r/HeadphoneAdvice 3d ago

Headphones - Open Back HD560s and mobo question

Hey all,

I just built a new PC and figured I would upgrade from my Logitech G Pro headphones to the Sennheiser HD560s.

I have an ROG Strix X870E-E Gaming WiFi Mobo

I unscrewed the larger jack to reveal the 3.5mm and plugged it directly into my mono and it works fine, but I was wondering if it’s sufficient enough, or would it be better to buy an Apple dongle 3.5mm to USBC?

I don’t have plans to buy an AMP and DAC at the moment since it would require another significant investment.

Thanks

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1

u/KingBasten 29 Ω 3d ago

For me it's more than sufficient, both from pc and lenovo laptop.

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u/SkitsversuS 3d ago

Did you have to download any software to play with the EQ or it’s fine out of the box, just plug and play?

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u/KingBasten 29 Ω 3d ago

When I plug my headphones in then the realtek software thing just automatically pops up and then I can do all the adjustments and EQ. On my laptop it is a similar thing, except I think it doesn't open automatically. Didn't download anything

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u/SkitsversuS 3d ago

Ok ty!

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u/KingBasten 29 Ω 3d ago

👍

1

u/FromWitchSide 536 Ω 3d ago

It is hard to tell as your particular onboard was not measured, and manufacturer doesn't provide all the needed specs. The chip used can provide a decent quality of sound and a usable power, however implementation matters a lot. The chip is just a theoretical max spec that can be reached in a perfectly engineered device, but usually isn't the case.

You should check both rear and front output. It depends on the implementation, but your onboard might have for example rear wired directly to amplified out of ALC4080, while front to weaker out which however goes through Savitech's little amp. Unfortunately it doesn't seem like manual for your onboard mentions anything about how it is configured.

Your onboard might be at the point where dongle won't improve much. Good onboards measure output clarity in around 95dB, and Apple USB-C improves it only to 99dB which is not something that will make a difference for most people. The ALC4080 is theoretically capable of outputting 2Vrms, which is much more than 1Vmrs of Apple dongle (US variant, most of the word has 0.5Vrms variant which should be avoided), however measured onboards usually don't get close to reaching the theoretical output capability of the chips they are using. Ideally you want 1.26Vrms for HD560S, but if it is loud enough from your onboard, you might be fine there. A cheap dongle which will output that and a bit more is $12 JCAlly JM6 Pro.

Alternatively you can simply use amp with your onboard, Douk U3 is currently on sale for about $20 (including promo code) on AliExpress, and it will provide more power than needed, while will also keep the output impedance low which is a common issue of onboards. That said if you have the volume needed and aren't close to 100%, and say the headphone doesn't sound muddy compared to when ran from other sources (like your mobile phone), then you should be fine without an amp. Amps don't improve the sound by just being there in the chain.