ke1Nz :
True Buie :
Heyo ke1Nz
Seems like the internal amp of your desktop has kicked the bucket and is done for now. Try and get an external one and try again.
Cheers
Can you elaborate ? what is this exactly .
Sure. I'll try.
AMP = Amplifier
DAC = Digital to Analog Converter
The amp is what makes your headphones go up and down in volume. An amp has output impedance which is measured in ohms. Let's say... when your desktop motherboard was in working condition, your internal amp would probably be able to deliver enough power to drive headphones with an impedance of 600 ohm.
If the sound is still "clear", and with this I mean you can't hear any crackling sound or anything that shouldn't be there, your dac is fine. This is what takes an digital signal from your pc and converts into an analog signal which your headphone can use.
One of 2 things that could or have happen is.
1)
Your internal amp on that motherboard simply has a way too high output impedance. What this means is that the amp itself will use let's say 25% off the total power and convert it into heat. Don't think about the 25% as a certain number, just throwing some numbers out. So possibly that amp is simply not designed well and is only made for lower impedance headphones. < 32 ohm. I haven't checked what impedance your HyperX cloud cores have, but I'd think around 32-48 ohm.
What motherboard do you have?
2)
The internal amp has just given up. Not really much to do unless you know how an amp works.
I'd suggest you to get an amp/dac combo anyhow to get cleaner and louder sound. It being loud doesn't necessary means it's clearer, but the external dac is outside of a noisy environment. Your desktop in this case. If you're up for this, something like the Fiio e10k is great combo. This will run of USB and should power everything you throw at it.