[boucarion]

I'm new to the whole portable amp business.

Never thought they existed till I landed on this forum.

In a nutshell, what do they do?

I'm more interested in increased sound quality. Is it... dramatic?

What are some popular portable amps nowadays, and where could I get them?

 

[Walie]

In a nutshell, what do they do?

They do what the amp in your dap does, only better

I'm more interested in increased sound quality. Is it... dramatic?

Depends

What are some popular portable amps nowadays, and where could I get them?

Here's a good tip, look for threads about amps with lots of posts in it, those are generally the popular ones. To find out where to buy them, google it.

 

[Jensen]

Buy a Fiio E5. I was totally new to amping and really didn't expect much - but figured I'd give it a shot for $20. The difference and increase in sound quality was much MORE than I expected. I would have paid more for this level of quality increase.

 

[Keppel]

Quote:

Originally Posted by boucarion /img/forum/go_quote.gif where could I get them?

You won't really find any of these things in regular brick & mortar stores. They are generally available from the manufacturers' websites or ebay.

Fear not! It's easier than it sounds to get into this sort of thing. You could try a used amp from HeadFi's own For Sale / Trade (and Feedback) Forums.

Sorry about your wallet.