Should I get an amp?

[Etrabon]

Hi! I am going to get the beyerdynamic dt990 pro headphones and I already have the Asus Xonar D2X soundcard. I don't think the soundcard has a built-in amp and the headphones have an impedance of 250 ohms. Is the headset just not going to be loud enough or is there something else I might be missing out on? If I should get an amp, which one would you guys recommend?

[Ethan_Li]

Cheap: Behringer HA400

 

I have one, and it hasn't been too bad. Currently using one in my practice space in a cheap IEM rig.

 

Good: Schiit Magni

 

A buddy of mine has this one, sounds super good. 

[theonlyratatoskr]

If your amp can't drive your headphones they'll (most noticeably) be too quiet because whatever you're using can't output enough power to the headphones. Less obvious (but still very important) is that because the amp can't correctly drive your headphones, the frequency response (how they sound) of the headphones will also change.

 

As above, Schiit Audio make awesome units, Fiio is very good for the money...there are so many good options.

[Etrabon]

2 minutes ago, theonlyratatoskr said:

If your amp can't drive your headphones they'll (most noticeably) be too quiet because whatever you're using can't output enough power to the headphones. Less obvious (but still very important) is that because the amp can't correctly drive your headphones, the frequency response (how they sound) of the headphones will also change.

 

As above, Schiit Audio make awesome units, Fiio is very good for the money...there are so many good options.

So getting a Magni 3 would be a good idea. Alright thanks for the feedback and the recommendations.

[Etrabon]

I'm guessing that getting a DAC/AMP combo would be unnecessary if I feed the signal from my soundcard to the amp right?

[rice guru]

1 hour ago, Ethan_Li said:

Cheap: Behringer HA400

 

I have one, and it hasn't been too bad. Currently using one in my practice space in a cheap IEM rig.

 

Good: Schiit Magni

 

A buddy of mine has this one, sounds super good. 

Better yet for the same price as a magni monoprice liquid spark (personal favorite for bright headphones like the 990) and JD's labs atom best amp under $300

[Ethan_Li]

3 hours ago, rice guru said:

Better yet for the same price as a magni monoprice liquid spark (personal favorite for bright headphones like the 990) and JD's labs atom best amp under $300

Thanks. I'm not that well versed in home audio as you can tell.