Asus Z97 Pro Audio Amplifier?

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jkteddy77

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Jun 13, 2013
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I have a Z97 Pro, and there isn't a lot of info about the crystal Sound 2 soundcard that it uses onboard.
Does it even have an audio amplifier? if so, how good is it.
Does it power the Rear Headphone jack, or the Front Headphone Jack. Does i power both? I have My case's front headphone jack connected through and HD Audio plug, would that allow me to power the front headphone jack as well? IS there a way I can if it isn't already?

Sorry for being a noob, but not even my Z97 Pro's manual explains the Crystal Sound 2, but many sources says it has an OpAmp.
 
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IInuyasha74

IInuyasha74

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May 1, 2013
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Well looking at the board and the specs, it uses a Realtek ALC1150 codec, which is a really good one with high SNR ration. In addition to that, it has shielding over it, and is cut off from the main board by a layer of silicon to avoid EMI. It does appear to have a small headphone amplifier, and just a few capacitors. Overall it should be pretty good.

Really its not something to think too much about. I love examining the audio systems on motherboards just cause I like to feel I am getting something extra, and audio is really built up past the point that it needs to be anyways. Its hard to tell the difference for many people between several different solutions. I do feel Asus driver package gives a little more in this way, cauase it enables some of the often disabled features of the chip which give a bit better sound effects and performance.

For your front audio, your case has to support HD Audio, not all of them do. If it does though, its just a matter of plugging it into the motherboard.
 
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jkteddy77

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Thanks for examining it bettter than I could ;)
I know Onboard audio isn't a huge deal, but If I spend some money on a nicer headset, I want to know that the motherboard has a large enough amplifier to get the sound the headset can deliver.

Also, yes, the front headphone jack is connected and working through HD Audio, so what I'm asking is that is it amplifying the headphones I plug into the front jack as well? Or is only the rear headphone jack powered?

Update: Found the settings in Realtek... but how can I toggle the Amplifier on or off? There is no where I can find in the Realtek Software, and the board seems to OverAmp every headset, making things thick and unclear in sound. How can I disable or customize the amp now? I'd have thought Asus would at least let you control your own audio
 
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jkteddy77

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Do you know if there is a way to control the Amplifier on the board? It makes everything in stereo sound muddy, uncrisp, and unclear. Shouldn't I be able to toggle/customize somehow?
 
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jkteddy77

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Hmm... with Crystal Sound 2? in the actual PC control Panel this is in? All I have for software is the Realtek HD Sound Manager like the one in this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjrYTR19wBI

And I cam't find any options for the amplifier except for Auto Switch, and front panel, those are the only options... no fine tuning and can't even turn it completely off...

What is "Crystalizer"? Please evaluate on how I could change this please. I think YOU have Crystalizer because your Gigabyte board has a Creative Onboard Soundcard in it. How could I change mine with Asus's Crystal Sound 2?
 
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