DT 990 Pro Headphones Amp Problem

kmufc77 · 9 Jan 2019 at 18:16

I have today got a pair of DT 990 Pro headphones, i already knew about the 250 ohms and already have 2 amps. I thought the amps would be enough to drive the DT 990 Pros but i have the volume on max on the amps which is no good as it could still do with being a tad bit louder.

The Amps i have are the following:

Fiio A3 (This amp is rated upto 150 ohms which by reading some peoples reviews is enough for the 990 pros, Not for me no were near enough.)

Topping NX1 ( I thought the NX1 was rated upto 300 ohms but it may not be as its still not powerful enough for me for the 990 pro)

Out of the two the Topping NX1 is slightly louder than the A3 but not by much, these amps are both at 100% nearly with my PC Windows 10 volume at 50%.

I have a cheap soundcard Xonar DGX which is then powered by one of the headphone amps, on my other headphones which are 32 ohms these amps power the headphones very well, and the sound is only around 50-60% turned up.

So, i need help getting a headphone amp with enough power to drive the DT 990 Pro.

I have been looking at headphones amps and would appreciate some help on this from people who know there stuff when it comes to headphones and amps and what amp would give me enough power.

I have been looking at the following amps but im clueless to what is the best out of these if any? if not these, then please help me find a suitable amp for 250 ohms or higher

Nobsound NS-08E Vacuum Tube Integrated Amplifier

Creative Sound Blaster E1

Sabaj PHA3 Vacuum Tube Headphone Amplifier

SABAJ Audio D2 Audio DAC with Headphone Amplifier

Bravo AUDIO V2 Valve Class A Tube Headphone Amplifier- This amp appears to drive upto 600 ohms, so would that be the one to get?

My budget is only around £50, i know that isn't a lot, but its all i have currently

kmufc77 · 9 Jan 2019 at 20:42

Im not technical when it comes to audio, but all i know is my current setup using my headphone amps that are rated upto 150 ohms are brilliant for my headphones that are 16 -32 ohms with the amps proving huge amounts of volume with me not needing to go anywhere near 100% on the headphone amps. With my DT 990s pros (250 ohms) tonight the volume at max on the amps volume could be higher for me anyway, i do like music loud mind, prob too loud to tell the truth. When increasing the Windows volume past 50-60% with the amp at 100% i get distortion but the volume is still not loud enough for me anyway. Surely that means the amp is not powerful enough?

When using my headphone amps with my 32ohms headphones, windows volume is only needed at 35-40%, and the headphone amps are only turned to around 50% volume which is extremely loud .

Again, im completely new to the audio- headphone- amp scene, so excuse my ignorance if what im saying is completely wrong.

kmufc77 · 9 Jan 2019 at 20:43

Getting a few sarcy replies, ill just leave it guys and work it out myself. Thanks for the help anways

kmufc77 · 9 Jan 2019 at 21:22

Marsman said:
Windows volume should be at 100%. Having it any lower makes no sense. Then turn the amp down if need be, not the volume in Windows.

Thanks Marsman, ill have a mess around tomorrow more, im obviously being stupid not doing this???

. In 20 years on the PC ive always had my volume on PC less than 50% using low Ohms headphones with a amp, never ever gone nowhere near 250 ohms. so stuck on old habits i guess.

Its obviously stupidity on my part.

On a plus, im impressed with the headphones, ive had to send my Grados sr80e back after 5 months after they developed a fault, so these are a completely different sound

Cheers

kmufc77 · 9 Jan 2019 at 21:59

Marsman said:
Windows volume at 100% and having the headphone amp set at a lower volume, is better than having Windows volume set lower and headphone amp on full volume. Reason being is that the headphone amp is having to amplify what is a weaker incoming signal. The lower the incoming signal, the higher the amplifier volume needs to be set to achieve a level of volume that is satisfying to you. In other words, the headphone amplifier is having to do more work and if you have to have it set to maximum, that is more stressful on the components than having it set lower and Windows volume higher. It's the headphone amp that is powering the headphones; the onboard audio or sound card is just providing a signal.

If you have Windows volume at 100% and the amplifier volume at 100%, and it's still not loud enough; then it's time to look at other options..

Thats make perfect sense now to me, thanks for the info, very helpful.