*very* quiet sound from headphones

[yadda]

For some reason when I plug my headphones in the port on the front of my case the sound is *very* quiet. My external speakers work OK. I can hear sound from the headphones just very quiet. I have adjusted the main controls all the way up.

Any ideas???

Y

 

[Excelsior]

try the headphones with something else (digital audio player, cd player, etc) to see if it is the headphones or not.

 

[yadda]

They work fine plugged into a boombox....

Y

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Are these standard headphones or something more expensive with higher impedence?

Do you have the windows volume, wav, etc. turned up?

Are you listening to music?

 

[Elderly Newt]

Try plugging the headphones into the plug in the back of the case and plugging the speakers in the front of the case (switch the speaker and headphone plugs) and see what happens.

 

[yadda]

I tried to start Half-Life and normal windows sound effects. They are a cheap pair of headphones...

 

[Cerb]

Follow Elderly Newt.
I'm guessing the front port is connected to the line out, rather than being the headphone out. Headphones require amps. Nothing special (though I think a Pocket Amp 2 will be my next audio purchase...), but they need amping, which means a different output than powered speakers. It's generally transparent these days due to jack-sensing, but it is still relavent.

 

[JimPhelpsMI]

Hi, Earphones today are usually 8 ohms just like bare speakers. Sound card outputs used to be 8 ohms, for a while had both 8 ohm and 600 ohm Line Out outputs. Now most have only 600 ohm outs and speakers have amplifiers built in. You probably need an amplifier to use your earphones. Hope this helps a little, Jim