Do 250 ohm headphones require an external power amp? We tested our Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro 250 Ohm headphones on a variety of devices to help you get a better idea of which devices perform well in which circumstances.
Quick Answer: 250 ohm headphones may require an external headphone amp depending on the type of audio that you’re working with and the desired volume.
250 Ohm Headphone Testing
We tested each device below with a variety of activities. For each activity, you can find the headphone volume setting that we used to get a full volume experience with the Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro 250 ohm headphones.
All devices generally worked well except USB Audio Interfaces. When we tested USB Audio Interfaces, we found that they worked well for music listening, audio editing, and video editing. Still, they didn’t have enough power to monitor a live vocal recording (podcast, voiceover, Youtube Video, etc.). For this purpose, we recommend a headphone amp or the 80-ohm version of these headphones.
| Device | Activity | Volume Setting |
| iPhone | Music Listening | 85-90% |
| Macbook Pro | Music Listening | 80-85% |
| Macbook Pro | Audio & Video Editing | 90% |
| USB Audio Interface | Music Listening | 50-75% |
| USB Audio Interface | Audio & Video Editing | 60-80% |
| USB Audio Interface | Vocal Monitoring | Not Loud Enough @ 100% |
| USB Audio Mixer | Music Listening | 35% |
| USB Audio Mixer | Audio & Video Editing | 40% |
| USB Audio Mixer | Vocal Monitoring | 50% |
| USB Microphone | Music Listening | 50% |
| USB Microphone | Audio & Video Editing | 75% |
| USB Microphone | Vocal Monitoring | 100% |
250 Ohm Headphone Pricing
- Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro 250 Ohm Headphones: https://currentprice.io/beyer_dt_990
- AT2020 USB+ USB Microphone: https://currentprice.io/at2020usb
- Elgato Wave 3 USB Microphone: https://currentprice.io/elgato_wave3
- Scarlett Solo USB Audio Interface: https://currentprice.io/scarlett_solo
- Scarlett 2i2 USB Audio Interface: https://currentprice.io/scarlett_2i2
- PreSonus AudioBox Audio Interface: https://currentprice.io/audiobox
- SSL2+ Audio Interface: https://currentprice.io/ssl2_plus
- Yamaha MG10XU Audio Mixer: https://currentprice.io/mg10xu
- Mackie ProFX10v3 Audio Mixer: https://currentprice.io/profx10v3
- Shure SM7B Dynamic Microphone: https://currentprice.io/shure_sm7b
- XLR Cable: https://currentprice.io/xlr_cable
- Mic Stand: https://currentprice.io/desk_stand
