[GreenII]

A long time user of Sennheiser 555s, I recently started searching around for some reasonably priced headphones that deliver tight punchy bass. I found a lot of mentions of this brand, and the DT 770 Pro in particular.

I went ahead and grabbed the 250 ohm version, knowing that they need more power to drive, but still wasn't sure if plugging them into the jack in my cheap 2.1 desktop computer speakers would give me the full experience.

Though I can say they have great sound, the bass feels kind of thin, though accurate, it doesn't punch as hard as was often described. Even with the 555s, you can get them loud enough to feel them rumble on your head before things get muddy. I am assuming/hoping that its simply a matter of these things needing an amp, and not just these headphones not being as hard hitting as I was looking for.

TLDR version

My basic questions:

Should I expect low end desktop speakers to provide the needed power for 250 ohm headphones?

What type of amp do I need to get if not? Most headphone amps seem to be made for mobile devices, I just need one for my desktop.

 

[Darkseth]

  My basic questions:

Should I expect low end desktop speakers to provide the needed power for 250 ohm headphones?

What type of amp do I need to get if not? Most headphone amps seem to be made for mobile devices, I just need one for my desktop.

- No. Speakers are neither a soundcard (DAC) nor an Amp. Speakers with a Headphone jack can only give you max the quality of your onboard soundchip. Mostly such jacks are constructed abit cheap so.. it might actually be even worse (more noise).
DT 770 are nice headphones, so drive them properly.
 
- For example, the Fiio E10 would be great for that. External DAC with Headphone AMP build in. Strong enough for those 250 Ohm dt-series (even 600 Ohm can be driven very well), nice sounding (people claim it to be almost on par with an Asus Essence), and easy usage. Just plug & play.

 

[Sxooter]

Many desktop computer speakers have built in amps. These amps are usually pretty crappy. Get a decent amp, and if you have the dosh, get a good DAC/Amp combo.
 
I've tested my DT770s with and without a DAC, comparing the DAC output to may laptop's headphone jack. Had an amp in there both times, so plenty of power to drive it. Using a 20 to 20KHz test frequency, I can hear the 20Hz tone clear as day with the DAC. Without it, just using the laptop's headphone jack, nothing until about 100 to 150Hz, and even then it was pretty weak.
 
Don't expect on board audio to be able to get down to the frequencies a decent external DAC or higher end sound card (Xonar etc) will reach, and it won't have the clarity either.
 
tl;dr: Get an Amp. If you can afford it, get a DAC/Amp like the FiiO E07k or better.

 

[PurpleAngel]

  A long time user of Sennheiser 555s, I recently started searching around for some reasonably priced headphones that deliver tight punchy bass. I found a lot of mentions of this brand, and the DT 770 Pro in particular.
I went ahead and grabbed the 250 ohm version, knowing that they need more power to drive, but still wasn't sure if plugging them into the jack in my cheap 2.1 desktop computer speakers would give me the full experience.
Though I can say they have great sound, the bass feels kind of thin, though accurate, it doesn't punch as hard as was often described. Even with the 555s, you can get them loud enough to feel them rumble on your head before things get muddy. I am assuming/hoping that its simply a matter of these things needing an amp, and not just these headphones not being as hard hitting as I was looking for.
TLDR version
My basic questions:
Should I expect low end desktop speakers to provide the needed power for 250 ohm headphones?
What type of amp do I need to get if not? Most headphone amps seem to be made for mobile devices, I just need one for my desktop.

If you have need for headphone surround sound, get the Creative Labs Sound Blaster Z sound card, $60-$90.
Comes with a line-output for the speakers and a separate amplified headphone output jack.
The FiiO E10 USB-DAC-Amp would also work, but offers no headphone surround sound, just basic stereo audio.