I have recently purchased a pair of Sennheiser HD599 SE headphones, and they're great. When plugged into the jack of my Asus TUF Z390M-PRO GAMING (WIFI) motherboard, with an onboard Realtek S1200A soundcard, the audio levels are loud enough that maxing them out is uncomfortable. I was initially concerned that it wouldn't be able to drive the headphones and they'd be too quiet.
I do have some questions though, as my knowledge in audio is quite limited:
I do have some questions though, as my knowledge in audio is quite limited:
- Does an add-in sound card or external AMP/DAC only increase audio levels, or does it also increase audio quality?
- If there is increased audio quality, would a non-audiophile (such as myself) be able to tell the difference in games?
- I have a very basic pair of Create T10 2.0 speakers on my desk, which have a headphone socket. Is this just a pass-through, or would it have some effect on the quality of audio? Also, since these speakers have separate volume controls, do they constitute as an AMP if headphones were plugged in?
- I purchased Dolby Atmos for headphones (it was on offer for <£5) - some external sound cards/DACs (like the EPOS GSX range) have additional 7.1 capabilities. How does this differ from Dolby Atmos? Can they be used together, or are they exclusive, where enabling 7.1 on a soundcard replaces the Dolby Atmos setting?
- I have a another pair of wireless Sennheiser Momentum 3 headphones, which can also be used wired. If I used them wired, do they pull their power from the sound card, or from the built in battery?
- I've noticed that the sound profiles are very, very different between the 599 and the Momentum 3 headphones, though I don't know exactly what contributes to this. Obviously one is open and one is closed, but the 599 sounds much bassier and more...I don't know, just more? Even spoken audio sounds more like someone talking close to a microphone, whereas the M3s sound more "natural". Surely there's more to it then just open/closed and more bass?
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