Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro (250Ω) vs Dan Clark Audio AEON 2 Closed: which needs more amplifier?

The Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro (250Ω) is 250Ω at 102.0 dB/mW; the Dan Clark Audio AEON 2 Closed is 13Ω at 90.0 dB/mW. This page is only about what they ask of an amplifier — not how they sound, which no specification on either sheet can tell you.

The Dan Clark Audio AEON 2 Closed needs 12.0 dB more than the Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro (250Ω) to reach the same loudness — 10 mW against 0.63 mW.

The numbers that decide it

SpecificationBeyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro (250Ω)Dan Clark Audio AEON 2 Closed
Impedance250 Ω13 Ω
Sensitivity102.0 dB/mW90.0 dB/mW
Sensitivity (voltage)108.0 dB/V108.9 dB/V
Power for 100 dB0.63 mW10 mW
Voltage for 100 dB0.40 V0.36 V
Current for 100 dB1.6 mA27.7 mA
Highest source impedance
that leaves them alone (one-eighth rule)
31.25 Ω1.62 Ω
Sources that reach 100 dB
out of 280
280272

Where the two part company

8 of the 280 sources have the power for the Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro (250Ω) but not for the Dan Clark Audio AEON 2 Closed — Apple USB-C dongle (EU), Zoom AMS-22, Audient EVO 4, 5 more.

24 sources are low enough in output impedance for the Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro (250Ω) under the one-eighth rule but not for the Dan Clark Audio AEON 2 Closed (FiiO KA13, Zoom AMS-22, Arturia MiniFuse 2, 21 more).

272 of the 280 sources here reach 100 dB on both. That count is about power only — the output-impedance and hiss lines above are separate questions, and a source can pass this one and fail those.

Both pages in full

Each model has a page of its own with the full source list, the hiss estimate and the provenance of every figure above: Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro (250Ω) and Dan Clark Audio AEON 2 Closed. Every figure on this page comes from what Beyerdynamic and Dan Clark Audio published, or is derived from it — what Beyerdynamic publishes and what Dan Clark Audio publishes, both counted.