Headphones Problem

[blu3flannel]

Mods, feel free to switch this to General Software, if that's the direction this thread takes.

This may be a noobish question, but I can't stand it anymore. I have a (cheapish, but great sound quality) set of Skullcandy headphones, seen here (I have a different color, but whatever). I've used them on other devices, like my iPod, and they can be extremely loud without loss of quality. However, when I use them on my computer, they will only be so loud (not very loud at all) with mediocre quality. I'm tired of everything being medium-loud and sounding cheap, I wanna hear something! Is it something in the sound card (over there <<) or is it software-related, and how do I fix it? Thanks.

 

[PVTCaboose1337]

Skullcandies by definition are cheap. You cannot make headphones magically sound good with software. You can mess with the EQ, but that is about it. Because I care so much and hate skullcandies with a passion:

 

[blu3flannel]

Skullcandies by definition are cheap. You cannot make headphones magically sound good with software. You can mess with the EQ, but that is about it. Because I care so much and hate skullcandies with a passion:

http://forums.techpowerup.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=40461&stc=1&d=1296524174

Like I said in the OP, they sound fine with my iPod but sound like shit on the computer. that's actually the case, and they just don't work with my computer, I'll stomp on them and buy these.

 

[PVTCaboose1337]

Like I said in the OP, they sound fine with my iPod but sound like shit on the computer. that's actually the case, and they just don't work with my computer, I'll stomp on them and buy these.

Are you dead set of having a microphone on the headphones? If not PLEASE get one without them. You will have MUCH better sounds headphones. Pick from the list!

 

[blu3flannel]

Are you dead set of having a microphone on the headphones? If not PLEASE get one without them. You will have MUCH better sounds headphones. Pick from the list!

I don't really need one, I have a really good one sitting on my desk. It doesn't look like they have any over-ear headphones for under $50, does anyone know of any good ones?

 

[PVTCaboose1337]

Koss Portapros are extremely cheap and sound great for the money. They also look extremely 80's...

 

[majestic12]

Portapros are very well known (in the headphone enthusiast community at least) for their performance/price ratio. I'd also consider the JVC HA-RX700s. They're really good headphones.

 

[xbonez]

If you're looking for headphones for gaming, well, skip over my post.

If you're interested in music, get the Grado SR60i. They'll run you about 80ish bucks, but they're so, soooo worth it. The sound quality, the comfort is amazing.

And the bass.....sigh..I could write poems about it. Its like you've nothing heard before. Its not jarring like a subwoofer would produce or a great quality in-ear would give. Its entirely different. Everytime I hear the thump of bass with my Grados, it takes my breath away.

However, these are open-air headphones, so there's significant leakage of sound. Keep that in mind.
Grado customer service is amazing too.

 

[CJCerny]

Sounds like your soundcard, not your headphones are the problem. If the same pair of headphones sounds good when connected to one device and like crap when connected to another, your soundcard is probably noisy and/or not well amped. Spend $25 on a Asus Xonar DG soundcard, which includes an inexpensive headphone amp, and see if that fixes the problem.

 

[n-ster]

Your Ipod's EQ is probably making the cheap headphones sound OK. most people use cheap headphones on the Ipod, so the EQ usully compensates and for the people who aren't sound-savvy, that is fine.

Best thing to do for you IMO is to invest in a soundcard + headphone, as you seem to differentiate bad sound and OK sound. A Xonar DS or DX with something like the JVC RX700s or Portapros or Grado SR60(i) or SR80 or Shure 440/840 or 750DJ are all great, depending on your budget and needs (closed headphones or open cans, meaning need to block outside noise or not)

 

[jsfitz54]

I don't know your budget, but I am very pleased with my AKG model K 240 MK II. Circumaural semi open.

 

[CJCerny]

Can we please stop trying to talk the OP into new headphones? He already stated that he liked the sound quality. This post is not about the headphones. It is about attempting to figure out why once source sounds better than the other. EQ settings could play a role in that, but the fact that they are way louder out of one source than the other is in no way a product of EQ--there are more watts being sent to the headphone jack by one device than the other and he needs to figure out how to overcome that. Focus.

 

[Frederik S]

Get another sound card or use the EQ on the one you have.

 

[mrhuggles]

if needing a mic is the problem, i got a pair of sennheiser mm 50 iP's they need an adapter to work on the computer properly [4conductor connector] but they sound.. amazing, and their mic is really great too

soundcards are quiet, mine is like that too except with more sensitive headphones.

 

[n-ster]

Can we please stop trying to talk the OP into new headphones? He already stated that he liked the sound quality. This post is not about the headphones. It is about attempting to figure out why once source sounds better than the other. EQ settings could play a role in that, but the fact that they are way louder out of one source than the other is in no way a product of EQ--there are more watts being sent to the headphone jack by one device than the other and he needs to figure out how to overcome that. Focus.

Actually, the fact that it is louder on the Ipod EXACTLY indicates the possibility that it is the EQ settings, as in the Ipod, instead of having all the EQ below the 0db line, most of it is OVER the 0db line

 

[cheesy999]

Mods, feel free to switch this to General Software, if that's the direction this thread takes.

This may be a noobish question, but I can't stand it anymore. I have a (cheapish, but great sound quality) set of Skullcandy headphones, seen here (I have a different color, but whatever). I've used them on other devices, like my iPod, and they can be extremely loud without loss of quality. However, when I use them on my computer, they will only be so loud (not very loud at all) with mediocre quality. I'm tired of everything being medium-loud and sounding cheap, I wanna hear something! Is it something in the sound card (over there <<) or is it software-related, and how do I fix it? Thanks.

sound to me like your sound card doesn't have a high enough SNR , also if your using a headphone socket try plugging them in to the actual output instead as it could be bad wiring

on the subject of headphones i use these http://www.goldring.co.uk/headphones/ns1000.htm

 

[blu3flannel]

Your Ipod's EQ is probably making the cheap headphones sound OK. most people use cheap headphones on the Ipod, so the EQ usully compensates and for the people who aren't sound-savvy, that is fine.

Best thing to do for you IMO is to invest in a soundcard + headphone, as you seem to differentiate bad sound and OK sound. A Xonar DS or DX with something like the JVC RX700s or Portapros or Grado SR60(i) or SR80 or Shure 440/840 or 750DJ are all great, depending on your budget and needs (closed headphones or open cans, meaning need to block outside noise or not)

That makes sense. The earbuds that come with the iPod are crap so they use EQ to make up for it. That explains why these $20 headphones sound good there and bad when plugged into a HD audio soundcard. I've been looking at The Grado SR69i's, but I'm not sure how they are for gaming. I would need something that is good for both gaming and music, since I do both almost equally. Thanks for all the replies, by the way.

 

[n-ster]

Anything that is good for music should be good for gaming IMO. Perhaps a FEW great music headphones lack bass for the explosions, but EQ can easily make that up, as sound fidelity is not important in a game since the sounds themselves aren't real anyways.