[AT2010]

My motherboard has a six port audio thing. Right now my speakers go through the line out. They're Bose. Don't judge me. I sometimes use basic old school Apple earbuds or monitoring buds. I just stuck a few of my cans through it, which I usually use on my audio system. The sound is way better if not a little flat. In the last hour I learned that my sound selection also has something called headphones, and that it's its own out port. Is there a difference between these?

I can choose to activate whatever I want at any time. So could I stick my cans in there and use my speakers with the regular earbuds or whatever whenever I wanted without having to swap them in and out?

 

[ProtegeManiac]

My motherboard has a six port audio thing. Right now my speakers go through the line out. They're Bose. Don't judge me. I sometimes use basic old school Apple earbuds or monitoring buds. I just stuck a few of my cans through it, which I usually use on my audio system. The sound is way better if not a little flat. In the last hour I learned that my sound selection also has something called headphones, and that it's its own out port. Is there a difference between these?

I can choose to activate whatever I want at any time. So could I stick my cans in there and use my speakers with the regular earbuds or whatever whenever I wanted without having to swap them in and out?

Depending on the motherboard, the headphone output port might have an op-amp based output stage designed to drive headphones with more current and voltage. Most motherboards branded as "gaming" boards since three years ago have this.

 

[AT2010]

Depending on the motherboard, the headphone output port might have an op-amp based output stage designed to drive headphones with more current and voltage. Most motherboards branded as "gaming" boards since three years ago have this.

Op Amp? Operational AMP?

What's that. The motherboard is this one. It's nothing fancy.

http://www.gigabyte.us/Motherboard/GA-Z77X-UD3H-rev-10#ov

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Op Amp? Operational AMP?

What's that.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operational_amplifier

Most are general purpose chips but many hi fi amplifiers use them, and even as output stages for DACs - Meier amplifiers, Gainclone amps, Ibasso DAC-HPamps, etc all use them.

The motherboard is this one. It's nothing fancy.

http://www.gigabyte.us/Motherboard/GA-Z77X-UD3H-rev-10#ov

That doesn't have it yet.

 

[AT2010]

I went through the manual and you're right. However, I remembered the mobo being able to tell whether a speaker was put in the line out or a headphone. I use an 3.5mm extension cable myself, would the system be able to tell the difference? Is there a reason why I have two separate settings? Initially I thought there was a headphone out, too, or if I could daisychain something and switch off, but it seems that's not possible. What would be the benefit to a user for having two profiles based on what's plugged in?

 

[ProtegeManiac]

I went through the manual and you're right. However, I remembered the mobo being able to tell whether a speaker was put in the line out or a headphone. I use an 3.5mm extension cable myself, would the system be able to tell the difference?

It probably does that by detecting the impedance, and since computer speakers have their own amplifier, chances are the input impedance on the amp input is a lot higher than 600ohms.

An extension cable won't help that unless it has resistors on it to increase the impedance and fool the motherboard into thinking it's a speaker's amp input. Or you use a cable several miles long.

That said, I doubt that's how it works considering it has all the ports anyway.

Is there a reason why I have two separate settings? Initially I thought there was a headphone out, too, or if I could daisychain something and switch off, but it seems that's not possible. What would be the benefit to a user for having two profiles based on what's plugged in?

Well first of all if that pic is correct then it does have a headphone output. 3.5mm ports on the back of a motherboard or soundcard are typically FL-FR, Center-Sub, RL-RR, Headphone, Mic. You have six up there.

In any case, if you had two ports or it autodetects, you can program different settings for either. Global EQ apps like Equalizer APO can save a different profile for each output including USB and SPDIF. So for example on my laptop it has two profiles - my IEM from the headphone jack, my IEM driven by my portable amp. Normally I'd only have one, but this laptop has some kind of DSP I can't disable that applies a bass boost on the 3.5mm output so I just cancel it out.

 

[obobskivich]

The "sixth" port is for 7.1 support - they follow the PC99 color coding scheme (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PC_System_Design_Guide#Color-coding_scheme_for_connectors_and_ports). As far as what the codec is doing, my guess is three-fold:

1) The impedance sensing like @ProtegeManiac pointed out, and it may be adjusting gain when it does this.
2) It can probably also be enabled if you had front panel audio connected to the HDA header, and use auto-sense to mute the speaker outputs and switch into a "Headphone" mode there.
3) It may have "Headphone specific" enhancements available (e.g. bass boost, different surround simulacra, etc - limited primarily by what the MB manufacturer pays to unlock in the drivers than anything else).

For normal stereo playback there's probably no difference between "Headphones" and "Speakers" unless its changing gain, but with surround sound content and/or games #3 may be a factor and result in audible differences.