A headphone or line output voiced to sound like a microphone in front of a guitar cabinet. Without it, an amplifier’s raw output sounds thin and fizzy, because a real speaker removes a great deal of top end.
Why a raw output disappoints
A guitar speaker rolls off sharply above a few kilohertz. Everything above that is present in the amplifier’s electrical output and absent from what you hear in the room.
What emulation does
Applies that filtering, so headphones and recordings sound like the amplifier rather than like the circuit.
What to check before buying
If the amp will mostly be used in headphones, this is the specification that decides whether it is enjoyable. It is stated in the manual far more often than in the listing.
Check your own manual before you plug anything in. Voltage, polarity and current draw differ from model to model, and the manufacturer’s figures take precedence over anything written here. A supply of the wrong polarity can damage a pedal in seconds, phantom power is safe for most microphones but not for every one, and the required voltage is printed next to the socket or stated in the manual — not inferred from a connector that happens to fit.
The questions players ask
How do I know if my amp has one?
The manual says so, usually beside the headphone socket. Where it does not, assume the output is raw and expect it to sound harsher than the speaker does.
Can I emulate it in software?
Yes — impulse responses and amp-simulation plug-ins do exactly this job, which is how a raw line output becomes usable in a recording.
Last reviewed 2026-08-19