Output from the HD audio header sounds better than the motherboard's amplified headphone jack.

viivo

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Sep 7, 2005
Messages
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Gigabyte z170 Gaming 7
Beyerdynamic DT990 600ohm

I know that no motherboard's onboard headphone amp is anywhere near an actual amplifier, and in the case of my motherboard it's basically just an opamp. However, the audio from the amplified headphone output has never sounded quite right. I hate trying to describe sound as it's so subjective, but the only word that comes to mind is blurry. When there are multiple sound sources, dynamics are lost and everything blends together into a blurry mess. It's definitely not a driver issue as it has persisted through countless fresh intalls of Windows and driver versions.

When using the front panel headphone jack connected to the HD audio header, things are noticeably different. Sounds, including ones I never heard when using the amplified jack, are clear and separate.

What could be the reason for this?
 
You're using 600Ω cans on a motherboard amp...

Kind of hard to make a recommendation here. Sounds like there's an issue with the path to the jack on the board, but not on the path to the front panel header. You up for digging into voltages and resistances with a multimeter?

In any case, the answer is simple: use the front panel header. Or get a quality amp.
 
You're using 600Ω cans on a motherboard amp...
.

I had hoped the first sentence would pre-empt this kind of reply. There's more to making a pair of headphones easy or difficult to drive than ohms.

Also, I asked for reasons that could cause this, not a flippant suggestion.
 
Reasons that could cause it- if you're not an electrical engineer, does it matter? There's something wrong, one port doesn't work as well as you'd like while the other does, so you have a solution, but you want to find an answer?

And you're annoyed that the best answer anyone can give remotely is that there's really no good answer? It's obvious that there's a power difference between the two. What you describe is a set of high impedance cans that are being under driven. So plug them in to the port that can properly drive them, or find another way to properly drive them.

This isn't hard.
 
I had hoped the first sentence would pre-empt this kind of reply. There's more to making a pair of headphones easy or difficult to drive than ohms.

Also, I asked for reasons that could cause this, not a flippant suggestion.

It might not be the answer you want to hear, but he's probably right dude. It's doubtful you can fix this without $$$ so the FP jack is your only answer.
 
It's like you're asking 'gee I put diesel in my muscle car and now it doesn't run good' and then get mad when someone suggests to use the correct fuel.
 
Gigabyte z170 Gaming 7
Beyerdynamic DT990 600ohm

I know that no motherboard's onboard headphone amp is anywhere near an actual amplifier, and in the case of my motherboard it's basically just an opamp. However, the audio from the amplified headphone output has never sounded quite right. I hate trying to describe sound as it's so subjective, but the only word that comes to mind is blurry. When there are multiple sound sources, dynamics are lost and everything blends together into a blurry mess. It's definitely not a driver issue as it has persisted through countless fresh intalls of Windows and driver versions.

When using the front panel headphone jack connected to the HD audio header, things are noticeably different. Sounds, including ones I never heard when using the amplified jack, are clear and separate.

What could be the reason for this?
This thread might help you, assuming it hasnt been fixed in an update since.
https://forum.giga-byte.co.uk/index.php?topic=17239.0
 
Consumer-grade equipment generally won't properly drive 600 ohm phones. Or even 300 ohm phones.
The so-called "flippant" answer by Idiot In Charge is neither flippant nor idiotic. It's correct.
Get garden-variety 30 or 50 ohm phones. There are plenty available, even from the high-quality makers.
Or get a headphone amp made for driving hi-Z phones.
 
Wait, I thought most motherboards only used amped front ports via the audio header? ASrock does it this way, the ones at back aren't amped on those motherboards. Don't know about Gigabyte and it didn't really say in case of ASRock either, I just hear it straight away and the volume levels are obviously quite different and the sound is so much better via audio header -> front jack it's a pretty night and day difference.
 
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