Headphone amp and DAC brands:Which are most popular?

Name: Headphone amp and DAC brands: Which are searched most?
Creator: Brandwave
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In October 2026, FiiO was the most searched headphone amp and DAC brand worldwide, accounting for 61.2% of all searches among the 11 brands tracked by the Brandwave Brand Demand Index. When we checked with ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews, FiiO showed up in every answer. FiiO was recommended most often, coming first in two out of four responses that gave a list.

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Top headphone amp and DAC brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In Brandwave's three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, FiiO appeared every time. FiiO was recommended most often, coming first in two out of four answers that gave a list. iFi was second, and Topping was third. SMSL, which ranked second in searches, was not mentioned at all.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

FiiO1st
iFi2nd
Topping3rd
Schiit4th
JDS Labs5th
Chord6th
RME7th
SMSL–
Questyle–
xDuoo–
Gustard–

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

How many AI answers named each brand
Brand	ChatGPT	Google	Answers that named it
FiiO	Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 2 of 2 Google AI Overviews	5 of 5
iFi	Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 1 of 2 Google AI Overviews	3 of 5
Topping	Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 1 of 2 Google AI Overviews	3 of 5
Schiit	Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 2 Google AI Overviews	2 of 5
Chord	Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 2 Google AI Overviews	1 of 5
JDS Labs	Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 2 Google AI Overviews	1 of 5
RME	Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 2 Google AI Overviews	1 of 5
SMSL	Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 2 Google AI Overviews	0 of 5
Questyle	Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 2 Google AI Overviews	0 of 5
xDuoo	Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 2 Google AI Overviews	0 of 5
Gustard	Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 2 Google AI Overviews	0 of 5

FiiO5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
iFi3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Topping3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Schiit2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Chord1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
JDS Labs1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
RME1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
SMSL0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Questyle0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
xDuoo0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Gustard0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about headphone amp and DAC brands

5 answers

Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best headphone amp and DAC for the money?”
1. 1FiiO
2. 2Topping
3. 3Schiit
4. 4iFi
Asked ChatGPT
“Which DAC should I buy for my headphones?”
1. 1FiiO
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best headphone amp brands?”
1. 1Schiit
2. 2JDS Labs
3. 3iFi
4. 4Topping
5. 5FiiO
6. 6Chord
7. 7RME
Searched Google, AI Overview
“headphone amp”
1. 1iFi
2. 2FiiO
Searched Google, AI Overview
“dac amp”
1. 1FiiO
2. 2Topping

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 27, 2026.

Which headphone amp and DAC brands do people search for most?

This chart shows how often people search Google for each headphone amp and DAC brand by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all 11 headphone amp and DAC brands we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.

Share of searches among headphone amp and DAC brands worldwide, by month

Month	FiiO	SMSL	Schiit	iFi	Topping	Chord	Questyle	xDuoo	Gustard	JDS Labs	RME
Nov 2025	57.8%	9.1%	9.1%	7.2%	3.5%	2.5%	2.7%	2.2%	1.5%	2.7%	1.8%
Dec 2025	58%	9%	9%	7.5%	3.4%	2.8%	2.7%	2.2%	1.5%	2.2%	1.8%
Jan 2026	55.9%	8.9%	8.9%	8.6%	3.4%	2.8%	2.7%	2.2%	2.2%	2.2%	2.2%
Feb 2026	56.9%	10.3%	8.4%	8.1%	3.4%	2.6%	2.5%	2%	1.7%	2%	2%
Mar 2026	57.3%	10.1%	8.2%	8%	3.3%	3%	2.5%	2%	1.6%	2%	2%
Apr 2026	59.2%	8.7%	8.7%	7.9%	2.9%	2.7%	2.1%	2.1%	1.7%	1.7%	2.1%
May 2026	59.8%	8.6%	8.6%	7.8%	2.8%	2.3%	2.6%	2.1%	1.7%	2.1%	1.7%
Jun 2026	58.4%	9.3%	9.3%	8.1%	3.1%	2.4%	2.8%	1.9%	1.5%	1.9%	1.5%
Jul 2026	62.3%	8.6%	8.6%	6.4%	2.7%	2.2%	2.6%	1.7%	1.4%	2.1%	1.4%
Aug 2026	61.1%	8.7%	8.7%	7.5%	2.9%	2.2%	2.6%	2.1%	1.4%	1.7%	1.2%
Sep 2026	56.9%	11%	8.9%	9.1%	3%	1.9%	2.7%	2.2%	1.4%	1.8%	1.2%
Oct 2026	61.2%	10.6%	8.7%	6.5%	2.9%	2.2%	2.1%	1.7%	1.4%	1.4%	1.4%

