Headphone jack in front isn't the same output quality as back

Gamedojo

Gamedojo

Power User
Ok, Don't know if everyone knew this already.

At last night's gig, I had to setup a quick failsafe way to monitor myself just encase my power amp were to fail (long story...)

Anyways... I use a Yamaha MG10/2 mixer to blend the band's monitor mix in with my AxeFx signal. I brought my big-can headphones along and plugged it into the Mixer as my make-shift monitoring setup if needed.

Wow... GREAT sound. I had never heard the axe sound this good through headphones. I've (stupidly) only used the headphone jack in the front. It was always VERY processed sounding and rather shrill.

Just to be sure I wasn't crazy, I quickly unplugged the headphones from the little mixer and plugged into the front phone input. UGH! it was so BAD.

Maybe Cliff can chime in here, but I'm assuming the Headphone amp circuit in the front was not designed all that well or something. Its a bad representation of your AxeFX tone and I'd recommend no one use it. If you need headphones, get a little mixer like I have so you can directly monitor your output signal that goes out the back (which is the real tone sent to the PA systems).


(NOTE: My biggest guess is that the mixer itself is improving the sound...but I did do a test at home where I recorded direct with the USB cable and the recording sounded nearly identical running directly to my stereo and speakers as it did in the headphones into the mixer. I also looked at the manual, and the block diagram shows the output 1 and phones as equal, so I don't know how to explain all this. If the mixer itself was improving the sound so much, then why is it equal to the recording, and what exactly is the mixer doing to the sound?)
 
Last edited:
Gamedojo said:
Ok, Don't know if everyone knew this already.

At last night's gig, I had to setup a quick failsafe way to monitor myself just encase my power amp were to fail (long story...)

Anyways... I use a Yamaha MG10/2 mixer to blend the band's monitor mix in with my AxeFx signal. I brought my big-can headphones along and plugged it into the Mixer as my make-shift monitoring setup if needed.

Wow... GREAT sound. I had never heard the axe sound this good through headphones. I've (stupidly) only used the headphone jack in the front. It was always VERY processed sounding and rather shrill.

Just to be sure I wasn't crazy, I quickly unplugged the headphones from the little mixer and plugged into the front phone input. UGH! it was so BAD.

Maybe Cliff can chime in here, but I'm assuming the Headphone amp circuit in the front was not designed all that well or something. Its a bad representation of your AxeFX tone and I'd recommend no one use it. If you need headphones, get a little mixer like I have so you can directly monitor your output signal that goes out the back (which is the real tone sent to the PA systems).


(NOTE: My biggest guess is that the mixer itself is improving the sound...but I did do a test at home where I recorded direct with the USB cable and the recording sounded nearly identical running directly to my stereo and speakers as it did in the headphones into the mixer. I also looked at the manual, and the block diagram shows the output 1 and phones as equal, so I don't know how to explain all this. If the mixer itself was improving the sound so much, then why is it equal to the recording, and what exactly is the mixer doing to the sound?)
Click to expand...


I have run my Axe II through the rear xlr's, usb and headphones, reamped via usb, and have never heard such a discrepancy in tone over any method, using the same headphones across all platforrms (direct headphone jack, xlr to mixing board into headphones (no adjustments), usb into daw into headphones (no adjustments), even daw and mixer out to studio monitors, all sound exactly the same to me).
 
Shouldn't be much different. If they're very low impedance headphones though you might have problems. The driver can't handle very low impedance cans.
 
FractalAudio said:
Shouldn't be much different. If they're very low impedance headphones though you might have problems. The driver can't handle very low impedance cans.
Click to expand...

Hmm.. interesting. The HD280 Sennheiser is supposed to be 64ohm impedance so I don't think that would be considered low.

Dunno. Maybe others don't hear what I'm hearing. The reality is that it doesn't really matter. I never plug headphones into my axe. Sounds phenominal in my monitors and PA so thats all that matters really.
 
I'm using Audeze LCD-2 (50 Ohm), and I do not notice any difference between the Axe-FX Headphone output or the RME FF400 headphone output.
 
Hi,i had a problem with my headphone output on my axe fx 2. There was some "bass" boom missing,so i got a fix for a repir shop. Don`t know what they did. But now the sound is now the same. On output 1 - 2 and headphone output.
Try to record the headphone out,and compare with the output 1-2
 
seedoftheday said:
Hi,i had a problem with my headphone output on my axe fx 2. There was some "bass" boom missing,so i got a fix for a repir shop. Don`t know what they did. But now the sound is now the same. On output 1 - 2 and headphone output.
Try to record the headphone out,and compare with the output 1-2
Click to expand...

I have the same problem in mine. The low end is missing. It sounds like there's a high pass filter running on the headphone out. Plus slightly exaggerated mids(high mid-ish) as well. Where did you get yours fixed? I had posted about my problem ages ago, but didn't get a solution back then..
 
I would guess that the headphone output is designed to drive a different impedance load than output 1 and 2. That could explain the difference in frequency response.
 
I got my axe fx 2 from G66. So i gave them a call. And i got mine fixed,like 10 minutes from where i live. Good suport from G66
Yeah the headphone sould be det same as output 1-2.
 
So, what did they do that made it so much better?

I'm actually running the S/PDIF out of the Axe into a nice DAC/headphone amp with Beyerdynamic DT880 600 ohm, and it's still not so great. Just lacking fullness and depth, that "real" quality. I'm still tweaking settings of course, and the phones are new and have a long burn-in time, so maybe that's it.
 
Axe-Fx headphone has never sounded good to me. Actually unusable. It sounds like the pocket Marshall amp, shrills.
Via mixer or soundcard it sounds great.
I use Shure SRH940, 42 ohm.
 
I thought I was crazy, but now I've used the Axe FX 2 headphone output with 5 different headphones ranging from 18ohms to 300 ohms. They ALL sound...lacking. Everything lower than 200hz sounds clear but without any real drive to it. I've had it for years and it's always been this way. Open back, closed back...and the outputs in back out to a headphone amp sounds spectacular =( What's the deal? Anyone figure this out?
 
Same here, running into an interface and using that headphone jack sounds great, but the front headphone jack on the unit sounds bad.

My sonys are 63 ohms so maybe the output impedence of the headphone amp is really high. Or maybe it's just the design.

I do hear some people say there is no difference for them so maybe just a fault or something, or some models have different amps. Mine is a II Mk.2

If I went back to headphones I'd just get a headphone amp like an O2 (or build one) and run that from one of the back outputs.
 
I never heard a difference with my 2 mark II.

I bounce between headphones and mains monitoring all the time.
 
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