headphone vs line level voltage

I’ve connected headphone outputs to line inputs many times. It works great.

The main difference is that the line-level is typically 1 volt and a reltively high impedance, meaning that it's easily pulled lower by a low-impedance load, such as speakers and, to a lesser degree, headphones.


However, the opposite usually works better; a headphone output can, with careful use of the headphone volume control, safely feed a line-level input, and includes a level control that line outputs usually lack.


Are we talking about feeding into or out of the computer? If a computer's output is low, be sure to check the settings on the 'sound' control panel as well as any physical controls. Your connections, too.