Rank	Brand	Share of searches	Estimated monthly branded searches	vs prior month	Share change
1, held 1st	FiiO	61.2%	128K	+10.7%	+4.2 points
2, held 2nd	SMSL	10.6%	22.2K	0%	-0.3 points
3, moved from 4th to 3rd	Schiit	8.7%	18.1K	0%	-0.3 pointsmoved from 4th to 3rd
4, moved from 3rd to 4th	iFi	6.5%	13.5K	-26.6%	-2.6 pointsmoved from 3rd to 4th
5, held 5th	Topping	2.9%	6K	0%	-0.1 points
6, moved from 8th to 6th	ChordChord Electronics	2.2%	4.6K	+17.9%	+0.3 pointsmoved from 8th to 6th
7, moved from 6th to 7th	Questyle	2.1%	4.4K	-18.5%	-0.6 pointsmoved from 6th to 7th
8, moved from 7th to 8th	xDuoo	1.7%	3.6K	-18.2%	-0.4 pointsmoved from 7th to 8th
9, moved from 10th to 9th	Gustard	1.4%	2.9K	0%	0 pointsmoved from 10th to 9th
10, moved from 9th to 10th	JDS Labs	1.4%	2.9K	-19.4%	-0.4 pointsmoved from 9th to 10th
11, held 11th	RME	1.4%	2.9K	+20.8%	+0.2 points

1.FiiO
61.2%
Held 1st. 128K estimated branded searches, +10.7% vs prior month. Share +4.2 points.
2.SMSL
10.6%
Held 2nd. 22.2K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.3 points.
3.Schiit
8.7%
Moved from 4th to 3rd. 18.1K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.3 points.
4.iFi
6.5%
Moved from 3rd to 4th. 13.5K estimated branded searches, -26.6% vs prior month. Share -2.6 points.
5.Topping
2.9%
Held 5th. 6K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.
6.Chord
2.2%
Moved from 8th to 6th. 4.6K estimated branded searches, +17.9% vs prior month. Share +0.3 points.
7.Questyle
2.1%
Moved from 6th to 7th. 4.4K estimated branded searches, -18.5% vs prior month. Share -0.6 points.
8.xDuoo
1.7%
Moved from 7th to 8th. 3.6K estimated branded searches, -18.2% vs prior month. Share -0.4 points.
9.Gustard
1.4%
Moved from 10th to 9th. 2.9K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.
10.JDS Labs
1.4%
Moved from 9th to 10th. 2.9K estimated branded searches, -19.4% vs prior month. Share -0.4 points.
11.RME
1.4%
Held 11th. 2.9K estimated branded searches, +20.8% vs prior month. Share +0.2 points.

Which brand is most popular in search among headphone amp and DAC brands worldwide?

11 brands

In October 2026, FiiO was the most searched among headphone amp and DAC brands worldwide, with an estimated 128K branded searches, 61.2% of all searches for the 11 tracked by the Brandwave Brand Demand Index. SMSL is in 2nd place, 50.5 percentage points behind at 10.6%.

