Axe Fx II Headphones question + Problem.

O

OndskapensHersker

New Member
Hi.

I have been recording like crazy since i got my Axe FX II, using my Beyerdynamic DT-250, 80 ohms headphones.
All good so far, and i have been very pleased by the Axe FX, however i just tried listening to my mixes both using my PC's headphone input and my laptops speakers.

It sounds a LOT bassier through my pc then through my axe FX, which means: I cant mix using my Axe FX, something is making the headphones not push those frequencies like my PC does.
After i heard that my mixes sounded a lot bassier on my PC if other artists recordings sound like they should, and indeed, they all sounded a lot less bassy and basically overall more dull through the Axe.

Could this be a problem with the Axe Fx II Headphones with 80 ohms?
would it help getting headphones with 250 or higher ohms or maybe an headphones-amp?

Please help! I can't seem to find anything about this anywhere :O

Thanks for any helpful answers!
 
OndskapensHersker said:
Hi.

I have been recording like crazy since i got my Axe FX II, using my Beyerdynamic DT-250, 80 ohms headphones.
All good so far, and i have been very pleased by the Axe FX, however i just tried listening to my mixes both using my PC's headphone input and my laptops speakers.

It sounds a LOT bassier through my pc then through my axe FX, which means: I cant mix using my Axe FX, something is making the headphones not push those frequencies like my PC does.
After i heard that my mixes sounded a lot bassier on my PC if other artists recordings sound like they should, and indeed, they all sounded a lot less bassy and basically overall more dull through the Axe.

Could this be a problem with the Axe Fx II Headphones with 80 ohms?
would it help getting headphones with 250 or higher ohms or maybe an headphones-amp?

Please help! I can't seem to find anything about this anywhere :O

Thanks for any helpful answers!
Click to expand...

Dang, you're going to drive Cliff crazy.
Have you read the other posts about the Axe II and headphones?
In your particular case you need to mention what monitors you use with your PC.How does their frequency response compare your headphones'?
That'd be a good start...

Edit: Wait, did you say you listened to the mix through your laptop built-in speakers and it sounded a lot different from what you heard in your headphones?
It's hardly surprising if you ask me.
 
I'm sorry if i wrote it a bit hard to understand,
what I tried to say is:

I listened using headphones on both the Axe Fx and my PC, the speaker thing was actually totally irrelevant.
the same headphones sounded way different from Axe Fx to PC.

the PC sounded better


that should sum it all up nicely :p
hope thet clears it up. haha
 
I would assume that the headphone out on the Axe II is there for convenience and not intended for mixing. I wouldn't bet that either headphone output (Axe II or your computer) is of particularly high quality in comparison to a dedicated headphone amplifier but that's just a guess on my part.
 
stratzrus said:
I would assume that the headphone out on the Axe II is there for convenience and not intended for mixing. I wouldn't bet that either headphone output (Axe II or your computer) is of particularly high quality in comparison to a dedicated headphone amplifier but that's just a guess on my part.
Click to expand...

I totally agree.
However it still doesn't explain why the same clips sounds so much more dull and lifeless on through the Axe FX :(
 
Cliff explained in another thread that the phones out on the Axe Fx II is flat. Maybe your PC amplifies some of the mid frequencies, just gessing here.
 
lecorff said:
Cliff explained in another thread that the phones out on the Axe Fx II is flat. Maybe your PC amplifies some of the mid frequencies, just gessing here.
Click to expand...

nope, it's definitively the Axe not sounding like it should, everything (including music) sounds thinner then it's supposed to do, i'm pretty sure of it.
 
I would trust the Axe headphone out far more than the cheap sound chip in the laptop.

There are a whole set of hardware issues that affect the performance of the sound out in the PC - poor componentry, impedance mismatches, etc. ad nauseam.

Then, there are Windows configuration issues that affect it as well. Some of these are probably driver-dependent for the sound chip. But if you dig around in the control panels for sound, you will likely find that you can select different response curves for different speaker types. Also, in the panel I am looking at right now, there is an Enhancements tab that provides check boxes for bass boost, room correction, loundness equalization, and virtual surround. All of these can create signficant differences.

If you want to mix, get a good pair of powered studio monitors and connect them to the Axe output. Play back through the Axe to mix. Or use another high-quality external FireWire or USB audio interface and connect the monitors to that for playback.

Dave
 
xarkon said:
I would trust the Axe headphone out far more than the cheap sound chip in the laptop.

There are a whole set of hardware issues that affect the performance of the sound out in the PC - poor componentry, impedance mismatches, etc. ad nauseam.

Then, there are Windows configuration issues that affect it as well. Some of these are probably driver-dependent for the sound chip. But if you dig around in the control panels for sound, you will likely find that you can select different response curves for different speaker types. Also, in the panel I am looking at right now, there is an Enhancements tab that provides check boxes for bass boost, room correction, loundness equalization, and virtual surround. All of these can create signficant differences.

If you want to mix, get a good pair of powered studio monitors and connect them to the Axe output. Play back through the Axe to mix. Or use another high-quality external FireWire or USB audio interface and connect the monitors to that for playback.

Dave
Click to expand...


Headphones are out of the question, as i neither have money, nor a place to have them.

I know a lot of people use headphones for mixing, and i've never heard anything like this.
and this is not just a tiny difference, it's a huge one.

are you guys absolutely sure this isn't a problem with the Axe Fx not really being made for usage with 80 ohms headphones or something?

I've read that it is made for headphones from 250-600 ohms.
Maybe it's just me not knowing my stuff, but I don't really see why it shouldn't be able to push headphones with less ohms then 250..
 
OndskapensHersker said:
are you guys absolutely sure this isn't a problem with the Axe Fx not really being made for usage with 80 ohms headphones or something?
Click to expand...

It's possible your headphones enhance or tame certain frequencies.
Some say higher impedance headphones usually have a flatter frequency response and are truer to the original signal.
I'm not sure I agree with that.The Sony MDR 7506, for instance, is known to have a flat FR yet it's only 63 ohms...food for thought...
 
just a guess really: maybe the pc audio interface is not particularly flat and behaves more like domestic hi-fi [which will generally tart up the audio by boosting the lows and highs..]

don't lose sight of the fact that you'd expect the Axe headphone output to be pretty flat..
and this is a good thing.. because if you are creating patches you'd want to be hearing an accurate representation of your knob twiddling..
rather than a 'sweetened' hi-fi stylised audio representation because this would impare your decision making capabilities...
 
Yes, I also assume the headphone output is for tweaking and not for recording purposes. I like the fact it is flat, it really helps point out imbalances.
 
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