Sound card necessary with headphones?

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Published on September 20, 1999

I/OMagic plans to introduce its MagicSound PCI, MagicWave V1 and MagicWave V2, blanketing the low end of the sound card market.The MagicSound PCI provides 128-voice wavetable synthesizer, 3D sound and supports for two speakers or headphones.The MagicWave V1, based on an Aureal AU8810 processor, supports A3D 1.0, 256-voice wavetable synthesizer and supports two speakers or headphones.The MagicWave V2 also features the Aureal 8830 processor, and adds support for A3D 2.0, a 512-voice wavetable synthesizer and two speakers or headphones.I/OMagic's new sound card products are expected to begin shipping in late September. Read more

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Published on February 12, 2007

Turtle Beach today announced the availability of the Ear Force W3 headphones, a pair of wireless headphones designed for use with the Wii. Read more

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Published on July 04, 1999

Yamaha has announced its XG-Quad digital sound card, featuring 4-channel sound, with 64 XG voices in hardware. Read more

Sony files for body-wired headphones patent

Published on November 27, 2006

Sony's Tokyo research lab has found a way to connect headphones to portable music and video players without the need for fiddly wiring. They simply feed an audio signal straight through the listener's body. Read more

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Sound card necessary with headphones?

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Author	Thread : Sound card necessary with headphones?

bowert28

Profile: stranger

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08-21-2008 at 11:56:01 PM

So I have Sennheiser HD580's about $150-200 headphones, they sound great but am I going to REALLY notice a major difference with a X-Fi or something like it versus my onboard sound on my Asus Rampage board?

I play a lot of games, listen to a decent amount of music and I do enjoy good sound but is it worth the $85 to upgrade without a speaker system?

Thanks in advance for all opinions

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The_Blood_Raven

Profile: nimble knuckle

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08-22-2008 at 04:00:30 AM

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The difference would be minimal. What you really need is a headphone amp so that you can actually push those nice HD580s.

Recommended: http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodin [...] er=CKOBH11

Budget: http://www.amazon.com/PreSonus-HP4 [...] 380&sr=1-3

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What doesn't kill me only pisses me off!

Conumdrum

Profile: addict

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08-22-2008 at 05:18:43 AM

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Mobo audio has VERY poor analog outputs in general. The signal to noise ratio and gains are really not up to par with such outstanding headphones. The above choices still use the analog outputs from the Mobo header audio output. So garbage in, garbage out.

You got two choices. Get a premium soundcard with great analog (mini rca jack output/headphones) and the power to push them like they need to be.

Or use the digital output off the Mobo sound card and connect it to something (I have no idea) that has the right quality outputs for headphones.

I use my optical digital out and pump it to my amp/speakers, so my speaker amp gets a pure signal, and IT has the good stuff to give me clean sound. Your awesome headphones deserve the same. Get a great soundcard or a headphone interphase that has digital input.

Message edited by Conumdrum on 08-22-2008 at 05:57:32 AM

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bowert28

Profile: stranger

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08-22-2008 at 06:07:16 AM

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Thanks for the input! does anyone have any cards they would recommend? Or should I just get a headphone amp?

(Do headphone amps mount in a 5.25" bay or?)

halcyon

The Order Odonata - We do what we must
Profile: Faithful Poster

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08-25-2008 at 07:45:22 PM

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Bower, I have the Senn HD595's, so I'll know you've got a good set of cans. The best thing you can do for them is get a dedicated headphone amp. I currently use a Firestone Spitfire DAC with a Cute Beyond headphone amp ( http://www.firestone-audio.com/ ), and I've use the affordable and good sounding HeadRoom Total Bithead ( http://www.headphone.com/products/ [...] ithead.php ).

A headphone amp will do way more for your headphones than any soundcard can and the difference is clear. Dynamic range is totally opened up and you'll get to hear much more accurate bass. The Total BitHead has a USB input too so, no soundcard is even necessary, but you can plug in your favorite MP3 player as well.

You've got good headphones. A little headphone amp will let you hear how good they can sound.

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Yes, I use an Intel Quad. Sometimes its a little overclocked, sometimes a bit underclocked. Yet, its always nice, the virtualiztion is sick. And?

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