In this video I finally tested something I’ve always wanted to know for myself: is a dongle actually enough to drive big planar headphones to enjoyable volumes, or do you “need” an amplifier just because the headphone is expensive? I used the L&P W2 dongle with the HE1000 Unveiled, then ran the same listening through multiple amps (A100, Mass Kobo, and EA4) to focus on the common differences you tend to get from adding an amp—without turning this into a “which amp sounds best” video. My main takeaway is volume-dependent. At around 70+ dB (my normal listening level), the biggest and most obvious change with an amp is soundstage: amps consistently make things feel a bit more beyond the ears, while the dongle can feel more “in your head.” Clarity differences at this level are very slight and mostly show up in messy chorus sections (I used “Take Down” from K-pop Demon Hunters for the test). At 80+ dB, the clarity improvement becomes more noticeable—especially on cymbals and separation when the track gets dense. And if you’re pushing 90+ dB, the dongle starts to audibly distort, so at that point you simply need an amp for clean power. For most moderate listeners, though, a good dongle is probably enough—and it might save you a lot of money.