[locality]

Hi Twisteve, have you tried the following?

1) Connect USB input of BitHead to USB port on your PC – make sure BitHead is recognized by your PC
2) Connect Audio Line Input of BitHead to Line Out jack of your PC sound card
3) Connect HD555 to any Headphone Jack of BitHead (use 1/4”-to-1/8” adapter as needed)
4) BitHead’s Power Selector Switch should be OFF
5) Play some music on your PC – do you get sound through the headphones?
6) Then try playing a PC game utilizing EAX – do you get EAX effects?

USB connection usually does 2 things: provides power and diverts digital audio data from PC sound card to the BitHead. However, if you plug into the BitHead’s Line Input Jack, audio data will be cut off from the USB connection. As a result, the BitHead stops being an external sound card + amplifier, and becomes just an amplifier drawing power from your PC via USB connection.

Now, if it’s the Line Out of your PC sound card that’s connected to the Audio Line Input of your BitHead, you get the EAX processing of your PC sound card + the superior amplification of the BitHead. Plugged in this way, the BitHead works just like an AirHead. You’ll probably get pretty good music reproduction this way as well.

But for more critical music listening, you can switch from your PC sound card to the BitHead sound card section by unplugging from the BitHead’s Audio Line Input – the USB connection into the BitHead will now supply audio data as well as power to the BitHead. Sending PC audio data to the BitHead has a few advantages:
- BitHead sound card section is probably better than your internal PC sound card – better sound processing
- audio data is processed away from the electrically noisy interior of your PC box – cleaner signal
- BitHead has its’ own onboard power regulators – isolates audio signal from PC power noise

The BitHead is an all-in-one package that gives you a range of choices:
1) Gaming – provides cleaner and more powerful amplification (for nice headphones) than straight out of your internal PC sound card could, which preserves EAX effects while adding better amplification
2) Music Listening – the same better amplification as above, with the option of probably better sound processing via the sound card part of the BitHead. And you have the option of switching back and forth if you find that certain music sounds better through one or the other.
3) Portable Players – provides cleaner and more powerful amplification than a portable player’s built-in amplifier
4) Notebook PC’s – provides the same Gaming and Music Listening advantages as above
5) Crossfeed (“Audio Image Processor” - works with all of the above configurations) – a subtle altering of soundspace and tone to approximate the experience of listening to loudspeakers in a room. PC music playback software can sometimes do crossfeed processing, but I don’t think any portable players do. Usage of crossfeed processing is a matter of personal taste – you can turn this on or off via the Processor Switch.
6) Additional Headphone Jack – you can share music with a friend, compare 2 headphones side-by-side, or even connect a little PC speaker system, using the 2nd jack

AirHead vs. BitHead comes down to:
- do you want the option of bypassing your PC sound card for sound processing? if yes, get BitHead
- on the other hand, if you think your PC sound card sounds good enough, get AirHead and save $50

Or, you could go all-out with separate components (guesstimated prices):
- one really great sound card for gaming ($100)
- one really great sound card for music reproduction ($200)
- A/C-powered desktop headphone amplifier/solid state ($1000)
- battery-powered portable amplifier ($400)
- nice headphones for gaming ($200)
- really nice headphones for music listening ($500)
- different-sounding really nice headphones for music listening ($500)
That would be $2900 total – your BitHead + HD555 package is less than 1/10th of that, and the AirHead package even less. The HD555 is a pretty decent headphone, and a good entry point into the world of nice headphones - you should be able to get a good one from HeadRoom returns.

[forum-posting music: Beethoven - Symph 7 & 8]
[edit: proofread]

 

[Twisteve]

"1) Connect USB input of BitHead to USB port on your PC – make sure BitHead is recognized by your PC
2) Connect Audio Line Input of BitHead to Line Out jack of your PC sound card
3) Connect HD555 to any Headphone Jack of BitHead (use 1/4”-to-1/8” adapter as needed)
4) BitHead’s Power Selector Switch should be OFF
5) Play some music on your PC – do you get sound through the headphones?
6) Then try playing a PC game utilizing EAX – do you get EAX effects?"

