Front Panel audio more powerful?

[migueldias]

So, i recently bought a pair of the fairly recent HyperX Cloud headset which have an 80ohm impedance. My motherboard is  Z97 MSI Gaming 7. My problem is, when i connect the headset to the back panel ports (directly into the motherboard) the volume is way too low and i have everything set to max, but when i switch to my front panel connectors (my case is a Corsair 540) the volume suddenly goes boom and everything sounds as it should. This is very strange. The motherboard even has a dedicated sound card built in, i really don't what's going on and i hate having cables coming out of the front of the case. 

 

Here's the back of the mobo:

 

Does anyone know what might be causing this?

 

 

[ImBleu]

Are you sure you've got the cables in the right places on your Motherboard? You might have accidentally put it in a Left Channel instead of the stereo sound.

[TheKDub]

you plugged your headphones into the red plug on the mobo correct?

[silenthill_69]

check the m/b sound card software it might be boosting the front panel only

[Verne]

Did you make sure you plugged the headphones into the right port in the back side? And made sure headphone mode was enabled? Some audio solutions do not amp headphones if the headphones mode is not enabled, and some can amp the front panel jack only if its detected and configured as headphone jack.

[creatip123]

Actually it depends on the manufacturer (brand). Most onboard audio nowadays have built-in headphone amp circuit. Usually they select one of the two ports, either the back port, or the front port, as the port with a headphone amp implemented. The reason why they don't implement it automatically on all ports, is because active speakers set don't need a head-amp.

 

So, depends on what the brand of the mobo, or more specifically, how they want to design it. Some implement the head-amp to the back port, some to the front port (with the logic of you plug your headphone from the front, and plug speakers, which is less mobile, to the back). I think some could even select which port you want to implement the head-amp.

[migueldias]

you plugged your headphones into the red plug on the mobo correct?

Correct.

 

 

check the m/b sound card software it might be boosting the front panel only

The software is from RealTek, i'm not at home at the moment, but i guess it's not the software, when i connect something into any port a window pops up asking me what kind of device did i connect, and i select 'Headphones' so no, i don't think it's the software.

 

And it sounds really strange to me that a motherboard that uses its 'exceptional' "AudioBoost" built-in sound processing as a main advertising point isn't powering the back ports. It doesn't make any sense to me. Hell, even my iPod is capable of powering the headphones, i mean they're 80ohm, any audio 3.5mm output port should have more than enough power for them. 

[migueldias]

OK, so i settled on using my front panel ports while i don't buy an external DAC, but now i've just noiticed that Reaktek HD Manager is switching my Front Panel Mic In with my Headphone Out Front Panel, which means that when i connect my Mic in the Mic In port, the driver just assumes i'm connecting my Headphones, but when i connect my headphone into the Headphone port, a pop-up windows asks me what kind of device am i connecting. The connecto on the mobo is solid and only goes in one way so i know that's not the problem, and no, i haven't switched the mic and headphone cables by mistake.