[zantetsuken]

so through my device manager it seems i have a SB Live! onboard sound. which can run 5.1 surround sound. if i wanted to plug my phones in, how can you tell how much juice this soundcard can deliver?, and how can you tell if ur phones will work at a decent level.

some more info

Audio - AC97 2.3 Compliant interface

* Supports 2, 4, 6, or 8-channel audio
* Dual AC-Link: supports up to two codecs
* Dual S/PDIF: supports two simultaneous digital outputs; handles stereo PCM or AC-3 output
* 16-bit or 20-bit stereo, 48kHz output and 16-bit input streams across AC-Link
* 24-bit, 96kHz stereo output on the secondary S/PDIF output

Creative Sound Blaster Live 24-bit onboard audio

* 24-bit / 96KHz audio quality
* 100db SNR clarity
* Up to 7.1 CH Surround Sound, Dolby Digital ready

also is damage possible to your phones if the power is not enough?

 

[zantetsuken]

nobody?

 

[m0ofassa]

SBL is onboard now?

 

[uraflit]

underpowering phones generally dont do harm...

and is it delivering enough power? you can only tell with a reference... aka. testing OTHER gear! then, come back and listen if your soundcard is powerful enoough for YOUR tastes!

 

[iriverdude]

Some motherboards did have Creative Lab soundcards built in. If you look through soundcards white papers it may state the headphone output.

Quote:

also is damage possible to your phones if the power is not enough?

You'll need to run at higher levels with distortion, you'll soon notice it.

 

[zantetsuken]

thanks =) yeah i was a lil worried bout the damage part. so hopefully if thats not there then its ok.

 

[royalcrown]

IIRC, the only real way to tell if you're getting clipping is to use an oscilloscope. You can test for distortion/FR with a simple 1/8th to 1/8th minijack cable and the RMAA program. FWIW, to drive beyerdynamic DT880 headphones (and other headphones with similar impedance and sensitivity) you need some 16V of rail voltage, something your soundcard won't have but something most any dedicated non-portable amp will output - even cheap headphone amps put out enough power with a low enough distortion that they're pretty much transparent - even given a specific soundcard you might want to invest the 30 odd dollars into a headphone amp that's transparent.

See: Behringer HA400 Headphone Amp from zZounds.com!. However, note the output impedance: if you're running low impedance phones like AT or the like offers, you may need to pay more (still under 100 bucks) to get a headphone amp with a lower output impedance.

EDIT: Also, you're more likely to permanently damage your hearing before you'll damage your headphones, in which case I'd worry more about my ears than my headphones.