Monitoring with headphones?

B

Birdy5150

Member
Hoping someone can help with this.

As I recently postedin another thread, new guy here and loving the Ax8 but havent had a lot of time to fully explore yet. I am playing my Wolfgang -> AX8 -> 2 XLR cables -> Presonus USB Audiobox interface -> Powered Yamaha Monitors. It sounds awesome.

Last night I finally got a chance to play a bit and didnt want to inflict my rusty playing on the whole family, so I turned my monitors off and plugged headphones into the headphone out of my interface. Sounded BAD....like real BAD. Nasal thin tone, kind of like cab had been turned off, but worse. Tried a couple of headphones for the same result. Unplugged headphones, turned monitors on and beautiful creamy tone was back.

Now I realise that this is possibly more an interface issue, but I dont see how. Does anyone have any ideas?
 
Hmm?? shouldn't be that different? Does your interface have any internal EQ that might be on the headphone output? Or on you main output causing you to mis-dial your presets?
 
Worse than turning off the cab? Try actually turning it off, and see if there's a difference.

Then try dialing in a tone with your headphones on.

Also, try your monitors without the interface.
 
flying_walrus said:
you don’t mention what kind of headphones you tried
Click to expand...
Good point. A couple of years back, another user posted the same complaint about crappy headphone sound. Turns out he was using a pair of ear buds he'd snagged during an airplane flight. Mystery solved. :)
 
Moke said:
Hmm?? shouldn't be that different? Does your interface have any internal EQ that might be on the headphone output? Or on you main output causing you to mis-dial your presets?
Click to expand...

No EQ on the interface and never previously noticed a difference previously. Also using the factory presets so nothing there either.
I might have to steal my sons (more expensive) interface to see if the same thing happens.
 
Birdy5150 said:
Hoping someone can help with this.

As I recently postedin another thread, new guy here and loving the Ax8 but havent had a lot of time to fully explore yet. I am playing my Wolfgang -> AX8 -> 2 XLR cables -> Presonus USB Audiobox interface -> Powered Yamaha Monitors. It sounds awesome.

Last night I finally got a chance to play a bit and didnt want to inflict my rusty playing on the whole family, so I turned my monitors off and plugged headphones into the headphone out of my interface. Sounded BAD....like real BAD. Nasal thin tone, kind of like cab had been turned off, but worse. Tried a couple of headphones for the same result. Unplugged headphones, turned monitors on and beautiful creamy tone was back.

Now I realise that this is possibly more an interface issue, but I dont see how. Does anyone have any ideas?
Click to expand...

I'm afraid it may just be the nature of the beast. I started a very similar thread recently out of my own similar frustration. I have two pairs of expensive studio headphones and both sound like absolute crap thru either of my interfaces. I'd rather just not play than play thru headphones. When I can't play loud, I just play unplugged.
 
Did you have the PreSonus Universal Control software running? If not, try testing with the software running, and checking various routing options. (I don't have the PreSonus; my suggestion assumes it's software is similar to the Focusrite.) Oh, and it should be monitoring source and not the DAW. Don't know if that should make a difference, but it's something to try.
 
Probably a routing issue.

Send some computer audio into the interface and listen with the headphones.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom