Skip to main content ↑ ↓

Notice

Please note that most of the software linked on this forum is likely to be safe to use. If you are unsure, feel free to ask in the relevant topics, or send a private message to an administrator or moderator. To help curb the problems of false positives, or in the event that you do find actual malware, you can contribute through the article linked here.
Topic: Headphone Audio Setup for Laptop (Read 3870 times) previous topic - next topic
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Headphone Audio Setup for Laptop

Hi,

I want to know what is the best audio hardware setup that I can get for listening to MP3s on my laptop (under a budget/best value for money). Right know I have a pair of Sony V6s, but I am just using the onboard soundcard (RealTek AC97 if i'm not mistaken). I recently bought a Creative X-fi XMOD, since it is USB, but I am not too thrilled about the results.

By searching other forums, it seems to me that in order to have a good headphone audio rig, you need a soundcard, DAC and an amp. Are all of these necessary, and if so, what are the functions of all of these.

Thanks

Headphone Audio Setup for Laptop

Reply #1 –
A soundcard is both DAC and ADC, frequently on the same chip (which is no disadvantage). Having the DAC inside the computer, or outside via USB, firewire, or S/PDIF (and its variants) makes no basic difference.

Built in soundcards are often poor audio quality. Laptops don't usually have any other option to the built-in except an external card unless they have S/PDIF output (which is generally post DSP resampling to 48kHz).

Unlike good speakers, headphones require very little power. However, they do a better job when supplied with enough power. Some soundcard outputs provide that, some don't. Many soundcard outputs are not intended to drive any kind of a reactive load, they are just a line-level voltage signal that will be degraded by a power consuming transducer. If what you are using is inadequate, a headphone amplifier will improve the listening experience.

Headphone Audio Setup for Laptop

Reply #2 –
Quote
I recently bought a Creative X-fi XMOD, since it is USB, but I am not too thrilled about the results.
  What's wrong with it?  Noise?  Distortion?  Won't play loud enough?

Quote
...a soundcard, DAC and an amp. Are all of these necessary, and if so, what are the functions of all of these[?]
  A DAC is a D[/b]igital to Analog Converter.  You can't get any sound out of a compuer without one.  (You can't get sound out of a CD or DVD without one either.)

An amp gives you more power*.  ...Your headphones will play louder.  If you are getting plenty of volume without distortion already, you don't need an amp.  With a good headphone-amplifier and a good pair of headphones, you can get ear-damaging "concert volumes" without distortion.  Of course, any amplifier is going to amplify the signal and the noise.  So, you are more likely to hear background noise with an amp connected.

In addition to what Andy mentioned, your soundcard/soundchip includes a mixer, a volume control, and a driver to interface with the software.    It also has a MIDI synthesizer (for games & MIDI files), and it might have an additional DSP (Digital Signal Processing) chip for "effects".


* With a headphone amp, voltage is more important than power (watts).    A headphone amplifier is designed to put-out several volts (at low power/current).    A couple of watts is enough for headphones , but it it takes voltage to push power into a pair of headphones (~200 ohms).  ...In other words, "regular" 10W speaker amplifer can't push 10W into a pair of headphones.
 

Headphone Audio Setup for Laptop

Reply #3 –
Quote from: DVDdoug on
An amp gives you more power*.  ...Your headphones will play louder.  If you are getting plenty of volume without distortion already, you don't need an amp.  With a good headphone-amplifier and a good pair of headphones, you can get ear-damaging "concert volumes" without distortion.  Of course, any amplifier is going to amplify the signal and the noise.  So, you are more likely to hear background noise with an amp connected.


not true, different components in different amps can color the sound in different ways.  a nice amp will amplify the signal perfectly cleanly, as opposed to a built in amp.  the result is often better transient responses, better frequency response, better soundstagee, etc.  every link in the chain will affect the sound quality, even when there is enough volume, an integrated amp can take power away from the other devices such as the DAC and not let them do their job as well as it could.

this is why amps exist for not so high impedance headphones.  granted high impedance headphones definitely need one due to the lack of voltage to provide the current needed for volume, it is more than just that.

check out head-fi.org for some nice solutions