The signal going through that port isn't amplified or controlled via the volume knob. Oh, you can't use the line-out port for headphones, if that's what's going through your mind. SteelSeries tells me they'll offer an appropriate adapter soon (it will most likely be 8-pin Mini-USB to 3.5-mm audio), but there's really no excuse to not have it built into the sound card. Sadly, there's simply no connector for them.
You can't even plug in a regular pair of headphones, which you'll definitely want to do if you own them, in order to enjoy the sound of that lovely ESS Sabre 9018 DAC chip. The only way to connect a headset to the GameDAC is to use the 8-pin Mini-USB port on its side, and it only connects to the Arctis Pro gaming headset. SteelSeries didn't include a simple amplified headphone jack and a 3.5-mm microphone input, so you're out of luck should you ever want to get rid of the Arctis Pro headset but keep using its sound card. What's missing? A way to use the GameDAC for any other headset that's not the Arctis Pro. If you want to play music from an external device that's connected to the GameDAC with a wire, that's the connector you'll use. The final port is marked as "Mobile" and is a simple auxiliary input. Sure, my NAD C326BEE power amplifier handled the line-out signal delivered from the GameDAC with ease, but does SteelSeries really expect an average user to have a dedicated power amp and a pair of passive speakers sitting around their PC, or is the line-out on the GameDAC simply too quiet? I'm leaning toward the latter. I wasn't able to achieve acceptable volume levels when outputing audio to a pair of older Gigabyte and Logitech PC speakers. You better hope that your active speakers have a good amplifier built into them, because the line-out signal is very quiet. The first is a line-out port you'll use to connect your active speakers or an amplifier with passive speakers. Then, we have the Micro-USB port for connecting the sound card to the PC and to enable the microphone on the PS4. Here, you'll find the optical input, which can be used to get the best-possible sound quality when using the Arctis Pro with the PlayStation 4, for example. The connector on the left side of the sound card is the one you'll use to connect the Arctis Pro headset.
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