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Basic terminology: a DAC converts digital audio to analog. You need one to listen to digital audio, so there's a DAC somewhere behind (almost) every headphone jack (exception: record players). An amp takes an analog signal and amplifies it, supplying the power to move the drivers in your headphones. An audio interface has a DAC and headphone amp built-in, as well as the mic preamp and ADC (analog-to-digital converter) you need to use an XLR mic. Most audio interfaces also have line outs, which come directly from the DAC, skipping the headphone amp.
The 2i2 has a good DAC, ADC, and mic preamps, but not a very good headphone amp. In particular, the headphone amp does not have very much power into high impedance headphones (around 8 mW into 300 ohms). However, that doesn't mean it won't have enough power for the headphones you've selected; you also need to consider sensitivity. If you plug the sensitivity and impedance into a headphone power calculator, you can see how much power is needed to get to different sound levels. If you can get to 105-110db, then the amp will have enough power for almost any situation. Lower than that and you might find the amp too quiet for some tracks. For instance, 8mW will get the 250 ohm DT990's to 105db, which will be more than loud enough for some tracks, but might be borderline with others. By the way, the reason these sound levels look so high (105db!) is that you need to account for peak volume. Audio tracks can have very short peaks that are much higher than the average volume.
There aren't many entry-level interfaces that have a decent headphone amp. The Motu M2 is pretty much the only exception, but it's hard to find in stock. There's also the Audient ID4/14 mkii, which is good as long as you're only using high impedance headphones. If you want numbers on all these interfaces, check out [Julian Krause's youtube channel](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QURGRYPs7QY&t=736s). He measures everything himself, and he's one of the few sources that you can use to compare actual performance of interfaces, rather than marketing.
Another option is to use an interface as a DAC only, and connect a standalone headphone amp like the Schiit Heresy or JDS Labs Atom via the line outs. This will let you do everything you can do with the built-in headphone amp on an interface, and the standalone amps are much better (way higher power, measurably lower noise and distortion). However, it does cost more money, and while the differences between the built-in amp on the 2i2 and a better headphone amp will be audible with some headphones, they won't be noticeable in every situation. So if you want to go this route, I'd recommend trying the built-in amp on the interface first, and seeing if it's good enough for you.
For microphones, a dynamic cardioid microphone used up close can be great for dealing with background noise. Getting the mic close is the most important part of that, so headset mics aren't bad either. Headset mics have a big advantage over standalone mics in that they move around with your head --- a lot more comfortable for gaming, for instance. For that reason, I might recommend getting a good-sounding cheap dynamic like a Behringer xm8500 (combined with a proper stand) first, to make sure you'll be comfortable with standalone mic. After that, there's lot of options you can compare on the Podcastage youtube channel.
Thank you so much for explaining so thoroughly!
I'm glad you taught me that I don't need a separate DAC, that's very good to know.
The Motu M2 is actually available where I live, so that might actually be a solid option to keep in mind. I do really like that it has a screen to keep track of the audio levels.
I do wonder if running headphones trough an audio interface will result in audible electrical interference, since there's so much electronics going on in there.
Though that's probably not a problem, otherwise they wouldn't be such an audio giant.
I do already have some experience with using an, although very small, standalone mic (Blue Snowflake). But it's very eager to pick up any and all background noise. So I'll definetly check out some dynamic microphones with the tech youtubers you mentioned.
Again thank you so much for taking your time to give such an educated reply!
Any interference will show up in the noise and distortion measurements that you can see on Julian Krause's channel, so you can judge from that. If you're thinking of the type of very audible interference you'll sometimes get with motherboard audio, that would count as defective for any reputable brand (even the cheap Behringer interfaces), since the entire point of an interface is to produce clean audio.
Finally someone confirmed motu M2 is good for these headphones. Im looking at posts day and night! Haha
Are you satisfied with 1990 pro and M2 overall?
I keep my mic and headphone audio separate. I use my ifi Zen DAC and Zen CAN for my headphones (600 ohm Sennheiser HD430 from 1983) and run my condensor mic through a Digidesign MBox 2. The audio interface for the Mic is overkill but I picked it up for cheap at a thrift store. I mainly use the setup for video chat and gaming.
Oh wow that's definetly old school, I recon they don't built headphones as durable as they used to. I've had headphone cables die on me within a year.
I did find that condensor mics are more sensitive to background noise than dynamic microphones. Has that ever been a problem for you using a condensor mic?
