Headphones vs Speakers

M3thod_Man · 01-17-2004, 03:49 PM

Hello everyone!
I'm new and i've got a ton of questions, so bear with me. First, I'm thinking of getting a sennheiser HD-580 headphones instead of desktop speakers in the next comp i build. Are quality audiophile speakers going to sound good on a computer with whatever high end sound card I get? ANyone have these headphones or similar top of the line and had problems driving them through a sound card? FOr high end sound quality, what cards do you guys recommend? also, anyway i can find out the specs for that specific sound cards power output to a headphone?

Also, on my soundblaster live theres 2 cords going to my sub. I use headphones instead recently and only plug into the light green one... Is it ok to do this? is this output low enough in signal for both my altec subs/speakers and my headphones? the altecs are ACS54's....

Please answer as many of these questions as you can, especially if you personally only use headphones for soundquality purposes on your computer... THANKS!

clem556 · 01-17-2004, 04:12 PM

I split the output and can run both at the same time no problem. I have a SB 4.1 which is fine.

Why would you want both on at the same time though. One for neighbour bothering the other not, also if listening to one how can you hear the other?

I use cheap £20 technics RP-F200 good enough with along lead.

Better headphones are out there but my hearing is not great so subtle tonal differences are lost on me.

You get what you pay for. Good luck and try before you buy if possible.

Shrapnill · 01-17-2004, 04:23 PM

Cant go wrong with Senns. Youll be happy with the 580s, but Ive heard theyre a bit warmer, bassier sound than the 590s. The 90s are crisp and light (all preference, both are phenominal). They come with the normal 3.5 (also a 6.3 adapter) so theyll work fine in a 1/8 jack (soundcard). As far as sound, no, not every card will give the same sound thru the same speakers. It would be a waste to run Senns thru a $40 sound card in my opinion. Grab a card by sound blaster, I recommend the Audigy 2 ZS or higher.

Im not sure I understand the part about te sub/HF inputs. But from what I gather (read:think) from your question, youre asking if its okay to plug HFs into your light green input? If so the answer is yes. If not, clarify the Q for me and Ill answer.

Shop at www.newegg.com for anything you need. ANYTHING.

01-17-2004, 03:49 PM	#1 (permalink)
M3thod_Man Newb Techie Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 1	Headphones vs Speakers Hello everyone! I'm new and i've got a ton of questions, so bear with me. First, I'm thinking of getting a sennheiser HD-580 headphones instead of desktop speakers in the next comp i build. Are quality audiophile speakers going to sound good on a computer with whatever high end sound card I get? ANyone have these headphones or similar top of the line and had problems driving them through a sound card? FOr high end sound quality, what cards do you guys recommend? also, anyway i can find out the specs for that specific sound cards power output to a headphone? Also, on my soundblaster live theres 2 cords going to my sub. I use headphones instead recently and only plug into the light green one... Is it ok to do this? is this output low enough in signal for both my altec subs/speakers and my headphones? the altecs are ACS54's.... Please answer as many of these questions as you can, especially if you personally only use headphones for soundquality purposes on your computer... THANKS!

01-17-2004, 04:12 PM	#2 (permalink)
clem556 Junior Techie Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 84	I split the output and can run both at the same time no problem. I have a SB 4.1 which is fine. Why would you want both on at the same time though. One for neighbour bothering the other not, also if listening to one how can you hear the other? I use cheap £20 technics RP-F200 good enough with along lead. Better headphones are out there but my hearing is not great so subtle tonal differences are lost on me. You get what you pay for. Good luck and try before you buy if possible. __________________ System Spec Soltek SL75 KAV (mobo) AMD Atholon 1.2 GHz 512Mb Ram IBM Deskstar 61.5Gb 7200rpm 300W hec psu XP Home 2002 sp1 IE 6.0 Monitor CTX 17\" Teak CDR/RW (cdw5e8) LG DVD ROM (drd8120B) Floppy dd 64Mb Geforce 4 mx440 8x AGP (AGP) PCI 1 empty (space for cooling/large heatsink on above) PCI 2 Sound blaster 4.1 digital PCI 3 IMB intel(R)pro100 network card PCI 4 Pinnacle dv200/300 ieee1394 PCI 5 empty ISA empty

01-17-2004, 04:23 PM	#3 (permalink)
Shrapnill Ultra Techie Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 590	Cant go wrong with Senns. Youll be happy with the 580s, but Ive heard theyre a bit warmer, bassier sound than the 590s. The 90s are crisp and light (all preference, both are phenominal). They come with the normal 3.5 (also a 6.3 adapter) so theyll work fine in a 1/8 jack (soundcard). As far as sound, no, not every card will give the same sound thru the same speakers. It would be a waste to run Senns thru a $40 sound card in my opinion. Grab a card by sound blaster, I recommend the Audigy 2 ZS or higher. Im not sure I understand the part about te sub/HF inputs. But from what I gather (read:think) from your question, youre asking if its okay to plug HFs into your light green input? If so the answer is yes. If not, clarify the Q for me and Ill answer. Shop at www.newegg.com for anything you need. ANYTHING. __________________ System specs? Lets just get down to it people: My ***** is bigger than yours.

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