Finding The Best Guitar Headphone Amp – Our Top 14

We can’t always rehearse with the volume all the way up, so a guitar headphone amp, or a guitar amp with headphone jack pre-installed makes our lives so much easier! Using a guitar headphone amp is a great way to hone our skills without anyone else having to listen to all that racket we’re making! Best of all there are many different options out there ranging from tiny, hand held amps to all out gig-ready options. We’ve rounded up a selection of guitar amps with headphone jacks installed ranging from hand-held, to gig worthy.

First up we have one of the most important guitar headphone amps on the market today – the VOX AmPlug2 AC-30 Guitar Headphone Amplifier. The Vox Amplug AC30 version as it’s sometimes known, is a mini, chocolate-bar-sized guitar amp that’s packed full of classic AC30 tones. We’ve covered this in our best mini amps blog here, but overall you get the sound of a VOX AC30, both clean and driven as well as Reverb, Chorus and Delay Effects built in so you can rehearse without a pedal board. This nifty guitar headphone amp plugs directly into the jack of your guitar and you connect your headphones to the unit – that’s it! You’re good to go. The 2 x AAA batteries power up to 10 hours of playing, so you’re all set for those late-night rehearsals.  

Next, we have an ingenious little thing from the team at Electro Harmonix. Again, the Electro Harmonix headphone amp is a very small, thumb sized amp that you simply plug your guitar and a set of headphones into. There’s only one control – Volume, so you just get the sound of your clean guitar through your headphones. However, it can handle pedals should you want to add one into the chain after your guitar. If you need something for jamming sounds in silence, then this is a great option. A 9V battery is included and allows for many hours of play. A no fuss, headphone amplifier that's very affordable.  

The Orange Crush Mini 3 Watt amplifier is an industry standard mini amp as it provides a massive sound out of the speaker - but plug a set of headphones in and you get a lush Orange sound directly to your ears. We can’t recommend this amp enough as you have onboard tuner, Gain, Volume and Tone knobs and the ability to plug in an extension cab via the all-new 8 Ohm Speaker Output socket. This is a great sounding, reliable guitar amp with headphone jack that provides that lush Orange tone and the ability to sculpt your sound to your liking.

If you’re a fan of the Fender Deville or Deluxe or Hot Rod amps, but you don’t have the space for the real thing, the Fender MD 20 Mini Deluxe EXP II Guitar Amplifier is a great substitute. This allows you to get a classic Fender sound via the dual 2” built-in speakers and through your headphones. You have Volume, Tone and Gain controls so you can achieve a wide variety of sounds and the fact its battery operated means you can take it anywhere with you.

The Laney Mini-ST-Lion Battery Powered Stereo Amplifiers are easily some of the best small amps we’ve seen here at PMT, and they actively encourage a positive playing experience thanks to the unique Laney LSI feature. This Laney Smart Insert (LSI) allows you to connect your smart device to the amp via the supplied cable and tap into thousands of iconic guitar and bass tones via the Tonebridge app, actively helping you get the specific sounds of your guitar heroes. This particular amp from the Laney Mini amp series features 2x3 watt speakers, so you can enjoy a lush stereo sound without headphones. However, once you plug your headphones in you get a classic Laney sound with the same ability to change your Gain, Tone, and Volume on the 2 channels. Both the Clean and Drive channels sound amazing whether you’ve hooked up your headphones or not – no loss of clarity here! A great looking and sounding guitar amp with headphone jack for players of all levels.

The Orange Crush 35 RT Solid State 35W Combo Amp is another example of how well Orange amps can sound through a set of headphones. This is not only a great practice amp that you can use with a set of headphones, but a great amp for small gigs and rehearsal spaces too! This means you can jam with a full band, take advantage of the twin channel sounds in a live scenario and then take the amp home, plug in your headphones and enjoy the emulated sounds of a mic'd up Orange 4x12 cabinet loaded with Voice of The World Speakers. You can even use the headphones out to record direct to a DAW too! Integrated reverb and chromatic tuner are an added bonus whilst a buffered effects loop allows you to get the best out of any delay and modulation FX you might use when you’re playing live.

If you’re looking for a guitar amp that allows you to play a variety of different genres and encourages you to discover different sounds, then the Fender Mustang LT25 Combo is a great guitar amp with headphone jack installed. We think this is one of the best guitar headphone amps as it gives you the ability to jam with 20 different types of amp including some vintage classics made by Fender and other well known amplifier manufacturers. You can even utilise 25 on board effects. This means you can create complete amp set ups in silence through your headphones, store them on the additional 20 preset banks and bring them to the live arena – no annoying your neighbours trying to get sounds! This is like taking an entire studio’s worth of amps and effects pedals everywhere with you. If you want to go louder you also have a 40 watt, a 100 watt and a 200-watt combo amp to choose from too!

