P150HM headphone performance

I just got my new P150HM (review on the way hopefully) and I have ordered a pair of Grado SR60i headphones. Now I've heard that folks have had issues with the sound performance on this machine for some reason, and was thinking of picking up this just in case: Amazon.com: Creative Soundblaster X-Fi Go! Pro USB Audio System with THX SB1290: Electronics

Can anyone vouch for that product or is the headphone issue somewhat rare? Basically, will I need that adapter to get the best performance out of my headphones? Also, if anyone owns that adapter, how well does it work?

 

The complaints have primarily been with headphones that have high impedance. I'd hold off on buying an external sound card until you've at least tried out the new headphones though. If you don't notice poor sound, the extra adapter may be unnecessary.

 

How high of an impendence have these complaints been with? Currently I have a pair of Sennheiser PC 350s for Xbox and PC gaming and plugged directly into my laptop the Sennheisers sound great, plugged through the Mixamp they still sound great but the volume isn't as high. They have an impendence of 150 Ohms. Asking because my next laptop plans are for a Clevo.

 

I have a pair of Sennheiser HD515's and the internal sound card sounds very tinny and has little bass. I use the Turtle beach micro 2 instead and it sounds very good.

 

The specifications for the headphones I ordered states that they are "32 ohms". I am not familiar with headphones though, and I ordered these with the recommendation of people who are.

 

that's the same as my 598's and they run perfect off my laptop (and my cowon). you'll most likely be fine.

 

Unless you are a audiophile, which I surely think no one is. I wish Clevo would get a partner ship with JLB, but I don't think it will happen in the nearest future ):

 

I'm also experiencing kinda poor performance from the headphone out. I'm using Ultimate Ears Triplefi 10 pro earphones.

For some description about the sound, I am getting decent clarity with mids and highs although the bass seems to be lacking with plugged into my laptop. I'm actually getting a lot more bass from my mobile phone at around the same volume. Is it just me? or does our laptop's headphone outs sound thin?

 

My Audio-Technicas are 38 Ohms and they sound like crap. I bought the Fiio E6 headphone amp it sounds much better.

 

my 8150 sounds good, but not great with my 60ohm koss portapros. however it sounds lousy with my friends 50ohm senn 595s.

it really depends. those are some good headphones you got. good seperation and natural sounding. the only con i know of is that it can get uncomfortable after prolonged use- something you can correct with earpads.

just be sure to activate/register thx and adjust the settings accordingly. doing that makes a ton of difference. and i do have a feeling your headphones will work great with this laptop.

 

You must have incredibly low standards, because there's no way the HD598 is properly driven by such a weak headphone jack. Do you get any bass?

I'm kinda shocked you'd even own such a set of cans without an accompanying DAC. For cans of that level, I'd get no less than the FiiO E10.

 

Well I ended up ordering the X-Fi Go Pro USB with my SR560i's just in case they sound bad. When I received the package in the mail the first thing I did was test the headphones via the audio jack on my P150HM.

Eh... it was depressing. The new headphones didn't sound any better than the cheapo 10 dollar skullcandies I have been using for a while. Like I actively switched between the two pair of headphones and couldn't tell the difference between them. However, the X-Fi Go Pro works wonders, they really bring out some solid quality from these headphones. I don't know if they are pushing them to their full potential or whatever, but the difference is night and day! Does anybody know if getting a larger headphone amp would significantly improve sound quality over my current X-Fi Go Pro?

 

I got the turtle beach micro II. Simple and efficient device from the looks of specs/reviews. $29.00 USD.
It was suggested to download a good driver with it.

 

This has me thinking I should buy a FiiO headphone amp and test it out on all my devices (Zune, Windows Phone, Astro Mixamp, and laptop) and see if there are any differences. The volume is loud enough, but equalizer options may improve some of the lows and really bring out the highs.

 

i agree. my friends' 555 and 595, which are basically the design predecessors of the 598 had such craptastic on the 8150. adding a udac2 made them sound as they should.