Even while the bithead is off, it is still on because of batterys(but I guess you mean when it doenst have any batterys in it so ill continue). See the problem is, once the bithead is turned on, the soundcard gives and error and closes itself. That happens in step 1, as soon as the bithead is recognized, the other source of sound (my audigy2) shuts off. For step2, im not sure exactly how to do this, im geussing its the mini to mini into the place on my soundcard where I usually put my speakers, because I believe breez answered that question for me earlier. Step 3 ok I got that. Then step 4 ok I got that(like I said earlier im probably supposed to take the batterys out right? otherwise it would still be on). I believe that I had tryed this setup yesterday, and it failed. I actually got some weird sound that sounded like a car driving by me, but it wasnt a car noise it was more of a SSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH kinda noise.. which probably wasnt good. I think the main problem is that my audigy2 shuts off all the processes running for it once the bithead is recognized. Is it supposed to re-recognize it once I plug the mini to mini cable into it? Because it didnt the last time I tryed it.

I would like the option of bypassing me PC sound with the bithead, but I also want the option of NOT bypassing it, which is what im trying to figure out how to do. The PC card is better in games, but when listening to music it would be nice to use the bithead as an amplifier and a sound card. The money issue between the airhead and bithead are no issue at all to me, its whether or not I can get the bithead to just be an amplifier when I want it to be, and if not, then I will have to go with the airhead.

 

[locality]

Ah - didn't know that activating the sound card part of the BitHead completely shuts down the Audigy 2. I don't have a BitHead at this time, but someone had posted about using the BitHead amplifier-only off a PC. I'll look for that post and take another look at the BitHead info at headroom.com and let you know what I find a little later.

Meanwhile, you might have to de-activate the BitHead's sound card section before going to USB for power - maybe try plugging into BitHead's Audio Line Input first, before making the USB connection?

0) Unplug USB and mini-to-mini from BitHead & take batteries out; do what you need to re-activate the Audigy 2 (re-boot PC?)

1) BitHead’s Power Selector Switch should be OFF (Power Switch only controls battery power; USB power is always ON whenever there's current coming in from the PC)

2) Use mini-to-mini cable to connect Audio Line Input of BitHead to Line Out/Speaker Out/Headphone Out jack of your PC sound card - hopefully this will deactivate the sound card section of the BitHead

3) Connect USB input of BitHead to USB port on your PC – hopefully BitHead will now only use USB connection for power, and won't identify as a sound card to your PC

[music: Stone Roses - The Stone Roses]
[edit: proofread]

 

[Reck45]

Why limit yourself to headroom amps? There are better ones out there for that much.

http://www.headsave.com/index.html

I recommend:
DMX6fireLT($100)
Headsave classic(130 or so)
Senn 555s(120)

Can't beat that. Matter of fact that's what I'd get if I had the money...

 

[commando]

I run A900s out of my AV710 and it's not bad. I think they would benefit from an amp, but since my amps have been lost in the mail it's ok without.

 

[Twisteve]

Those amps are better than the headroom amps? So I should just abort mission all together and get one of those?.. I hate this

decisions decisions decisions

 

[Twisteve]

I got my amp in without having it kill my soundcard, now what do I do, plug the mini to mini from amp into where my headphones usually go, right?

 

[commando]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Twisteve I got my amp in without having it kill my soundcard, now what do I do, plug the mini to mini from amp into where my headphones usually go, right?

Yeah. The line out of the sound card goes into the input of the amp, the headphones plug into the output of the amp.

 

[Twisteve]

"I recommend:
DMX6fireLT($100)
Headsave classic(130 or so)
Senn 555s(120)"

So is that better then what I currently have?

 

[Mr.Radar]

Instead of the 6fire you might want to go for the EMU 0404, but either way that should be much better than your current setup (Audigy -> BitHead[Amp] -> HD555 or BitHead[DAC&Amp] -> HD555).

