If you’re looking for a way to use 250-ohm headphones with your Mac, you might wonder if they’re compatible or if you should buy an external headphone amp.
We put this guide together to give you all the info you need about using 250-ohm headphones with a Mac.
Quick Answer: Since 2021, Mac computers have supported high impedance (250 ohm headphones). You do not need to use an external headphone amp with your Mac.
We tested our Beyerdnyamic DT990 Pro 250-ohm headphones with an M1 Macbook Pro and M2 Mac Mini doing three different tasks to see how well they worked.
- Listening To Music
- Editing Audio & Video
- Live Vocal Monitoring
You can find the results below.
Listening To Music With 250 Ohm Headphones & Mac
When listening to music with our 250 Ohm Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro and Mac, we increased the volume to 45%.
At this level, we got a fully immersive sound while listening to music on various streaming services.
These streaming services included:
- Apple Music
- Spotify
- Amazon Music Unlimited
There was no noticeable hiss or static, the sound was clean, and we still had a lot of headroom.
Video Editing With 250 Ohm Headphones & Mac
While working with unfinished audio while making YouTube videos and editing music, we noticed that we had to reduce the volume to 55%.
At this level, we could accurately hear the project we were working on in great detail.
We had a similar volume while editing audio or video projects for YouTube.
No hiss or preamp noise was noticeable, and we still had plenty of headroom.
Vocal Monitoring With 250 Ohm Headphones & Mac
While vocal monitoring with 250-ohm headphones connected directly to our Mac, we had to turn the volume up to 70% to get the volume we wanted.
The volume was still clean and full. There was no noticeable hiss or static, and we still had plenty of headroom.
What Does Apple Say?
Apple says that the circuitry in Macs made after 2021 can detect if you have high-impedance or low-impedance headphones.
If your headphones have less than 150-ohms, the headphone amp will deliver 1.25 volts RMS.
If your headphones have more than 150-ohms, the amp will deliver 3 volts RMS.
In our experience, this system works well and provides enough clean power to headphones over 150 ohms.
What Mac Models Support 250 Ohm Headphones?
These Mac computers support 250-ohm headphones using the built-in headphone jack:
- MacBook Pro, introduced in 2021 or later.
- MacBook Air, introduced in 2022.
- Mac Studio, introduced in 2022.
- Mac Mini, introduced in 2023.
Our Favorite 250 Ohm Headphones
- Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro (open back) – https://currentprice.io/beyer_dt_990
- Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro (closed back) – https://currentprice.io/beyer_dt_770
250 Ohm Headphones & Mac Pricing
- Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro Headphones: https://currentprice.io/beyer_dt_990
- Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro Headphones: https://currentprice.io/beyer_dt_770
- NEAT King Bee II Microphone: https://currentprice.io/king_bee_ii
- Rode Rodecaster Pro II Audio Mixer: https://currentprice.io/rodecaster2
- 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: http://currentprice.io/psa1_plus
- Quality Acoustic Treatment Panels: http://currentprice.io/soundpanels
