Stuart currently has some Beyer Dynamics DT770 Pro headphones which he uses to watch his videos (YT etc) through the PC.
He has always said that the sound through headphones is far superior than listening through the PC/Mission Connect LX speakers which we currently do. So his idea is that we buy another set of these headphones for me, and we both listen to our downloads etc through these. But …..
I know we would have to use a splitter for both of us to listen through the headphones but because we are both using them through the PC and we have separate individual hearing needs, (his hearing is more acute than mine) is there a way of being able to select different levels of sound.
Suggestions please - would it be software or hardware that we would need ???
There seems to be several options, all based on a usb sound interface. M-Audio have a suitable unit, Focusrite, plus there’s a bunch of lower cost options from AliExpress, Amazon etc.
Sounds like one solution would be a mini headphone/audio mixer, if (as I understand it) Stuart is taking the computer’s output and into his headphones. It takes the computer audio output as its input, and provides you with two stereo headphone sockets.
Problem: they’re often cheap and the audio quality isn’t great. Even if you get a hifi one, you’re still using yout computer’s digital-analog converter (DAC), a piece of hardware that isn’t generally specced very highly.
A second solution is to replace the DAC in the computer with an outboard DAC. This would almost inevitably give you a much greater jump in quality. You will find audio engineering versions with two or more stereeo phone outputs, but (I think) at an audio specialist rather than Amazon. You’d connect it to a USB socket on the computer, rather than to the audio socket.
A third solution would be to use a DAC plus a mini mixer, but the risk there is that the mini mixer would take away some of the audio improvements brought by the DAC. I was really surprised when I replaced a Behringer mini mixer with an Allen & Heath ZED6: even I could hear the jump in quality!
In theory DAC’s are just 1’s and 0’s but hifi folk wax lyrical about better versions etc. I would assume that you both hear different frequencies louder or softer so a graphic equaliser where you could each enhance any frequencies you are low on. Behringer seem to be the company doing most on this.
TBH that only works if you know how to waggle the sliders, and unfortunately most people can’t really tell what’s better or worse. No disrespect intended to Rachel and Stuart, but I’ve tried to teach people how to run a sound desk over the years, and few can actually tell what’s going on.
I’ve tried a few hifi DACS in my time (admittedly not super high end ones) and yes there are differences but not major ones.
Shouldn’t really be necessarily with decent headphones chosen to suit your sound preference though. But the software I linked to above has a 3-band “graphic equalizer”.
FWIW, I’d probably steer clear of them, Behringer are not really a hifi firm, they make and sell cheapish stuff for music recording. For a “proper” USB hardware audio interface I’d be looking at something like a Focusrite Scarlett. But that will have redundant microphone and line recording inputs.
There are decent budget USB hifi DACs from SMSL, Topping or Fosi Audio that will do the job of providing a headphone output for less money.
I would still be looking more at graphic equalisers than another DAC, it would create the biggest adjustable difference. Yes quality headphones will be a good level but wont make up for poor hearing
