Can I use speakers as an better audio source than realtek soundcard?

[EpicnessRo29]

I've got a 5.1 Creative Inspire T6100 speaker system. It's a bit old but it's superb. Regarding that, I'm going to buy some HyperX Cloud pair of cans and I am curious if there is any difference if I plug them in the motherboard or in the speaker system's headphone jack.

[johnt]

27 minutes ago, EpicnessRo29 said:

I've got a 5.1 Creative Inspire T6100 speaker system. It's a bit old but it's superb. Regarding that, I'm going to buy some HyperX Cloud pair of cans and I am curious if there is any difference if I plug them in the motherboard or in the speaker system's headphone jack.

It's unlikely the difference would be significant or noticeable. For your case, it might not really matter. However, using the speaker system will force the amp to run, where using the headphone jack in your case/mobo is not going to increase your energy usage. But it might not even use much power if it's a class D or T amp... might just get warm. Mute point, but something to consider.

[SSL]

The headphone outputs on these cheapo speaker sets tend to be hit-and-miss, but mostly miss.

 

That said, your own ears are the best judge. Try it and use whichever you prefer.

[spaynton]

Agreed. I have a set of Logitech Z-5500's which for games and movies are fantastic. I would never plug a pair of my headphones into them though. The headphone amp in these systems is added as an afterthought and usually isn't of very high quality.

 

If you have decent onboard audio on your motherboard, such as the audio on my Gigabyte Z97x-Gaming 5 which has high quality caps and a dedicated 600ohm capable headphone amp you would likely be much better off using that output for your headphones.

 

If your onboard sound doesn't sound all that good to you get an external dac/amp combo for around $100, it will likely provide a much better experience than either on-board or the built in amp of your creative speakers.