Hi,

I'm lost with all the talking on the Internet about getting a sound interface....

I don't need sound interface for recording.

I only produce EDM and I use my headphones to monitor sound, mixing and mastering.

Does the sound interface has an impact on the sound quality coming to the headphones ?

Thanks ! ;)

 

Yes. Well, the quality of the headphone amp (-cirquitry) in the interface is. Furthermore, the impedance of the headphone-output should match your headphone.

 

yes

 

The quality of the amp-headphone combination has an influence on the sound you are hearing. A cheap amp will distort the frequency spectrum. You will not be able to make good judgements, and will not be able to hear problems with your mix. And it is much more fun to listen to your music on a good system. You will be more inspired and may have better ideas, what to do with your stuff

 

@ Medad,

I can then guess that if you don't need an (external) 'Audio Interface' for recording, it's that all your stuff is done internally without adding any 'external' Sound Material/Source.
I mean, you certainly use either 'Samples' & 'Loops' Libraries and/or 'MIDI' Libraries/Data to make (and produce) EDM, isn't ?

But even in this case, all the sounds that come to your 'Headphones' from your diverse 'DAWs', 'Music Programs', 'Plugins' (eventually 'Standalone' Versions), are mandatorily passed through the (internal) 'on-board' Audio Interface of your 'Motherboard', hence the reason why you get some 'sound' through your Headphones... *yes*

And here comes the reasons why :

as well as :

I don't exactly know which kind of 'on-board' 'Audio Interface' is present within your 'Motherboard', but even the better ones (e.g. some 'Realtek' Models,... ) won't certainly compete with some (Professional) external 'Audio Interfaces' (Audio Quality, Quality of the Audio/Digital Converters, some components too,... ), and that's the reason why some Users prefer to rely on some more or less Professional external 'Audio Interfaces', rather than rely on the 'Audio Interface' which is available 'by default' within some 'Motherboards'.

____________________________________________________________________​

According to the wise Comment of 'Boom', and which is right ! *yes*

As an example with some Models of one of the most renowned 'Headphones' Manufacturers : 'AKG'

* AKG K812 : Impedance 36 Ohms
* AKG K712 Pro : Impedance 62 Ohms
* AKG K612 Pro : Impedance 120 Ohms
* AKG K271 MKII : Impedance 55 Ohms
* AKG K77 Perception : Impedance 32 Ohms
* AKG K181 DJ UE : Impedance 42 Ohms

And of course, this also applies with most of the 'Headphones' Models made by the different Manufacturers...

 

bear in mind that the architecture of the "on board"sound card dont allow some software to open some in's and out's and limit the potential of the software!
the pro-sound card can handle many features of the pro-audio like for exemple recording and singing or playing an acoustic instrument directly in your computer and monitoring on your headphone!!

 

@Studio 555
@boom

I'm lost about the impedance thing here

For example the Focusrite Scarlett solo (which I intend to use), in the specs on their website, I don't see any impedance related to the headphone output...any help ?

Another thing, so I should use headphones that have the same impedance as the output of headphones, no more, no less, right ?

 

@ Medad,

I just found for you on Internet a little Article about 'Headphones' Impedance which seems not too technical, then I hope that you'll understand it easily and that it can enlighten you a little about that Impedance...

What Is Headphone Impedance ?

"Impedance is very technical measurement that is hard to explain without equations and scientific jargon. We'll simplify it and break it down in terms of headphones with low and high impedance.

Most headphones with low impedance (less than 25 ohms, approximately) require little power to deliver high audio levels. For example, low impedance headphones will work well with equipment with weak amplification like portable music players, phones, and other portable devices.

Headphones with higher impedance (25 ohms and over, approximately) demand more power to deliver high audio levels. As a result, they are protected from damage caused by overloading. They can also be used with a wider range of audio equipment.
DJ headphones generally range from 25 to 70 ohms
Headphones with low impedance are more susceptible to "blow outs" when using more powerful amplifiers. For example, connect a lower-priced pair of ear buds with low impedance (for example, 18 ohms) to a DJ mixer, turn it up to the max, and you'll probably blow them out.
Note: if you're buying very high impedance headphones (for example, the 250 ohms you'll find on the Beyerdynamic DT-880-Pro's), you should do more research on the equipment you'll be using it with."

I just checked the 'Focusrite Scarlett Solo' Homepage, its Features and Specifications... and yes, there's no particular 'Impedance' stipulated for it.
I can only guess that its 'Headphones' Output is somewhat 'normalized', then can accept almost all the 'Headphones' Impendances available on the Market (for reference, the Article provided below about the specific 'power' required depending on the Impedance of your 'Headphones' Model).

By cons, if I was you, I'll certainly use that 'Focusrite Scarlett Solo' rather than the 'on-board' Audio or Sound Card provided within your 'Motherboard'.
As previously mentioned in my first Comment, I don't exactly know the exact Specifications of your 'on-board' Audio Interface, but I'm pretty sure that your 'Focusrite Scarlett Solo' will deliver better Audio Quality as well as results...

Moreover, as mentioned by 'Axelfender' :

Your 'Focusrite Scarlett Solo' possesses a 'Direct Monitoring' Option (to the right), which can greatly help you as you said that you use your Headphones for almost all your Audio tasks. *yes*

In case that you also own a 'Hi-Fi' Amplifier (as commonly found on some Living Rooms !), you can even output all your Audio stuff via that 'Hi-Fi' Amplifier to listen it. It can be a great deal to also listen to your Musical Creations through a 'Hi-Fi' Amplifier. I done it regularly, and depending of the Audio Quality of that 'Hi-Fi' Amplifier, that can sound very Great !!! *yes*
For this, simply use the 2 'Line Outputs' (Left : White & Right : Red) provided on the Rear of your 'Focusrite Scarlett Solo'. These are done for that purpose : '-10dB' (Semi-Professional Standard Output). *yes*

 

@Studio 555

Thanks very much, this was helpful *yes*

 

Yes, also the Drivers Do.

In comparison to not having a soundcard, there is a big difference in the sound.

 

Usually, the safest bet is to use a dedicated headphones amp. There's a reason for their existence.

Not really. While for high frequency applications (and I'm talking MHz and GHz here), impedance matching does indeed make a big difference, contrary to some audiophiles' opinions I'd say the effect is negligible for headphones in the audio range - I'd even prefer a headphones amp with a very high damping factor which means very low AC output resistance, but that might go a bit too deep here.

A good headphones amp should have low enough impedance to drive the lowest-impedance incarnation of your headphones, and high enough output voltage to be loud enough with your highest-impedance model.

There are many searchable forums on the net about dedicated headphones amps and their compatibility with different models of headphones.

 

Yes it does.
Not just because of an amp. DAC also plays major role in how good and accurate the outgoing signal is.

Output impedance should not match headphone impedance. Output is usually in mili-Ohm while headphones range from 16-600 Ohms.

Headphone impedance together with its sensitivity determine how loud the projection is, paired with particular amp.

 

Yes.

Even the quality and length of the cable between audio interface/DAC and headphone amp matters.