The KMA Stereo Headphone Amp is, well, a stereo headphone amp — it takes whatever is at the end of your signal chain and gives you a clean, powerful headphone output.
It has stereo in, stereo out, and dual headphone outputs. There are Bluetooth and 3.5mm aux inputs for backing tracks, an input gain control with clip LED for flexible level matching, and an Aux Mix control to blend backing tracks against your instrument signal.
It uses the same headphone amp circuitry as the KMA Endgame — now available as a standalone unit.
What Does the KMA Stereo Headphone Amp Actually Do?
At its most basic — plug your guitar or the end of your pedalboard into the input, plug your headphones into one of the two 3.5mm headphone outputs, and you’re monitoring in stereo.
Connect a phone or tablet via Bluetooth or the 3.5mm aux input and it becomes a great practice tool, letting you play along with a backing track. The guitar and backing track mix is set using the Aux Mix control.
The Output Mode switch changes what appears at the main stereo outputs. In Full Mix mode, everything — guitar signal and aux — passes through to the main outputs, making the unit suitable for recording or running into a PA alongside monitoring. Switch to Thru mode and the aux input is removed from the main outputs entirely.
The +/-24dB gain control handles anything from a low-output pickup to a hot amp sim or effects chain output.
One thing it does that most headphone amps don’t — or aren’t designed to do — is warm up sonically when pushed into saturation. KMA describe the character as similar to a pushed channel strip on a mixing console. Worth experimenting with if you want warmth rather than pure transparency.
KMA Stereo Headphone Amp vs KMA Endgame
The Endgame is a complete end-of-chain solution — dual IR cabinet simulation, power amp simulation, a proprietary True Double Tracker, a stereo FX loop, balanced XLR outputs, a Thru jack, and the headphone amp and aux/Bluetooth features all in one unit.
The Stereo Headphone Amp takes just the headphone amp and aux section. If you already have cab sim and tone-shaping covered elsewhere in your rig, this is the more focused, more pedalboard-friendly option.
Controls and Connections
- Phones: Large level knob controlling the master output volume of both headphone outputs simultaneously.
- Input Gain: Adjusts the input level from -24dB to +24dB to match whatever signal is being fed in.
- Clip LED: Red LED indicates input clipping. Run just below the clip threshold for the optimal clean signal — or push past it deliberately for a warmer, saturated character.
- Aux Mix: Blends the auxiliary input (Bluetooth or 3.5mm) with the main signal. Fully counterclockwise is 100% main signal with aux muted. Centre detent is 50/50. Fully clockwise is 100% aux.
- Output Mode switch: Toggles between Full Mix (guitar signal plus aux at both headphone and main outputs) and Thru (buffered bypass — only guitar signal at main outputs, aux removed).
- Dual Headphone Outputs: Two 3.5mm TRS headphone jacks, both active simultaneously. Suitable for headphones, IEMs, camera feeds, and more.
- Main Inputs (L/Mono, R): 6.35mm TS/TRS, auto-detected. If only L/Mono is connected, the signal is summed to both left and right internally.
- Main Outputs (L/Mono, R): 6.35mm TS/TRS, auto-detected. If only L/Mono is connected, the stereo mix is summed to mono.
- Aux Input: 3.5mm TRS analogue input for backing tracks or monitor feeds. Only active when Bluetooth is not paired.
- BT Pair button: Hold for 4 seconds to enter Bluetooth pairing mode. Hold again to disconnect.
- BT Link LED: Blue LED shows Bluetooth connection status — flashing during pairing, solid when connected.
Key Features
- Dual headphone outputs (3.5mm TRS) — both active simultaneously
- Large Phones level knob
- Input Gain with +/-24dB range and clip LED
- Aux input via Bluetooth or 3.5mm analogue
- Aux Mix blend control with centre detent (50/50)
- Output Mode switch — Full Mix or Thru
- Auto-detect TS/TRS at all inputs and outputs
- Full stereo in and out
- Premium analogue, high-headroom audio
- 1MΩ high-impedance input
- 100mW headphone output from 8-32Ω
- Frequency response 20Hz to 20kHz
- Compact enclosure — 60 x 74 x 128mm, 350g
- 9V DC centre-negative, maximum 250mA (approximately 150mA nominal)
- Made in Berlin, Germany
Who Is This For?
The Stereo Headphone Amp is genuinely useful for just about any musician. It supports direct DAW recording, silent practice, and IEM monitoring — and it’s particularly useful for ampless players who need a clean headphone stage after a cab sim or modeller.
Watch It In Action
FAQs
The Endgame has IR cab and power amp simulation together with True Double Tracker, stereo FX loop, balanced XLR outputs, and headphone monitoring. The Stereo Headphone Amp is just he headphone amp element.
Yes – one of the things its made for.
Yes. Just set the Output Mode to Thru and feed your main signal to the PA via the main outputs, and connect your monitor mix to the aux input.
Yes – therea re 2 headphone outputs
No. When Bluetooth is paired and active, it substitutes the 3.5mm analogue aux input.
It switches between Full Mix and Thru. Use Thru when you want the aux input for personal monitoring.
9V DC centre-negative, 2.1mm, maximum 250mA
Yes. The unit auto-detects, so plug a mono signal into L/Mono and it sums internally to both left and right.
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