I’m new to the audiophile world. I just purchased a pair of Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pros yesterday. They sound great, but I was expecting more after reading reviews. I have no experience when it comes to picking up audio cues and analyzing music. Would a dac/amp make a noticeable difference in sound quality to an untrained ear? Right now I have them connected to a TC-Helicon Goxlr. Is the built in amp strong enough to efficiently power them? Or, would a real amp be a significant upgrade/worthwhile?
Before someone comes in here telling you an Apple dongle will do the job, yes, a DAC and amp will vastly improve your listening experience.
If you want something inexpensive I’d go for the JDS labs atom amp+ and dac+ 2. If you have a larger budget and want even better sound, consider a schitt magnius/modi Multibit stack. These are far from the only options but they’re two of the most straightforward combos for a first time buyer.