The best $25 DAC/AMP for 250 ohm headphones

Get your own Play! 3:
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Oftentimes, when talking about HiFi, people will agree that cheap means of poor quality. Therefore, a $25 DAC/amp that can power studio headphones up to 300 ohms while sounding great shouldn't be possible. Yet, the Play 3! from Sound Blaster is exactly that - a $25 ($19.99 on sale) USB portable DAC/amp that comes from a reputable brand and claims to be able to drive your 250 ohms Beyerdynamics or 300 ohms Sennheisers. So is there a catch? Let's find out together in this video.

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I am Andrew Dandrew, a man on a mission - to search this universe for answers to important existential questions such as why do we eat cake on our birthdays :) Hope you have a great time watching my videos.

[SiikSkillz]

I just got the DT-770Pro and ordered the Play3! directly alongside it. And I can CONFIRM. It is absolutely enough, and you can fully enjoy the headphones with that simple small DAC.

Disclaimer: I am talking as a gaming enthusiast and avid music lover... By no means an audiophile…



Thank you for the suggestion Andrew! 🙏🏾

[kidnayza]

you save me, the introduction to the video described me so well lmao

[sergioleal]

You the goat andrew thank you just in time for when i bought my 250 770

[Brad_Man]

i dont have words for how much I love you right now!!

[masterkamen]

Love to see that Creative is still in the quality sound card game. At 22€ this is really a no-brainer. I'm not interested in high impedence headphones, but I do appreciate high quality sound. And high quality is not something I can get with the Realtek and Intel chipsets (more like cheapsets) in my devices.
That, and it's a Sound Blaster. I've got a whole collection of old Sound Blasters and they are all still amazing. They would totally hold up in 2024 if not for the ISA and PCI interfaces.

[paramshah]

Hey, thanks for this video .... I recently bought the dt 770 pro 80 ohm version but they are not loud enough for my liking and was considering investing in behringer UM2/UMC22 to get the headphones properly powered up and enjoy a better sound overall.

Would you recommend getting the Play 3 over an audio interface to get the best out of my headphones? My primary uses are mostly listening to electronic music and producing some as a hobby however i dont really plan to record any instruments. I am mostly just looking to get my headphones sounding the best they could at a relatively low budget since most of my budget already got used up for the headphones itself.

[mynameisradman]

The output impedance of your amplifier will make the biggest improvement to sound. Any of the beyerdynamic 250 ohm drivers dont require much power. It's all about output impedence and gain/voltage.

[muzictherpy]

In can be used with phone but probably with OTG connection cable..

[tenableprawn]

Hi Andrew thank you for this information about this amp/dac. I'm in search for some high quality studio headphones I'm stuck between the Beyerdynamics dt 990 pros and the dt 770 pros. I'm leaning towards the dt 990s thanks to one of your previous videos, but I am still a little unsure. I plan to use these to game and listen to music such as hard rock. which pair of headphones would you recommend?

[clumsylol]

i got the bt 990 pros the 250 and have it paired with my 2i2 but it’s lacking to power them enough do you think i should get this or some other sort of amp/dac i’ve been doing slot of research and all i’ve been seeing is if i got the 80ohms i’d be having a lot less issues

[Adraverse]

I got the DT990 Pro (80 ohms version) so would you say for the lower impedance, the Play! 4 is better in this regard?

[Knoamplays]

nice video, im torn between buying the play 3 or the play 4 as a gift for someone, nice video with good info, thank you

[kotztotz]

Just bought this through your link on Amazon for $17

[Omizuke]

I wonder if there is a work around for the phone. Like and app that allows for direct USB. like how one gets the apple USB-C dongle to work. The FiiO Musci App and the HiBy Music App can use full control of the USB. Even ask when you plug an audio device "Open HiByMusic to handle +insert device name+?" with a warning that "using HiByMusic with this device might prevent hearing calls, notifications and alarms. " Which is fine if you aren't expecting any. Or if you are using your previous device as a music player.
Icurrently use my previous phone as music player. But been an LG V40 I don't need a DAC now. But neat device to have around. Heck even as a splitter. Like, if your laptop has a single 3.5 and you need them separated. With how much some Y cables cost. Might as well get something like this.

[genji]

Great timing andrew. Just bought my new pair of DT 990s 250Ohms and was thinking on getting a expensive Amp

[DeadlyHeartss]

you should probably obviously have it in a usb 3.0 just to make sure that it supplies enough power

[aaishreenirmala]

Thanks friend you helped me in my purchasing decision.

[LoJ]

where do you get this software from i cannot find it anywhere thankyou in advance love the content

[rancidhotmail]

Hi Andrew, thanks for your video. I was hoping you could give me some advice. I am considering getting the beyerdynamic DT770 or DT990 at 250ohms. As a headphone amp i was initially considering the Behringer HA400 as it costs $25. Since the Play3 costs around the same, could you advise me on what the positive/negatives are for both? I plan to use this setup for producing music and eventually mastering. Thanks for the reply!

[repetski]

What would you recommend as a really good dac/amp combo at a mid range price for dt 770s? I might get this but i also am up to spend a bit more