The Blackstar ID:Core 40 V2 Guitar Amplifier Combo features consistently in our best amplifier blogs and videos as it’s a workhorse practice amp that can easily handle rehearsal sessions and smaller gigs. It’s budget friendly at way under £200, so it’s available to all players and the fact you have 6 amp models and over a dozen incredibly realized effects built-in makes it a great option for those who want a varied sound. Of course, this is a guitar amp with headphone jack, so you can practice in silence. But unlike some amps, you get the full range sound, all control and sonic features as you would when the amp is being used live. So again, you can create complete sounds and then transfer them to the live arena.

Aside from being one of the best guitar headphone amps, the Vox Mini Superbeetle 50W Guitar Amplifier could take the award for coolest looking amplifier on the planet! This is based on the iconic VOX AC100 stack set which the Beatles often used on televised performances, and wraps up the classic AC sound in a home friendly, visually appealing amplifier. Yes, there’s a headphone jack built in, so you can enjoy the classic AC30 sounds directly to your ears, but this can also offer exceptional live sound thanks to the built-in Nutube technology which offers the benefits of tube technology without the associated weight and vulnerability. There’s a built-in digital reverb that simulates a spring reverb, tremolo effect and 50 watts of power at your disposal when you decide to go live.

If you want a portable VOX amp designed to plug into any 4, 8 or 16 Ohm cab, then this is ideal. We love this nifty headphone amp as includes Cabinet Simulation for direct recording into a DAW. This actually means that the Line out/headphone output provides the same sound as if you were using a 2x12” cabinet. So, you hear the sound of a mic’d up combo amp through your headphones. This means the sounds and dynamics you’re accustomed to playing through headphones can be transferred when you inevitably plug this amp into a cabinet. A Nutube 6P1 Preamp provides all that lush valve dynamic and responsive playing experience and the very handy, portable construction means you can take the amp anywhere with you. If you want to be able to play an AC30 anywhere anytime - then the VOX MV50 AC amplifier head is perfect.  

This BOSS Katana-Mini Guitar Amplifier has simply blown everyone away since it was released thanks to the incredible tones on offer. You have versatile amp types built in; Brown, Crunch, and Clean all of which can be sculpted to your exact specifications via the 3 band EQ. In addition, you can crank the Gain and Volume knobs and even make use of a beautifully crafted Delay effect. The headphones jack ensures you can play privately and make use of all the inspiring tones within the Boss Katana Mini. If you want to go louder though, you can also make use of the Boss Katana 50 – which also features a headphone input and is more than loud enough for gigs and rehearsals.

The Marshall CODE series is a collection of modelling amps packed with some of Marshall’s most popular and respected amplifiers from the past five-plus decades. The Marshall CODE25 Combo is a highly portable option that you can really sculpt some amazing sounds with, both when you’re using headphones and in a live scenario. There’s 14 MST Preamps, 4 MST power amps and 8 MST speaker cabinets built-in as well as 24 professional quality effects, 5 of which can be used at the same time! If you’ve always wanted your very own 1962 Bluesbreaker – the first combo amp made by Marshall, a SCM2555 Silver Jubilee or the likes of a JCM2000 DSL100 but don’t want to remortgage your home to afford one, then this is the ultimate option for Marshall fans.

 If you want a no fuss practice amp that you can use with headphones, then the Eastcoast G10R 10w Practice Guitar Amp is a budget friendly option that doesn’t suck. At under £60 it’s a great option for beginners and those who want something decent to play around the home as you have switchable Drive & Clean Channels, an on-board Reverb effect as well as a Boost button for when you need to kick into a solo! The ¼” headphone jack socket means you can plug your headphones in (just get an adaptor if need be) and you can enjoy lush solid-state sounds without disturbing anyone!

 If you want the reliability of a solid state but the touch response and playing dynamics of a valve (without the added weight) then the Wharfedale WGR10 10W Hybrid Combo is a great guitar amp with headphone jack built in. We love this guitar amplifier as it was designed by Steve Grindrod – the man behind some of the most iconic Marshall and VOX amps ever made and the fact it couples solid state with valve amp technology. The result is a great sounding, versatile and highly responsive guitar headphone amplifier that packs a real punch. The 10-watt amp sounds amazing when you’re playing live, but when you need some silent time, the 3.5mm headphone output jack is extremely useful. Best of all you have the same control and response when you’ve hooked up your headphones as you do when playing live. And that's all for today! We hope this has helped you find some great amps with headphone sockets! Shop a full range of guitar amplifiers over at PMT Online or call in to your local PMT store today to see a full range up close.