Don't know where to begin...Help!

[toyotaco1670]

Ok so I'm new here. Been reading a lot about amps and headphones and I'm left totally confused. I have the X-Fi Platinum sound card (the one with the...can remember what they call it...but the big box that sits on my desk and a headphone jack and 2 input jacks and controls a ton of stuff...yeah can you tell how new I am) and 5.1 surround sound speakers hooked to my computer...Music and games sound great (IMO) with this soundcard and speaker setup...but when I need to use my headphones (Sony's right now, I'm at work and don't remember the model number but they were like $150 so they are your WalMart specials)...music sounds bland and tinny...So I'm thinking of upgrading my headphones and would like to also get an amp...But I have no clue where to begin...

Would the amp connect to my computer? I want to be able to use my speakers as well as my headphones, would I be able to do that? I just don't know where to begin. I don't have a budget but I also can't spend an arm and a leg...I just want to start getting some ideas of what to look for and how I am going to hook it up and make it all work...I mainly listen to music (have several friends in the Music biz and I'm always getting new demos and stuff to listen to)...I could ask them but I'd feel really stupid...I love their home studio setups but that way outta my league...Would also like to hook up some studio monitors but don't know where to begin with that either...I wanna still be able to use my 5.1 surround sound cuz it really does sound great if/when I listen to music or watch movies or play games....any help would be greatly appreciated....

 

[Dinnerbandit]

Well, fist of all, you say that music sounds "bland and tinny", do you have any idea of the impiedence of your headphones? The problem could just be that you have a pair of head phones rated at over 100 ohms, and you amp just isn't enough to drive them.

As for your second question: I have the digital output on my motherboard running to the digital input on my receiver. I have my receiver set to a certain volume, and control the loudness by increasing the volume with whatever application I'm using. ( Media Player, WinDVD, DivX, etc....)

As for my question to you: Are you looking for a home theater receiver setup, or are you looking for more of an amplifier/ digital processor setup?

 

[spaceman]

Ask your friends if you can listen to their setups? See what you like? THat helps educate but really what you want to tell me is------------

where are the headphones connected? to the back of the soundcard or to the JOKE of a front panel headphone "amp"

also, what settings? do you change from 5.1 to stereo when using headphones?