RRP: $109 from Amazon.com

Appearance wise, the Qinpu Q2 is quite a good looking amplifier. We love the retro steel casing around the tube itself which looks straight out of 1950’s America. The amplifier is clad in black anodised aluminium and the knobs are decent quality and feel solid. The contrast between the red and black in the design is also quite striking. The tube itself is a single Chinese 6N3 stock tube which is used a pre-amp to produce the output for both channels. The amplifier is thus a hybrid with the tube being used to create the sound which is then amplified by a solid state amplifier before output. The amplifier itself is designed for the desktop and will drive a pair of headphones or a small set of speakers without issue but will struggle with a heavier speaker load.

Soundwise, the Qinpu Q2 performs pretty well considering it comes in at just over $100. The tube adds colour and depth to otherwise cold signal sources like CD or MP3. The midrange is great for the price and the treble is acceptable if a bit peaky at times. The bass is not the deepest you will come across but that is to be expected. The Qinpu Q2 is not going to win awards but it allows the listener to experience some of the benefits of tube amplifier at a fraction of the cost of a high-end tube amplifier. Audio purists will cry foul of the hybrid amplification and they have a point, but this should not put off listeners who want a reasonably priced headphone amplifier to listen to while at work or play.

Popularity: unranked [?]