 

[Twisteve]

I have no idea what that means

So is what I have now bad???

 

[Jasper994]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Twisteve I posted in about every section of this ****ing forum looking for a way to have my headphones into amp into soundcard, and the only thing I learned was to have my amp for music, then plug it in to my soundcard for games. So then I CAN just use the bithead as an amp and not as a soundcard too? And how do I do this?

This is what I was trying to explain when you were asking about the bithead in the other thread. You can use the Bithead to amp the A2 for gaming and you can use the Bithead as a soundcard for music. I'm just not sure you can leave both plugged in at the same time. In other words, I'm not sure the Bithead will amp an analog signal while it's plugged in to the computer and working as a soundcard. If it does, set the A2 as your primary windows source which will default your games to the A2 and set the Bithead as your output source in Foobar2000. If this works correctly, you'll have a mini-mini cable going to the bithead from the A2 and have the Bithead plugged into the comptuer (USB) and the headphones plugged into the amp at all times. At worse case you should only have to switch between the mini-mini on the bithead and the usb into the bithead. You would need batteries for the mini-mini setup though unless it'll draw power from the usb line and work in the config that I first suggested. Hope that makes sense.

 

[Jasper994]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Twisteve "1) Connect USB input of BitHead to USB port on your PC – make sure BitHead is recognized by your PC 2) Connect Audio Line Input of BitHead to Line Out jack of your PC sound card 3) Connect HD555 to any Headphone Jack of BitHead (use 1/4”-to-1/8” adapter as needed) 4) BitHead’s Power Selector Switch should be OFF 5) Play some music on your PC – do you get sound through the headphones? 6) Then try playing a PC game utilizing EAX – do you get EAX effects?" Even while the bithead is off, it is still on because of batterys(but I guess you mean when it doenst have any batterys in it so ill continue). See the problem is, once the bithead is turned on, the soundcard gives and error and closes itself. That happens in step 1, as soon as the bithead is recognized, the other source of sound (my audigy2) shuts off. For step2, im not sure exactly how to do this, im geussing its the mini to mini into the place on my soundcard where I usually put my speakers, because I believe breez answered that question for me earlier. Step 3 ok I got that. Then step 4 ok I got that(like I said earlier im probably supposed to take the batterys out right? otherwise it would still be on). I believe that I had tryed this setup yesterday, and it failed. I actually got some weird sound that sounded like a car driving by me, but it wasnt a car noise it was more of a SSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH kinda noise.. which probably wasnt good. I think the main problem is that my audigy2 shuts off all the processes running for it once the bithead is recognized. Is it supposed to re-recognize it once I plug the mini to mini cable into it? Because it didnt the last time I tryed it. I would like the option of bypassing me PC sound with the bithead, but I also want the option of NOT bypassing it, which is what im trying to figure out how to do. The PC card is better in games, but when listening to music it would be nice to use the bithead as an amplifier and a sound card. The money issue between the airhead and bithead are no issue at all to me, its whether or not I can get the bithead to just be an amplifier when I want it to be, and if not, then I will have to go with the airhead.

When you plug in the Bithead, it'll configure itself as the windows default. You can overide this by going into the control panel and switching the default to the A2. You should then be able to select the Bithead in Foobar2000 or Winamp as your output source. The only thing I'm unsure of in this setup is if the Bithead will amp an analog signal while its plugged into the computer. Independantly the Bithead will amp an analog source so you could go A2 -> Bithead -> headphones. It will also work as your soundcard so you can go Computer -> Bithead -> Headphones. I've tried to explain this in my last post but maybe this is a little more clear.

 

[Twisteve]

Should I:

1`Return my hd 555 + bithead and get a hd 555 + airhead

2`Return my hd 555 + bithead and get a Audiotechnia A900

3`Return my hd 555 + bithead and get DMX6fireLT Headsave classic Senn 555s

 

[commando]

I don't think upgrading the amp is going to make much of a difference to the quality of the sound. As long as it goes loud enough for you, i'd stick with the bithead + 555s.