They do more than just make them louder depending on your source. If your source has a line out, which is best, then you can tailor the design of the amp to achieve a certain type of sound your looking for (eg. quick/tight bass, sweet mids (think tubes), etc....)
And some headphones like Grados like a lot of current which many sources cannot supply in the amount that lets them work their best.Check out HeadFi.com and Headwize.com for more than you ever wanted to know.
Here's a few of mine that I've built that I have on the web. Several more in the works.