Do I need a headphone amplifier?

[Zion_X]

I was looking at the Audio-Technica ATH-M50x in white, and I wanted to know if I needed a headphone amplifier. Should I buy these or are there better headphones out there in that price range. Reason I'm buying these is to listen to music and be able to go outside and not worry about how they look. I also play fps games on Ps4 and PC. Thanks in advance.

 

[Ironsounds]

Hello... You need like 8-16 ohm models if just plugging into low output devices... those are like 38 ohms and will need more power to be louder. See if you can go test them first with your portable use device first, OR some other 32-38 Ohm headphones, and see if they will work.

 

[shotgunz]

Just ohms doesn't dictate how loud a headphone gets as a 600ohm Beyerdynamic T1 is louder than a 18ohm Sennheiser Urbanite XL out of my galaxy S4. In fact, some 8ohm in-ears like Sony's XBA-4 are picky as they are not easy to drive and sound bad out of sources that don't have a low output impedance.

The M50x is 38ohms with an efficiency of 99dB/mW. They are reasonably easy to drive from most portable devices and the volume will satisfy you unless you listen very loudly. You will most likely not need an amplifier unless your source has a pretty poor amplifier.