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Should I find a better amp/Dac?

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I currently own a focusrite Scarlett solo (3rd generation). I use it for my Rode N1 mic along with my DT 990 (250 OHM) Pro’s. I was curious wether or not those actually power my headset enough and/ or if there is a better stack to be used for music listening/gaming. I’m a completely noob at this sort of stuff so thank you in advance.
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phoenixsong
1055
Nov 20, 2020
Qwervy
464
Sep 27, 2020
Studio/professional audio interfaces tend to have pretty crappy headphone outs. I would recommend getting something that is more dedicated. Keep the Scarlett as dedicated: If you want to keep things simple with your current set-up and keep the Scarlett as the main DAC, I would recommend getting a dedicated amp that can take the headphone out from the Scarlett and provide more power and a lower output impedance which are the only real benefits you'll get. Attenuator: If you are looking to go on the cheap and run something much more sensitive than the 250 ohm DT990 e.g. IEM's then I would recommend making or buying a cheap L-Pad that goes inline with them. This will drop the volume, noise floor/thd or output impedance (if made correctly). New Audio - Interface: If you ware wanting to buy a new audio interface to replace the Scarlett but keep the inputs etc. I would recommend Motu interface's as they have pretty good headphone outputs, Don't know ifng they have enough power though. I would stay away from steinberg because their headphone outs are trash. Check out Julian Krause on youtube for more information and comparisons between other audio interfaces. Dedicated DAC/Amp: If you are going to get a dedicated DAC/Amp just for music with no inputs then there are heaps of options, you could get separate dac-amp or a combination dac-amp. You can get portable/semi-portable or dedicated desktop dac/amp's. I have an XDuoo XD-05 plus which I'm finding is extremely good for money, and easy to use, It's also semi-portable. In terms of desktop amp's, THX, Schiit Audio and Topping have very solid choices. So much of it is personal preference its hard to know exactly what you want. Any questions, please ask
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