[Mudslide]

 Looks good and thank you for your post. The DT /990/600 are on my short list for my next "over ears".
Best regards,
-mud

 

[gjohnst4]

Nice thread, I would be interested in the answers you find. My DT 990/600 are in the mail, and so is a Bravo 6922 tube amp. My source is the X-fi Platinum and I have been debating using the Headphone out on the front panel, or Line out from the back of the card. I also have gaming cans running from the back, and the line out is also the microphone in. So, I would prefer to use the headphone out for convenience, but if it will degrade the signal, I will obviously avoid it.

 

[Riku540]

If you will be using your Bravo amp, use the line out. A headphone out should only be used when headphones are being directly plugged in, not an amplifier. The point of an external amplifier is superior amplification, not additional amplification (at least, in the form of stacking amplification). Amplifying an already poorly amplified signal negates the whole purpose of this.
 
It's a headphone out for a reason.

 

[Coupe]

I would have to disagree with other opinions.   I have the exact setup as you!  The headphone amp portion can be used as a preamp type out.  It actually cleans up the signal and reduces the potential for clipping.  I haven't run into any issues with running out of the headphone amp line.  The only thing I feel is it provides slightly more bass impact and extension than the line out.  YMMV.
 
BTW have you tried CMSS-3D and gaming/movies with this yet?
 
Quote:

Sorry for the double post, but here's what Auzentech says about the line out vs the headphone out on the Forte
 
 
The Auzen X-Fi™ Forte 7.1 Headphone Jack uses an independent Headphone Amplifier. It is not there to simply to provide an additional output. It is there to provide a listening experience limited only by the quality of your headphones.
Common thinking has it that you can get good sound by connecting your headphone to line output. The Auzen X-Fi™ Forte 7.1 headphone amplifier is not there just to amplify the sound, but to lower the output impedance and improve Damping and drive capability. We can consider the headphone as a small speaker, and thus complicated physics and electronics factors are all adapted in the headphone. Therefore, if the amp output driver capability is weak—even if you pump up the volume—the sound will be powerless, have wide/low sound, high sounds that lack clarity, and distortion.
You can see the difference of having the Headphone output jack and Line out (FRONT) output with the Headphone.

1. In the Low Frequency chart, compare Line output (Left) and Headphone output (Right). With Headphone amplifier Output, the output is the original square wave. With line output, the lack of damping means that the amplifier cannot restrain Headphone unit vibration, creating resonance.
2. In the High Frequency chart, compare the Line Output (Left) and Headphone Output (Right). With Line Output, notice the development of “overshoot” and severe distortion due to the lack of the wave’s “driving speed.”

You can see from this graph that when connecting the Headphone amplifier, the output is stable output in all frequency ranges. When connecting the headphone to the line output as do standard soundcards, however, the output is unstable due to the headphone impedance curve.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Anybody think differently and why?  I am no expert so I am just asking, I hear completely different answers to the two questions here, line out vs headphone out on the Auzentech Forte and how hard you should push volumes, even the non-essential mixer volumes.  So I am going to do a loop back test on the forte, testing the line out and the headphone out at different volumes and see what happens.  

 

[Nova13]

Does anyone have a definitive answer on this?  I am not exactly like the OP, but similiar....
 
 
I currently run an Essence STX ---> dt880/600.  I was considering adding a Fiio e9 to my system, and after reading this thread, I am confused on how to hook it up!  
 
Two choices:
 
1) headphone out (its amplified via the STX) to the e9
2) Red / white out converging to a 3.5 mm (y-shaped adapter that came with the stx) to the fiio e9 (this would be unamplified)
 
Which is better?  Would the e9 be a noticeable upgrade to my system to begin with??

 

[Zombie_X]

Option 2 is a far better choice as the STX's headphone out really is not that good compared to your Fiio. The RCA will be a line out and should provide much better results.
 
Quote:

Does anyone have a definitive answer on this?  I am not exactly like the OP, but similiar....
 
 
I currently run an Essence STX ---> dt880/600.  I was considering adding a Fiio e9 to my system, and after reading this thread, I am confused on how to hook it up!  
 
Two choices:
 
1) headphone out (its amplified via the STX) to the e9
2) Red / white out converging to a 3.5 mm (y-shaped adapter that came with the stx) to the fiio e9 (this would be unamplified)
 
Which is better?  Would the e9 be a noticeable upgrade to my system to begin with??

 

[Connnorrr]

Right now I've got my source Foobar -> USB -> E9+E7(docked) -> DT990's. Dial is right between 10-11.

 

[Nova13]

Thanks for the reply zombie_x.
 
Although I don't ACTUALLY own a fiio e9 yet... I was only thinking about adding it to my system.  
 
Do you folks thing it would bring about a worthwhile improvement?

 

[Zombie_X]

It should be an improvement but how big of an improvement it will be is questionable. In my opinion it will be far better than the STX's headphone amp section but I do not know how it will power the DT990's.

 

[Nova13]

Thanks again, Zombie_X.
 
Back to this whole double-amped, (bad or not?) debate - it has some importance to me.  I like Dolby headphone, which can only be had on my Xonar Essence STX through the headphone out.  Using the RCA outs and the drivers think I've got speakers hooked up, so bye-bye Dolby Headphone!
 
Thats why I'd like to double-amp my headphones using the headphone out on the STX to the line-in on the e9, then to my dt880/600's.  I'd retain all the software features of the essence stx, and still get that e9-driven sound.
 
Bad Idea?  If yes, can someone explain WHY?

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Why would Dolby Headphone be taken out if you use a Line Out? You're still using the STX as a source. o_O
 
I of course, don't know how soundcards do their thing.
 
If DH is important, I'd definitely double amp just to keep it. It's what I did with my Mixamp to the E9 when I had my DT990/600. However, for anything other than gaming and movies, I'd suggest going to the line out.

 

[Nova13]

I just read that the drivers consider the RCA outs to be going to speakers, thus, it doesn't support the headphone-based software when using those outs.  If someone can chime in that knows more about this, it would be appreciated.

 

[Riku540]

If you stated from the beginning that you needed software features from the headphone out, we would have said a long time ago just double-amp.
 
This is pretty much the only exception in which there aren't any other options available.

 

[Coupe]

I don't understand all the apprehension toward double amping.  I can understand if you try to chain two power amps, but I have yet to hear any major sonic differences, when using the headphone amp out to either Amps.

 

[dragoonv]

Hmmm when did the Beyers get new box?