Can the Audio Technica AT2020+ USB microphone power a set of 250 Ohm headphones. We put it through its paces with a set of Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro headphones to find out.
Quick Answer: Yes, we were surprised to find that the AT2020+ does a reasonable job of powering our 250 Ohm DT 990 headphones. A great feature for such a small microphone at this price point.
Listening to Music
One of the first things we tested out was how well the AT2020+ handled music playback. We’re talking finished music that has been compressed and had the loudness brought up ready for distribution on services like Apple Music, Spotify, and YouTube.
With the blend wheel on the AT2020+ set fully to the computer side, we found setting the headphone volume wheel to around 50% delivered a full, immersive music experience to our 250 Ohm headphones.
Audio & Video Editing
A popular use for 250 Ohm headphones, and the next situation we tested, is audio/video editing. This type of activity often requires working with unfinished audio that can be quiet, meaning you need to turn your headphones up to hear what you’re doing.
Setting the volume wheel on the AT2020+ to 60-65% gave us the volume we were looking for, allowing us to get the most out of the clarity and detail our DT 990 headphones offer.
Vocal Monitoring
The third scenario we tested was vocal monitoring, something you might do if you need to monitor microphone audio during a live stream, podcast, or talking head video for YouTube.
With the blend wheel all the way over to the mic setting and the volume wheel set to 100%, we got the volume we needed to monitor our vocal audio effectively. This leaves you with no headroom, but we don’t feel we’d need to increase the volume further. We didn’t notice any noise or hiss either.
Audio Technica AT2020+ USB & 250 Ohm Headphones Pricing
- Audio Technica AT2020+ USB Microphone: https://currentprice.io/at2020usb
- Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro 250 Ohm Headphones: https://currentprice.io/beyer_dt_990
- USB C to USB B Cable: https://currentprice.io/usbc_usbb
- USB A to USB B Cable: https://currentprice.io/usba_usbb
- Mic Stand: https://currentprice.io/desk_stand
- Rode PSA1 Boom Arm: https://currentprice.io/boom_arm
