AMP for Beyerdynamic DT 990?

[StevenDB99]

Hi.

I've heard that the DT 990's need amping to hear their full potential.
I'm looking for a cheap amp that will be able to drive them.
Any suggestions?

 

[ssddx]

i take it that you are referring to the beyerdynamic dt990 pro 250ohm which is available for about $200? and not the more expensive premium line which is available in a 32oh version not requiring an amplifier?

the dt990 250ohm are notoriously hard to drive so you will want a decently powerful amplifier.

what type of amplifier you want depends on if it needs to be portable or not.

the schiit magni for $130 does a stellar job of driving the 250ohm cans and would be your suggested route without breaking the bank.
if that is too pricey the fiio e10k can be paired up with them and can certainly drive them fine though not as well and might struggle a bit at high volumes and with bass boost on.

if your use will be pc only and you have a desktop you could get the creative soundblaster z soundcard at about $80 which will also drive them. not to 100% of what they are capable of but good enough for most use. this limits your use to just pc though but if that is why you purchased them then it may work.
technically the $35 xonar dg is capable of powering them to average volume levels but you might experience distortion and are really going to be pushing the card hard to achieve perhaps half the performance the dt990's can offer so i'd skip it.

if you needed a portable solution the fiio e17 $140 is certainly an option to consider and does a pretty good job.
the cheaper e11 $75 seriously struggles and may have some distortion but may be fine if you do not use bass boost or use high volumes.

while that might seem pricey (and i agree, but some amps cost way more than what i listed above) you will want to spend the money for a decent amp if you get the dt990 250ohm if you intend to get the most out of them, otherwise you may just want to get a cheaper set of headphones such as the hd598 which do not need an amp (and do not sound quite as good either... but still good).

your choice.

 

[StevenDB99]

Allright, thanks for your answer

I think the amp road will be a bit too expensive for me, also considering im new to this stuff and wont hear the differences very well anyway.

Can you suggest Some good headphones similar to the 990's that don't need amping?
I also have an Asus Xonar dgx soundcard

 

[ssddx]

give the sennheiser hd598 (about $160) a try.

they are open (good soundstage) and have moderate bass levels and pretty decent quality. they arent as good as the 990 but certainly worth noting.