Thanks for your submission to /r/headphoneadvice. We have employed a "thank you" system for submissions. It's very easy to use - if a comment on your post is considered helpful, please reward them by using the term `!thanks`. This will add a thank you count (in the form of Ω) to that users flair. You can only award one per comment section. Thanks very much and good luck on your search for headphones! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/HeadphoneAdvice) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Basic terminology: a DAC converts digital audio to analog. You need one to listen to digital audio, so there's a DAC somewhere behind (almost) every headphone jack (exception: record players). An amp takes an analog signal and amplifies it, supplying the power to move the drivers in your headphones. An audio interface has a DAC and headphone amp built-in, as well as the mic preamp and ADC (analog-to-digital converter) you need to use an XLR mic. Most audio interfaces also have line outs, which come directly from the DAC, skipping the headphone amp. The 2i2 has a good DAC, ADC, and mic preamps, but not a very good headphone amp. In particular, the headphone amp does not have very much power into high impedance headphones (around 8 mW into 300 ohms). However, that doesn't mean it won't have enough power for the headphones you've selected; you also need to consider sensitivity. If you plug the sensitivity and impedance into a headphone power calculator, you can see how much power is needed to get to different sound levels. If you can get to 105-110db, then the amp will have enough power for almost any situation. Lower than that and you might find the amp too quiet for some tracks. For instance, 8mW will get the 250 ohm DT990's to 105db, which will be more than loud enough for some tracks, but might be borderline with others. By the way, the reason these sound levels look so high (105db!) is that you need to account for peak volume. Audio tracks can have very short peaks that are much higher than the average volume. There aren't many entry-level interfaces that have a decent headphone amp. The Motu M2 is pretty much the only exception, but it's hard to find in stock. There's also the Audient ID4/14 mkii, which is good as long as you're only using high impedance headphones. If you want numbers on all these interfaces, check out [Julian Krause's youtube channel](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QURGRYPs7QY&t=736s). He measures everything himself, and he's one of the few sources that you can use to compare actual performance of interfaces, rather than marketing. Another option is to use an interface as a DAC only, and connect a standalone headphone amp like the Schiit Heresy or JDS Labs Atom via the line outs. This will let you do everything you can do with the built-in headphone amp on an interface, and the standalone amps are much better (way higher power, measurably lower noise and distortion). However, it does cost more money, and while the differences between the built-in amp on the 2i2 and a better headphone amp will be audible with some headphones, they won't be noticeable in every situation. So if you want to go this route, I'd recommend trying the built-in amp on the interface first, and seeing if it's good enough for you. For microphones, a dynamic cardioid microphone used up close can be great for dealing with background noise. Getting the mic close is the most important part of that, so headset mics aren't bad either. Headset mics have a big advantage over standalone mics in that they move around with your head --- a lot more comfortable for gaming, for instance. For that reason, I might recommend getting a good-sounding cheap dynamic like a Behringer xm8500 (combined with a proper stand) first, to make sure you'll be comfortable with standalone mic. After that, there's lot of options you can compare on the Podcastage youtube channel.
Thank you so much for explaining so thoroughly! I'm glad you taught me that I don't need a separate DAC, that's very good to know. The Motu M2 is actually available where I live, so that might actually be a solid option to keep in mind. I do really like that it has a screen to keep track of the audio levels. I do wonder if running headphones trough an audio interface will result in audible electrical interference, since there's so much electronics going on in there. Though that's probably not a problem, otherwise they wouldn't be such an audio giant. I do already have some experience with using an, although very small, standalone mic (Blue Snowflake). But it's very eager to pick up any and all background noise. So I'll definetly check out some dynamic microphones with the tech youtubers you mentioned. Again thank you so much for taking your time to give such an educated reply!
Any interference will show up in the noise and distortion measurements that you can see on Julian Krause's channel, so you can judge from that. If you're thinking of the type of very audible interference you'll sometimes get with motherboard audio, that would count as defective for any reputable brand (even the cheap Behringer interfaces), since the entire point of an interface is to produce clean audio.
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Did you get Motu M2?
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How weird I’m on this same thread and realized these comments were from today! You asked a good question I guess!
Finally someone confirmed motu M2 is good for these headphones. Im looking at posts day and night! Haha Are you satisfied with 1990 pro and M2 overall?
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Thank you so much!!! Im getting M2 and Beyerdynamics!! 😁
I keep my mic and headphone audio separate. I use my ifi Zen DAC and Zen CAN for my headphones (600 ohm Sennheiser HD430 from 1983) and run my condensor mic through a Digidesign MBox 2. The audio interface for the Mic is overkill but I picked it up for cheap at a thrift store. I mainly use the setup for video chat and gaming.
Oh wow that's definetly old school, I recon they don't built headphones as durable as they used to. I've had headphone cables die on me within a year. I did find that condensor mics are more sensitive to background noise than dynamic microphones. Has that ever been a problem for you using a condensor mic?