VOGONS


First post, by antrad

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Ever since I got my new computer I was disappointed how quiet the onboard sound was, until I connected the front panel to the motherboard and plugged my headphones there. The difference is very big. When connected directly to the back of the motherboard I had to be at 100% and it never felt loud enough, but on front panel already at 60% system volume it is loud, which is about the same as on my old computer. There is no amplifier there it is just a basic front panel for audio and USB that is part of the case.

Has anyone experienced something similar with their motherboards ?

https://antonior-software.blogspot.com

Reply 1 of 11, by MMaximus

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Are you sure the problem is not software related? Check the control panel from your integrated audio vendor (e.g. realtek) and also the windows sound settings. There are many places where you can adjust the levels in the OS (I'm assuming you're using Windows)

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Reply 2 of 11, by darry

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Specifying your board model would help .

On the Gigabyte Z390 Aorus Master that I have , the front panel is fed by a headphone amplifier connected to a Realtek CODEC, whereas the back one is a line level out connected to an ESS DAC .

Reply 3 of 11, by antrad

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darry wrote on 2020-07-12, 21:30:

Specifying your board model would help .

On the Gigabyte Z390 Aorus Master that I have , the front panel is fed by a headphone amplifier connected to a Realtek CODEC, whereas the back one is a line level out connected to an ESS DAC .

Here:

https://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Z97%20Extreme4/

@MMaximus: I did check everything, this was bothering me for a long time. And yes, I am on Windows.

https://antonior-software.blogspot.com

Reply 4 of 11, by darry

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antrad wrote on 2020-07-13, 00:04:
Here: […]
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darry wrote on 2020-07-12, 21:30:

Specifying your board model would help .

On the Gigabyte Z390 Aorus Master that I have , the front panel is fed by a headphone amplifier connected to a Realtek CODEC, whereas the back one is a line level out connected to an ESS DAC .

Here:

https://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Z97%20Extreme4/

@MMaximus: I did check everything, this was bothering me for a long time. And yes, I am on Windows.

According to the specs you provided, one of the outputs has a headphone amplifier, likely the front panel one . If you want to be sure, you will need to follow traces from the amp chip or ask the manufacturer .

TI® NE5532 Premium Headset Amplifier (Supports up to 600 ohm headsets)

Reply 5 of 11, by antrad

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darry wrote on 2020-07-13, 00:46:

According to the specs you provided, one of the outputs has a headphone amplifier, likely the front panel one . If you want to be sure, you will need to follow traces from the amp chip or ask the manufacturer .

This is all new to me, I expected front and back ports to give exactly same signal. So, what do they expect to use back panel port for, only for speakers with their own amplifier ?

https://antonior-software.blogspot.com

Reply 6 of 11, by darry

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antrad wrote on 2020-07-13, 02:23:
darry wrote on 2020-07-13, 00:46:

According to the specs you provided, one of the outputs has a headphone amplifier, likely the front panel one . If you want to be sure, you will need to follow traces from the amp chip or ask the manufacturer .

This is all new to me, I expected front and back ports to give exactly same signal. So, what do they expect to use back panel port for, only for speakers with their own amplifier ?

Pretty much, I guess . Plugging and unplugging headphones from the back port would not be that convenient anyway . If you really want to drive headphones from the back connector (likely line-out level), you could always buy a headphone amplifier .

Reply 7 of 11, by antrad

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darry wrote on 2020-07-13, 02:36:

Pretty much, I guess . Plugging and unplugging headphones from the back port would not be that convenient anyway . If you really want to drive headphones from the back connector (likely line-out level), you could always buy a headphone amplifier .

Well, thanks for the info. All this is very stupid, they should have mentioned it in the manual, I've been using it wrong for years. I don't have speakers and my headphones are always plugged in and have long cable, so I kept it plugged in the back. I didn't even bother connecting the front panel to have less cables going around the motherboard.

https://antonior-software.blogspot.com

Reply 8 of 11, by darry

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antrad wrote on 2020-07-13, 14:36:
darry wrote on 2020-07-13, 02:36:

Pretty much, I guess . Plugging and unplugging headphones from the back port would not be that convenient anyway . If you really want to drive headphones from the back connector (likely line-out level), you could always buy a headphone amplifier .

Well, thanks for the info. All this is very stupid, they should have mentioned it in the manual, I've been using it wrong for years. I don't have speakers and my headphones are always plugged in and have long cable, so I kept it plugged in the back. I didn't even bother connecting the front panel to have less cables going around the motherboard.

I agree 100% about it being poorly documented . I had a similar experience with my previously mentioned Gigabyte board and had to ping their support to get the info I wanted . They answered my question quickly and clearly, but that info should have been in the manual or at least an online FAQ .

Reply 9 of 11, by Stiletto

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This is maybe too modern, but Realtek chips from as far back as ten years ago or maybe more can usually alter which ports are amplified and which are unamplified by changing the mappings in the registry. I've had a use case come up myself and had to learn how it is done. I am pretty sure it is undocumented by Realtek as they prefer their auto-detection routines (when they work at least). The only issue is you must use drivers no newer than 6.0.1.8000. There's a lot of good info in this overclock.net forum post here (and our fellow friend and forum member "mirh" coincidentally makes a cameo a few pages into the thread 😉 ): https://www.overclock.net/forum/6-intel-mothe … p35-pro-xe.html

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do the Fandango!" - Queen

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Reply 10 of 11, by jmarsh

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You can normally do the same thing using the Realtek HD audio app (usually in the notification area) by clicking on the port and switching the "current connected device" between headphones and speakers.

Reply 11 of 11, by darry

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I could be wrong, but I was alway under the impression that the tasking thing only changed the max gain on the Realtek integrated amplifier . Here we are talking about an external headphone amplifier chip. I don't see how that could be switched by the Realtek app .