Do I need an Amp/DAC?

[Metaformed]

Hi friends!

 

So I think i've finally decided on buying a new pair of headphones. I've chosen the beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO 250 ohms.

What I'm not sure about is if simply my onboard audio, or (almost definitely) my blue yeti's audiojack, can power these.

 

 

My motherboard is a Asus Strix z390E and is listed to have SupremeFX Dual OP Amplifiers and and support up to 600 ohms however I wanted to see if anyone had any experience with this and could tell me if this can actually drive these headphones without any noise or anything like that. I don't want to purchase an amp or dac or anything unless I have to.

 

Thank you for any answers, I'm absolutely clueless with all this audio stuff.

[katoptrys]

Hm. I would not personally trust a motherboard to be able to push anything north of 100-ish ohm, let lone 250 or even 600. As much as they may advertise, there is a LOT of noise inside your computer and I'd go as far as to say I can hear a difference with my 50 ohm HD598. You will NOT get a clear sound signal.
You might struggle to drive them. I'd say a DAC is not necessary unless you want a boost to sound quality, but I'd find a decent AMP for those cans. If you want something lasting and good quality, I'd go with a Schiit Magni, it's about 100 bucks and generally great unless you're working with EXTREMELY high res stuff like professional audio. You can always also upgrade your set down the road with a Modi, which is their DAC, for another 100. Magni + Modi is a pretty decent kit. If you need something a bit more budget they have a combo called Fulla for 100 bucks but I haven't tried it personally, or you could go with a Fiio combo like the E10K, they are also a very decent brand.

[KoreyCreative]

1 hour ago, Metaformed said:

Hi friends!

 

So I think i've finally decided on buying a new pair of headphones. I've chosen the beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO 250 ohms.

What I'm not sure about is if simply my onboard audio, or (almost definitely) my blue yeti's audiojack, can power these.

 

 

My motherboard is a Asus Strix z390E and is listed to have SupremeFX Dual OP Amplifiers and and support up to 600 ohms however I wanted to see if anyone had any experience with this and could tell me if this can actually drive these headphones without any noise or anything like that. I don't want to purchase an amp or dac or anything unless I have to.

 

Thank you for any answers, I'm absolutely clueless with all this audio stuff.

I own a Asus Strix B450 Gamig-F and it seems that has the same audio as yours. My headphones are AKG k702s and i couldn't use my motherboard as it sounded like shit. So i hooked up my FIIO $20 DAC i've been using for years, much better. So if all you're wanting to do is power your headphones, i'm sure it will. but it might very different than a cheap or good DAC.

I also have a FIIO E09K, not sure what one of these devices is making my sound so much better, but in my case my motherboard sucks, really bad.

[Metaformed]

1 minute ago, Popa2caps said:

I own a Asus Strix B450 Gamig-F and it seems that has the same audio as yours. My headphones are AKG k702s and i couldn't use my motherboard as it sounded like shit. So i hooked up my FIIO $20 DAC i've been using for years, much better. So if all you're wanting to do is power your headphones, i'm sure it will. but it might very different than a cheap or good DAC.

I also have a FIIO E09K, not sure what one of these devices is making my sound so much better, but in my case my motherboard sucks, really bad.

Good to see input from someone with the same on board audio. Personally I currently use apple earbuds through my microphone's sound so I couldn't actually tell you if my onboard audio is bad like yours. I suppose I'd have to report back after getting the headphones.

 

 

[Metaformed]

24 minutes ago, katoptrys said:

Hm. I would not personally trust a motherboard to be able to push anything north of 100-ish ohm, let lone 250 or even 600. As much as they may advertise, there is a LOT of noise inside your computer and I'd go as far as to say I can hear a difference with my 50 ohm HD598. You will NOT get a clear sound signal.
You might struggle to drive them. I'd say a DAC is not necessary unless you want a boost to sound quality, but I'd find a decent AMP for those cans. If you want something lasting and good quality, I'd go with a Schiit Magni, it's about 100 bucks and generally great unless you're working with EXTREMELY high res stuff like professional audio. You can always also upgrade your set down the road with a Modi, which is their DAC, for another 100. Magni + Modi is a pretty decent kit. If you need something a bit more budget they have a combo called Fulla for 100 bucks but I haven't tried it personally, or you could go with a Fiio combo like the E10K, they are also a very decent brand.

Thank you for such a detailed response!

 

So from what I've read, as long as I don't have any noticeable noise in my sound, the only real advantage of an amp and/or dac would be getting a louder sound.

 

I think what I may do is purchase the headphones, and when they arrive if I'm noticing noise I'll pull the trigger on an amp and possibly a dac too. At this point I've watched probably a dozen or two videos on amps and dacs and if I do or don't need a dac and my brain is so confused. But hey, I can put that research off for another day I think now.

[rice guru]

2 minutes ago, Metaformed said:

Thank you for such a detailed response!

 

So from what I've read, as long as I don't have any noticeable noise in my sound, the only real advantage of an amp and/or dac would be getting a louder sound.

 

I think what I may do is purchase the headphones, and when they arrive if I'm noticing noise I'll pull the trigger on an amp and possibly a dac too. At this point I've watched probably a dozen or two videos on amps and dacs and if I do or don't need a dac and my brain is so confused. But hey, I can put that research off for another day I think now.

great plan! no need to spend money unless you really need to, 

[Metaformed]

9 minutes ago, rice guru said:

great plan! no need to spend money unless you really need to, 

Yes! Thank you very much for your help

[rice guru]

2 minutes ago, Metaformed said:

Yes! Thank you very much for your help

dont thank me I didnt do anything seems like you did a good amount of reasearch to come up witha fairly reasonable plan of attack