[cardriverx]

Hey all,
 
I did some searching and did not come up with a clear answer with my issue. Basically, when I use my 770's (35 ohm) with a home theatre receiver, the bass response is powerful and very good with the headphones.  But, when I go to use the onboard audio on my computer the bass response is quite weak in comparison. The best way to describe it is feeling like my 770's are performing like a pair of apple ear buds. 
 
The onboard audio is not too bad (previous gen realtek chip), but what I am unsure of is the cause of this the audio quality or power? Most threads seem to say that onboard audio should have the power the drive the 35 ohm headphones, and yet other threads say that a good DAC can make sound a lot better.
 
I was thinking of getting a headphone amp and just using that, but now I am unsure. I don't want to spend more than $100, which is why I am not just buying a DAC and amp and being done with it. 
 
Any suggestions? Sorry if the question sounds stupid!

 

[imeem]

connect your headphone to other devices like a smartphone and see if the bass is the same as your computer. I have a feeling maybe ur receiver is doing some EQ or DSPing. 

 

[stv014]

There are some potential issues that could result in a lack of bass response:
- check the EQ and any other DSP settings for the onboard sound
- make sure you are not using the wrong speaker/channel configuration; for example, some people had problems with "lack of bass" after setting 2.1 channel output, as the drivers then tried to output bass to a sub-woofer that did not exist
- it is possible that the onboard audio is configured as a line output, which is not designed for driving low impedance loads like headphones, and might have small output capacitors that roll off the bass with a low impedance headphone load
 
The receiver may also have some bass emphasis, especially if it has very high output impedance, which is not uncommon.
 
If you cannot solve the problem, then a simple external amplifier may help. You do not necessarily need to buy a DAC if the onboard line output is not audibly noisy.

 

[Roseval]

In the Windows audio panel, check if the audio device is set to full range

 

[blades]

  Hey all,
 
I did some searching and did not come up with a clear answer with my issue. Basically, when I use my 770's (35 ohm) with a home theatre receiver, the bass response is powerful and very good with the headphones.  But, when I go to use the onboard audio on my computer the bass response is quite weak in comparison. The best way to describe it is feeling like my 770's are performing like a pair of apple ear buds. 
 
The onboard audio is not too bad (previous gen realtek chip), but what I am unsure of is the cause of this the audio quality or power? Most threads seem to say that onboard audio should have the power the drive the 35 ohm headphones, and yet other threads say that a good DAC can make sound a lot better.
 
I was thinking of getting a headphone amp and just using that, but now I am unsure. I don't want to spend more than $100, which is why I am not just buying a DAC and amp and being done with it. 
 
Any suggestions? Sorry if the question sounds stupid!

 
Some sound cards have a high output impedance.  Yours probably does.  Stick with the receiver.