[nicolasete]

Hi all, i have just got a pair of Creative Aurvana Live wich i will be plugging on my onboard audio for now.
 
Is there anything i should do before giving them their normal use?

 

[kingtz]

Other than burning them in sufficiently?

 

[nicolasete]

Ok.
 
Burning just means using them actually? or do i have to play the music or whatever in an specific way. Btw i find them to have a clear sound but lacking a lot of power, since they are 32ohms im quite upset with that. Will burning improve that aspect?
 
 
 
Oh, another question, how can i enable Dolby Headphone, i have tryed several music players and BF BC2 and i cant find that option.

 

[joelpearce]

Burning in probably won't do anything noticeable for your headphones.  At most, the bass will tighten up a bit in the first few hours and they might sound a bit more cohesive.  And yeah, just keep listening to them.  You could leave them playing without listening to them, but that's more of a ritual for some people.  There's no rules about it.
 
Dolby headphone is a software thing, not something in the headphones themselves.  Some software DVD players have an option for that, but most computer systems don't have that by default.  For music, it's usually better just to play it in stereo anyway, though.  What sound card do you have?

 

[nicolasete]

i dont have a dedicated soundcard, for now im just using my Asus P5Q SE motherboard's onboard audio (Realtek HD Audio).
 
Maybe that's the source of my problems. As said, i find the sound to be quite clear and nice, but underwhelming and lacking power.

 

[NapalmK]

Quote:

And yeah, just keep listening to them.  You could leave them playing without listening to them, but that's more of a ritual for some people.  There's no rules about it.

Burn in  isn't universally accepted some people believe it and some don't. The only 'rule' I know of is not playing them too loud so as not to damage the drivers. Otherwise play them at normal (or a little above normal) listening levels with music, pinknoise, whale song, or whatever you feel like for burn in. I feel burn in is more or less a way to make sure someone has spent sufficient time with a can before judging it. Nothing magical has happened to me burn in wise except the bass on my D2000s did seem to tighten up some. Anyway, Enjoy!
 
An amp may help with some of your problems something like a Cmoy would be worth looking at.

 

[KneelJung]

Quote:

i dont have a dedicated soundcard, for now im just using my Asus P5Q SE motherboard's onboard audio (Realtek HD Audio).
 
Maybe that's the source of my problems. As said, i find the sound to be quite clear and nice, but underwhelming and lacking power.

I had the exact same problem a few months ago. Apparently the headphone out on a lot of computers is pretty underwhelming. I solved my problem by adding the Nuforce uDAC for $99.. It plugs into your computer via USB and lets you bypass the computers on board sound. It has it's own amped headphone out as well as being a better digital analog converter than what your computer has.
 
A cheaper solution might be the Fiio E5. It's a really inexpensive headphone amp that plugs right into the headphone jack of your source, either your computer or your portable.

 

[nicolasete]

So will the uDAC or the amplifier be a better investment than a soundcard for the same money?

 

[TheWuss]

uDac will supply a little more power to your phones.
the other advantage is you can reach over and manualy adjust the volume on the udac.

 

[nicolasete]

And in terms of overall sound quality?

 

[KneelJung]

Quote:

So will the uDAC or the amplifier be a better investment than a soundcard for the same money?

I think the uDAC. for a lot of reasons. primarily because it's an upgrade to  your on board sound card probably and provides a way better headphone out than what your computer no doubt has. But there are lot's of alternatives. Headroom has something call the total bithead which is a portable amp DAC. Nuforce also makes something similar called the Icon mobile. Fiio makes one called the E7.
 
The big thing though is the headphone out on your computer. I imagine if you plug your headphones into an Ipod or other portable you are going to be completely surprised at how much better they sound just by changing your source. So if your going to be listening to music on your laptop job one is to upgrade the headphone out.
 
You can do that on the cheap with the E5 or a boosaroo, or you can get an inexpensive offering like the uDAC that has other advantages too.

 

[nicolasete]

Buf as far as i'm concerned the udac is usb, would that mean i will not be able to use it on portable players or even in a soundcard?

 

[KneelJung]

Quote:

Buf as far as i'm concerned the udac is usb, would that mean i will not be able to use it on portable players or even in a soundcard?

That's why I gave you the other options. Initially I was going to get a bithead from headroom which may be a good choice for you if you want to possibly pair it with a portabe device too. The cheapest way to go is with the Fiio e5. You can use that with both your laptop and your portable and it's only 20 bucks.

 

[krmathis]

Make sure you have some of your favorite music at your fingertips maybe?

 

[nicolasete]

Quote:

Make sure you have some of your favorite music at your fingertips maybe?

 
Check ^^. I just found out that i have a lot more mp3 than flacs, but the ones i have in flac are great. Pink Floyd's Atom Heart Mother Suite is impressive. Anyways i'll try to get everything in flac from now on.
 
Music is nice, its gaming wich i still find quite underwhelming. BFBC2 sounds detailed but not immersive, not deep and the pinpointing is quite basic, it sounds more immersive in my extremely cheap 2.1 labtec speakers (except for the details and the pinpointing). Bioshock 2 sounds horrible, don't really know why. Arma 2 sounds exactly the same and i'm going to make the last try with Mass Effect 2 (since i can't find my Batman Arkham Asylum cd). Anyways, it seems like i'm gonna have to buy more hardware pieces...