Should I plug my headphones into the back audio port of the motherboard or on the front of the case?

[fifa500]

Asus' new motherboard, the Asus Z97 VII RANGER (not available in the US I think), has a feature called 'Supreme FX' which claims to be as good as a dedicated sound card. If I was to plug my headphones into the line out port on the front of the case then will I lose out on sound quality and should I bother plugging it in on the back of my computer? Thanks in advance for taking your time to read and reply to this.

Additional Information:
Link to Motherboard feature's: http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/MAXIMUS_VII_RANGER/
Case is Corsair Obsidian 450D

 

[Deleted member 1300495]

You will probably lose a tiny bit. If you did, you wouldn't really notice.

 

[bistwo]

Yes, you usually get better sound quality from the back ports. The driver will treat the front ports separately and often will not apply features like that to the front ports.

 

[bistwo]

Yes, you usually get better sound quality from the back ports. The driver will treat the front ports separately and often will not apply features like that to the front ports.

 

[fifa500]

I forgot to ask whether the same would happen if I used the headphone port of my monitor. I connected the monitor to my PC through USB so I can use the monitor's USB and headphone ports. Because I have connected the PC and monitor through USB, will sound quality be affected if I use the headphone port from the monitor?

 

[fifa500]

(In response to Bistwo) So you're saying that if I used the front ports for my headphones then I won't be able to use the features of Supreme FX such as Sonic Studio or Sonic SenseAmp or other features?
(see link in first post for more info on those features)

 

[Deleted member 1300495]

The quality is affected as it is using different drivers. There will always be a drop in quality on mobos connected to IO ports in the front.

 

[bistwo]

I forgot to ask whether the same would happen if I used the headphone port of my monitor. I connected the monitor to my PC through USB so I can use the monitor's USB and headphone ports. Because I have connected the PC and monitor through USB, will sound quality be affected if I use the headphone port from the monitor?

Yes. If the monitor gets sound through USB, than it will be treated as a separate audio device and won't receive any enhancing features.

 

[Deleted member 1300495]

(In response to Bistwo) So you're saying that if I used the front ports for my headphones then I won't be able to use the features of Supreme FX such as Sonic Studio or Sonic SenseAmp or other features?

You will, it just won't be as good as the quality from the back IO

 

[fifa500]

Thanks for both of your answers, I really appreciate it

 

[bistwo]

(In response to Bistwo) So you're saying that if I used the front ports for my headphones then I won't be able to use the features of Supreme FX such as Sonic Studio or Sonic SenseAmp or other features?
(see link in first post for more info on those features)

Most audio devices separate the different ports as separate devices. Right click the speaker icon in the taskbar and click playback devices. If there is a separate ouput labeled 'headphones' double click it and see if you can find any of the settings for the ASUS features.

 

[Zaneth]

Actually, onboard sound with Asus does not differentiate sound quality between rear and front panel. The reason for this is largely due to the fact the the Front panel I/O connects directly into the portion that Asus reserves for their onboard sound chip. The main reason why there is an audio difference is because of the cable going from the motherboard to the front panel I/O, it acts as an antenna and can pull interference from all of the other electrical components. This is because most front panel I/O cables are not shielded. In general the difference is very minor, but to those that are very sensitive to sound quality it can be a blaring issue.

 

[fifa500]

Thanks for replying Zaneth. I would've accepted your answer as a solution but unfortunately I've already chose one

 

[Deleted member 1300495]

Thanks for replying Zaneth. I would've accepted your answer as a solution but unfortunately I've already chose one

you can unselect the answer and choose another one. I'll unselect for you

 

[fifa500]

Thanks. I didn't expect you to do that. How did you manage to do that?

 

[Deleted member 1300495]

Thanks. I didn't expect you to do that. How did you manage to do that?

you click unselect best answer under the answer