Can the Solid State Logic SSL2+ audio interface power a set of 250 Ohm headphones? We tested it with our Beyerdynamic DT 990 headphones to find out.
Quick Answer: Kind of… The SSL2+ does provide enough power for music playback and audio editing using 250 Ohm headphones. However, like many bus-powered USB audio interfaces, the volume is not sufficient for vocal monitoring.
Solid State Logic SSL2+ Music Playback
Does the SSL2+ provide enough power to 250 Ohm headphones to comfortably listen to finished, normalized, compressed music playing from iTunes, YouTube, Spotify, etc.?
For us, the answer is yes. With the volume knob on the SSL2+ set to 75% and the blend knob set fully to the computer side, our DT 990s delivered the immersive audio experience we were looking for.
Video & Audio Editing
Headphones like our Beyerdynamic DT 990s are made for detailed editing and mixing work. As the audio you’re working with isn’t completely normalized, you need to have more gain available to be able to hear what you are doing.
We found that this wasn’t a problem for the SSL2+ audio interface; with the volume knob set to 80-90%, we got the volume levels that we were looking for from our headphones.
Vocal Monitoring
Another everyday use case for 250 Ohm headphones is live vocal monitoring. Think live streaming, podcasting, or any other situation where you’re recording live vocals that you want to monitor with headphones.
We found that with everything turned up on the SSL2+, the volume was still 15-20% short of where we wanted it to be. The lack of volume makes it tiring trying to concentrate and means that detail and clarity are lacking.
Solid State Logic SSL2+ & 250 Ohm Headphones Pricing & Specs
- Solid State Logic SSL2+ Audio Interface: https://currentprice.io/ssl2_plus
- Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro 250 Ohm Headphones: https://currentprice.io/beyer_dt_990
- Shure SM7B Dynamic Microphone: https://currentprice.io/shure_sm7b
- XLR Cable: https://currentprice.io/xlr_cable
- TRS Cable: https://currentprice.io/trs_cable
- Mic Stand: https://currentprice.io/desk_stand
- Rode PSA1 Boom Arm: https://currentprice.io/boom_arm
