cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

Z170 PRO GAMING and 250 Ohms headphone?

ithehappy
Level 7
Gents,

I have a Z170 Pro Gaming motherboard, paired with a 6700K. I wish to purchase a Beyerdynamic DT-150 headphone which is 250 ohms. I know impedance alone doesn't say it all, but I would like to know whether high impedance headphone such as this can be run through this motherboard's internal amp. Or would it sound like garbage? I use my headphones through the front audio panel just to be clear, to utilise that surround sound feature of Realtek HD Audio Manager, not sure if that matters.

If anyone using the same board using a high impedance headphone please comment below.
1,325 Views
5 REPLIES 5

Nate152
Moderator
Hi ithehappy,

I've used the sennheiser hd6xx which are 300ohms with the Maximus IX Code's onboard audio and they sound great and they're plenty loud. You can get even better sound with the EQ in Sonic Studio 3.

Cranked full blast listening to music there is no distortion.

I don't know how it would compare with a more expensive DAC, but I can say I never felt the urge to need one.

Nate152 wrote:
Hi ithehappy,

I've used the sennheiser hd6xx which are 300ohms with the Maximus IX Code's onboard audio and they sound great and they're plenty loud. You can get even better sound with the EQ in Sonic Studio 3.

Cranked full blast listening to music there is no distortion.

I don't know how it would compare with a more expensive DAC, but I can say I never felt the urge to need one.


Thank you. This gives me confidence of going ahead with the purchase. However, two things to keep in mind here, 1- The Maximum IX is a flagship tier board, right? So it must have a better amplifier I presume? Mine is a really basic one, and 2- Sonic Studio 3 is compatible with my motherboard? I could be misremembering but I recall trying to install it but it wouldn't.

Nate152
Moderator
Good point, sonic studio 3 is for ROG motherboards.

Here's a comparison, I'm not sure what audio software the Z170 Pro Gaming uses but there should be EQ control somewhere. While the specs of the Maximus IX Code are better, yours should still sound good.

Z170 Pro Gaming

93579

Maximus IX Code

93580

ithehappy
Level 7
Thanks once more. Which DAC is used on the Z170 is unknown. Hmm. Anyhow, I think you are correct, it shouldn't have a problem. I didn't know Z170 is Sonic Radar II compatible. I will try that. I have always been contained with the Realtek HD audio thus far but time to try something new I guess. Ha ha.

Nate152
Moderator
Sonic Radar isn't really an audio feature, it's to help you hone in on enemies in games better.

I personally uninstall it.