Generally, higher-impedance headphones require more power from the headphone output of your interface than lower-impedance headphones.
You do not need to match your headphone impedance value to the Scarlett impedance, or impedances below. Almost all headphones will work with the headphone outputs.
If unsure what to buy, follow these guidelines, though you may find that our products can drive higher impedance headphones than the values listed below without issue:
| Product | Maximum Recommended Headphone Impedance |
|---|---|
| Scarlett 4th Gen | 300 ohms |
| USB powered Scarlett 1st Gen, 2nd Gen, and 3rd Gen Interfaces (Solo, 2i2, 2i4, 4i4) | 200 ohms |
| Mains powered Scarlett 1st Gen, 2nd Gen, and 3rd Gen Interface (6i6, 8i6, 18i6, 18i8, 18i20) | 250 ohms |
| Clarett & Red Range | 600 ohms |
Closed-back headphones are useful to prevent bleed if worn by vocalists or by performers near microphones, while open or semi-closed headphones are ideal for control room use and for long sessions.
Whether this specific equipment combination will be loud enough for an individual varies, depending on many factors. Even if the person has the same model units and headphones, other aspects need consideration. These factors include the loudness of the source material, the sensitivity of the headphones, and the environment in which they will be listening.
For a more objective figure for output level from any combination of headphones and headphone output, you can use free online tools such as The Audio Stuff Headphone Calculator to input your headphone specifications, along with the maximum output level of your headphone output, and view a graph showing the dB SPL output from your headphones at varying signal levels.
For more information, see this article:
What is impedance, and how does it affect the volume of my headphones?
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