ASUS Motherboard Fancy Onboard Sound Question

[PerfectRazor]

So I've got one of those Asus motherboards that has pages of advertising lingo about how great the onboard sound solution is, and that it's triple insulated, plasma shielded or what have you. But I connect my headphones through USB, does any of that matter? If not, let me know what sort of headset to get to take advantage of this pricy feature.

 

[AnimeMania]

From what little I have read about the subject, USB headphones have their own sound system and don't use the audio components on the motherboard. Headphones/microphones with 3.5 mm plugs are what is required to utilize your fancy onboard sound system. They are the standard headphones for MP3 and cellphones so you probably have some lying around if you want to give it a try. For best results, plug your headset into the back of your computer because the front panel headphone jack may be inferior or improperly grounded. My front panel connectors produce a constant low hum/whine when headphones are attached, which gets much louder when my mouse is plugged into the front panel USB port. Headphones typically go into the light green port and the microphone into the pink port, although the computer will probably ask you what it is you just plugged into the port since the ports can to be configured to the device.