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PC Sound card connections

  • 13-01-2003 05:48PM
    #1
    GiMiC
    Closed Accounts Posts: 104 ✭✭


    I recently got a new Dell PC with a 5.1 Soundblaster. Unfortunately with all the connecitons on the card for the various speakers they neglected to include a line-out port or something similar. My speakers also don't have a headphone socket on them (not complaining though, great sound from them). What I want is some sort of adaptor that will split the signal going to the speakers into two so that the same thing will go to my headphones. As it stands I have to pull out my PC and unplug the speakers to plug in the headphones, and vice-versa. Anybody know what one of these adaptors would be called and where I could get one (I tried peats but they didn't seem to have one)


Comments

  • #2
    mike65
    Closed Accounts Posts: 88,968 ✭✭✭✭mike65


    Most soundcards have only one audio line out, which is why many desktop speakers have a phones socket.

    http://www.provantage.com/scripts/go.dll/magnify/HW_18155.GIF
    is this what you want?

    or do you mean this-
    http://www.musicvillageschools.co.uk/mvproduct.asp?productid=3548

    Either should be availible in any decent audio shop, even Peats!

    Mike.


  • #3
    Cian
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 250 ✭✭Cian


    I used a simple workaround.... a 1 metre extension cable for the audio out on my crappy no-name soundcard. Now I can switch between headphones, speaker and sound for tv-out without moving my lazy ass at all. you can get it from peats, make sure its stereo. I even have a second extension for my microhone so my mic headset can be attached without a hernia.

    edit: Does a splitter not degrade the audio a bit? /edit


  • #4
    Korg
    Closed Accounts Posts: 110 ✭✭Korg


    The signal needed to power headphones is significantly different than that used to power the line-in connection to your speaker system. I'm not sure about the soundblaster but the aureal-based card i have detects whether you've plugged in headphones or connected it to the line-in of a powered speaker system. This is just a guess, but if you do get one of those splitters i'd recommend not having both headphones & speakers plugged in at once. The soundblaster will either output line-level signal to your headphones & speakers, in which case the headphones will be fairly quiet, or more likely the soundblaster will output headphone-level signals to your headphones & speakers, then the sound out of your speakes may sound all distorted etc.


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