Global headphone amp and DAC brands, last 12 months ending October 2026
Brand	Share of searches	Peak	Low	Rank
FiiO	57.8% → 61.2%	62.3%Jul 2026	55.9%Jan 2026	1st
SMSL	9.1% → 10.6%	11%Sep 2026	8.6%May 2026	3rd → 2nd
Schiit	9.1% → 8.7%	9.3%Jun 2026	8.2%Mar 2026	2nd → 3rd
iFi	7.2% → 6.5%	9.1%Sep 2026	6.4%Jul 2026	4th
Topping	3.5% → 2.9%	3.5%Nov 2025	2.7%Jul 2026	5th
Chord	2.5% → 2.2%	3%Mar 2026	1.9%Sep 2026	8th → 6th
Questyle	2.7% → 2.1%	2.8%Jun 2026	2.1%Oct 2026	7th
xDuoo	2.2% → 1.7%	2.2%Nov 2025	1.7%Jul 2026	9th → 8th
Gustard	1.5% → 1.4%	2.2%Jan 2026	1.4%Jul 2026	11th → 9th
JDS Labs	2.7% → 1.4%	2.7%Nov 2025	1.4%Oct 2026	6th → 10th
RME	1.8% → 1.4%	2.2%Jan 2026	1.2%Aug 2026	10th → 11th

Each finding as a sentence

Across the 12 months ending October 2026, FiiO’s share of searches among headphone amp and DAC brands worldwide increased from 57.8% to 61.2%.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, SMSL’s share of searches among headphone amp and DAC brands worldwide increased from 9.1% to 10.6%.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, iFi’s share of searches among headphone amp and DAC brands worldwide decreased from 7.2% to 6.5%.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Topping’s share of searches among headphone amp and DAC brands worldwide decreased from 3.5% to 2.9%.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Questyle’s share of searches among headphone amp and DAC brands worldwide decreased from 2.7% to 2.1%.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, JDS Labs’ share of searches among headphone amp and DAC brands worldwide decreased from 2.7% to 1.4%.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, FiiO’s share of searches among headphone amp and DAC brands worldwide peaked at 62.3% in July 2026 and was lowest at 55.9% in January 2026.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, SMSL’s share of searches among headphone amp and DAC brands worldwide peaked at 11% in September 2026 and was lowest at 8.6% in May 2026.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Schiit’s share of searches among headphone amp and DAC brands worldwide peaked at 9.3% in June 2026 and was lowest at 8.2% in March 2026.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, iFi’s share of searches among headphone amp and DAC brands worldwide peaked at 9.1% in September 2026 and was lowest at 6.4% in July 2026.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Chord’s share of searches among headphone amp and DAC brands worldwide peaked at 3% in March 2026 and was lowest at 1.9% in September 2026.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, RME’s share of searches among headphone amp and DAC brands worldwide peaked at 2.2% in January 2026 and was lowest at 1.2% in August 2026.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, SMSL rose from 3rd to 2nd among headphone amp and DAC brands worldwide.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Schiit fell from 2nd to 3rd among headphone amp and DAC brands worldwide.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Chord rose from 8th to 6th among headphone amp and DAC brands worldwide.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, xDuoo rose from 9th to 8th among headphone amp and DAC brands worldwide.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Gustard rose from 11th to 9th among headphone amp and DAC brands worldwide.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, JDS Labs fell from 6th to 10th among headphone amp and DAC brands worldwide.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, RME fell from 10th to 11th among headphone amp and DAC brands worldwide.

How did search popularity change for headphone amp and DAC brands worldwide in October 2026?

8 changes

In October 2026, FiiO gained share of searches among headphone amp and DAC brands worldwide, from 56.9% to 61.2%.
In October 2026, iFi lost share of searches among headphone amp and DAC brands worldwide, from 9.1% to 6.5%.
In October 2026, Questyle lost share of searches among headphone amp and DAC brands worldwide, from 2.7% to 2.1%.
In October 2026, Chord rose from 8th to 6th among headphone amp and DAC brands worldwide.
In October 2026, Gustard rose from 10th to 9th among headphone amp and DAC brands worldwide.
In October 2026, Schiit rose from 4th to 3rd among headphone amp and DAC brands worldwide.
In October 2026, JDS Labs fell from 9th to 10th among headphone amp and DAC brands worldwide.
In October 2026, xDuoo fell from 7th to 8th among headphone amp and DAC brands worldwide.

How are branded searches counted for headphone amp and DAC brands?

22 search terms

Each brand's share of searches among headphone amp and DAC brands comes from the terms listed under its name. When people mostly search for a brand because of something else it sells, only the searches that name this product count here.