Headphones direct v headphones via speaker jack

[A.Baird3]

I recently installed a Creative Soundblaster Z, and have my inexpensive 2.1 stero desktop speakers plugged into them, I also have a headphone extension lead plugged into the card, and extending round to the front of the pc for easy access. When listening to music I use my headphones.

Now, will there be any difference in sound quality between, a) plugging my headphones into the headphone lead, b) plugging my headphones into the headphone jack on my speakers?

 

[Tanin'iver]

I don't think anyone can answer that without knowing the 2.1 speakers in question very well - not just the make/model, but knowing enough about how they are actually designed/engineered.

If the headphone jack on the speakers just directly passes the signal through, and uses good enough quality wiring etc... at all points there should be no difference at all.

If on the other hand the signal passes through some components within the speakers or gets transmitted through some wiring not properly shielded from interference or something it could introduce noise.

There are a couple of ways you could test though to be sure -

1) Listening test. Try both ways and see if you can hear any difference. Also rather than playing music or something, try with just silence but with the volume turned up high. If plugging in via the speakers introduces noise you might clearly hear a hum through the headphones against a background of silence.

2) Scientific test. Use RightMark Audio Analyzer (https://audio.rightmark.org/index_new.shtml). How that works is you plug a cable from the speaker or headphone output into the microphone input, then run the test. It plays sound then measures what it gets back compared to what it sent, and gives you some numbers for things like signal to noise ratio. Run that twice - once with headphone out>mic in directly, and once with speaker out>speakers>headphone jack>mic in, and see if you get a significant difference.

 

[A.Baird3]

Thank you for your comprehensive reply.

The way I thought of it, listening via the speakers jack means more 'stuff' between the headphones and the sound card, and as you rightly mentioned depends on the quality of the speakers' components (they're Logitech so shouldn't be too bad). Whereas the lead from the card is more direct, so in theory ought to be superior. However, this is based on no real knowledge of mine.

I'l explore further testing. Maybe there is no definitive answer.