[DJ_JonnyV]

My receiver has Dolby Headphone on it, and was wondering if I used the headphone out on it to connect to a headphone amp, and then the headpones into the amp, would the Dolby Headphone processing pass thorugh unaltered? I know if I use analogs that I would lose the processing, but what about the headphone connections? This is really playing a role in which headphones I get for my home rig.

 

[patrox89]

it should pass thru unaltered. your headphones are only stereo and the output from the amp is only stereo. its probably just crossfeed effects that dolby creates for specific locations in surround sound. try using the receiver directly and see if it sounds good. then try with your amp and see how youlike the sound. if surround sound effects are distorted, and the sound is good from the receiver, then just use the receiver.
on the other side, if the surround effects arent lost through the amp, then use it.

i really think its just a crossfeed trick that your receiver is doing and it will not be affected by your amp.

 

[lini]

patrox89: It's not just a "cheap" (= comparatively simple) crossfeed trick - Dolby Headphone as well as Dolby Virtual Speaker work by applying hrtf as well as the impulse response of a room to a 5.1 stream (be it a decoded Dolby Digital stream or a 5.1 stream generated from a stereo source by Dolby ProLogic II...).

Greetings from Hannover!

Manfred / lini

 

[ephemere]

Yes, it will work. I'm doing exactly that. Dolby Headphone is a processor that decides what signal to send to the left channel and what to send to the right channel. The amp will just amplify it -- nothing to detect or alter.

I wish there were an option on my receiver to apply Dolby Headphone to the line outs, but it's only active on the headphone out. So you have to connect the amp to the headphone out rather than the line out. Sounds like the same is true of your receiver.

 

[warpdriver]

Dolby Headphone usually only is applied at the headphone jack unfortunately.

 

[DJ_JonnyV]

Thanks for the feedback guys. Looks like I can use an amp if I use the headphone out into the amp without losing the Dolby processing. This may have just opened up my headphone options knowing that I can use an amp to higher ohm phones. There goes the budget as well...

 

[KarmAbe]

hi
i though the dolby processing was performed within the Dolby Headphones themselves, not the headphone jack from the receiver or the headphone amp... am i loosing anything here?

I though buy buying Dolby Headphones I would benefit from surround because the HEADPHONES are doing the job of processing the stereo signal.

Didn't I just read above that this receiver processes dolby signal in it's headphone output jack?

If so, what about MY receiver

it's a Pioneer VSX-D458 DSP, and I don't have the manual or specs... manual only available to BUY on the internet... no free copy or specs anywhere...

cya!
KarmAbe (

going on

)

 

[sgrossklass]

Quote:

Originally Posted by KarmAbe i though the dolby processing was performed within the Dolby Headphones themselves, not the headphone jack from the receiver or the headphone amp... am i loosing anything here?

Well, you're wrong. With the usual Dolby Headphone packages, the little DSP unit included does the work (Dolby Headphone is all about sound processing, nothing else), and you can usually connect different (better) cans.

 

[KarmAbe]

im such a newb yet
i though by buying for instance some beyer DT880 I would benefit from the surround as they have acceptable soundstage (some1 said).

So: I have to buy a DSP unit? what is my RECEIVER is DSP? does the headphone jack is DSP too?

cya!
KarmAbe (kill da NewB!)

 

[ephemere]

Quote:

Originally Posted by KarmAbe So: I have to buy a DSP unit? what is my RECEIVER is DSP? does the headphone jack is DSP too?

Dolby Headphone uses digital signal processing (DSP) to do its thing. But just because your receiver has a DSP inside it doesn't mean that it has Dolby Headphone. Many receivers these days have DSP chips, but only a few have Dolby Headphone. One way that you might be able to tell is to see if you can access a Dolby Headphone setting. Dolby Headphone has three "levels". On my receiver they're called 1, 2, and 3. They sound different, with 3 sounding as if you're in a big cavern. (Most people think that 2 is the best.)

And yes, sgrossklass is right -- it has nothing to do with what kind of headphone you have hooked up to it.

 

[KarmAbe]

thx ephemere

in regards to your saying, I didn't find any dolby headphone setitng 1/2/3 on my receiver for my headphone jack to change the sound... BUT:

I noticed my headphones sounds different when I chose a different sound type:
- 5-D theater
- Dolby Pro Logic
- Virtual
- SRS1 or SRS2
- DSP modes: Hall/Jazz/Dance/Theater1/Theater2/Dialog

I haven't got headphones with enough quality to test right now if in actual movies or FPS games the surround is ON when I select either sound types.

But to your opinion, does it seems like it should do the job? the sound definitively does not remain stereo in my cheap Koss R/10 cans.

Also if I buy quality cans, like beyer 770/880/990, audio technica 900 or senns 595/600, do they come with a DSP units like mentionned earlier by sgrossklass? Or do I have to buy those freakin' 500$ wireless Dolby Digital Headphones by Pioneer or Sony?

Thx again!

KarmAbe

 

[DJ_JonnyV]

No, those headphones do not come with Dolby Headphone or any other kind of surround sound processing. Remember, headphones are like speakers, all they do is reproduce an audio signal. It's up to a source comonent, receiver, or other to perform any audio processing. And, if I were you, I'd take that $500 and buy a bettter receiver, such as the Marantz SR-5500 which does have Dolby Headphone and enough juice to power most any speaker in a 5.1 surround sound setup. It MSRPs for$650, but should street for less than that.

 

[Azure]

One of the main reasons I decided to get audiophile headphones was for the fact that people said that they create a soundstage and you can place where each instrument is. It sounded like an incredibly idea and got me curious, but I experienced NOTHING like that with my A500s, which are supposed to have a really wide soundstage. Would a "Dolby Headphone Processor" help me out in my situation and not detract from SQ in any way (Basically, I think I remember reading that dolby surround sound headphones are supposed to be REALLY bad, and I want to know if one of these "Dolby Headphone Processors" is more geared toward audiophiles? I mean, would it be common to see someone with a $700+ headphone rig using one of these?)? And lastly, what is the official name for this thing so I can do some searching and find where to buy?

 

[Helter Skelter]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Azure One of the main reasons I decided to get audiophile headphones was for the fact that people said that they create a soundstage and you can place where each instrument is. It sounded like an incredibly idea and got me curious, but I experienced NOTHING like that with my A500s, which are supposed to have a really wide soundstage. Would a "Dolby Headphone Processor" help me out in my situation and not detract from SQ in any way (Basically, I think I remember reading that dolby surround sound headphones are supposed to be REALLY bad, and I want to know if one of these "Dolby Headphone Processors" is more geared toward audiophiles? I mean, would it be common to see someone with a $700+ headphone rig using one of these?)? And lastly, what is the official name for this thing so I can do some searching and find where to buy?

It would not help you. Dolby Headphone, simply put, generally sounds like ass with music. It's not meant for music, though. It's meant for watching movies with (though there's a side benefit for pople who play video games and have systems that can pump out the required Dolby Digital/DTS signal).

It's not really geared toward audiophiles so much as it is for people who like having their surround sound but for some reason can't or don't want to use speakers.

For music, you're better off simply going with the traditional source->amp->headphones chain.