-driver IEMs and their nuanced dynamics.Just for fun, I also plugged in the AAAmp to my PS4 controller in tandem with my MEZE 99-Claasics, and WOW did it make a world of difference! Any competitive gamer would absolutely lose their minds with excitement to hear the sheer power and detail this amp puts out when playing your favorite game (whatever that may be). Definitely a must have for gaming.Overall, I would rate this Helm AAAmp Cable at a 4.5/5. In comparison, my Chord Mojo (up to now my favorite portable amp...) I had given a 4/5 rating. This Helm Amp Cable has officially taken the podium as my new go-to portable amplifier. Well done Helm!Pros:- Extraordinary power output to drive the most demanding headphones.- Very clean and dynamic presentation of sound, without any added color.- "Bass Boost" may be the first ever bass boost button I have ever tried that actually provided a pleasant change to sonic presentation, rather than just blowing out the low end. Extremely clean, and a very nice little added feature, especially for gamers and lovers of bass heavy music.- Small size and USB-C charging make this the most portabl DAC of its power output currently available on the market. Slightly larger than products such as the Audioquest Dragonfly series, but this Helm AAAmp cable puts out far more power.- Solid battery life (5+ hours depending on what headphone I used was my general experience. With some earphones I was able to get far more usage).Cons:- 3.5mm cable without any provided adapters for USB-C or Lightning will limit the usage of this amp to devices that still have a headphone jack. Not a problem for use with laptop's, gaming, or phones that use a jack, but will pose a challenge for iPhone and some newer Android users who's phones don't have a headphone port.- In my personal opinion, the cable was a bit longer than it needed to be. That said, some might enjoy the added length!

I was hoping to use this with a gaming headset. Unfortunately, the TRRS plug is ONLY to pass button commands from the amplifier to the host device (e.g. smartphone). If you connect a headset with a microphone, the microphone audio will be blocked (not passed through). If you're a listen-only user that doesn't care about microphone support, then this is a perfectly fine audio amplifier.

When using the Logitech Pro over the ear headphone with my Oculus Quest I needed to amplify my sound output, this headphone amp works perfectly! It is small enough to Velcro to the headset strap and provides a substantial increase in the sound quality and volume for the Oculus Quest. The only issue I found is that the volume controls on the amplifier does not adjust the volume on the Oculus Quest, this is really a Non-issue because the volume of the quest is adjustable in VR as well as physically on the headset.

Works as advertised! Bass boost is very sufficient and volume gain is phenomenal! Only downside is a poor switch design/placement. Side switch to control functions is tiny, flat, and recessed that makes it difficult to slide for functional use. function labels are sure to be erased in due time as your finger will eventually smudge it out. Function lights are too miniscule as well. Attached cord is sturdy but a more pliable one would have been more consumer friendly. Overall, quite expensive for a 2-setting only booster but once you use it, specially with OTE headphones, you wont listen to music without these ever again!...

I am definitely not the target audience of this device.Maybe I am just not "audiophile" enough to appreciate the magic, but it turned out to be completely useless for me - it produces a very loud hiss when nothing is playing which is very distracting and annoying, I just couldn't keep my earphones on when nothing plays. I'm not being spoiled here, it's not just a faint background hiss, it's white-noise LOUD, especially in extra bass mode. Worse yet, the loud hiss also drowns everything when sound is playing and can be heard still in the background. I tried connecting it to many different devices, from different desktops and laptops, phones and tablets, they all produce this hiss.Maybe the aux connector on all those devices is producing this hissing noise and the HELM DB12 simply amplifies it so it's not at fault, but it matters very little if the end result is unsatisfying.Regarding the amplification - it's loud. Louder than healthy. It forced me to lower the volume on my devices to the bare minimum to avoid making my ears bleed, it's probably not suitable for anything but the highest impedance, high grade studio earphones. I tried it with 6 different low to mid-ranged in-ears and headphones, and even on the lowest volumes my ears are still ringing from sound spikes during gunshots in a game I tested, 24 hours after it happened, even after taking the phones immediately off.The sound quality is...the same? It's amplified, sure, but not "cleaned" or improved, with or without the bass boost. Again, maybe I'm just not the target audience to appreciate the nuances, but it just wasn't doing anything for me other than hurt my ears.So this device would be more appreciated by audiophiles and sound connoisseurs with high impedance headphones and gear who could appreciate it, but I guess those people already have expensive DACs and amplifiers that do a better job than the HELM DB12 which also introduces noise coming from the aux connectors. So it's lost on us simple folk, and lost on the audiophiles...sad, but this device probably shouldn't exist.I shipped it back right away and I advise learning from my mistake and not purchasing it out of curiosity, unless you know EXACTLY what you're getting, caveats and all.