• Some users have recently had their accounts hijacked. It seems that the now defunct EVGA forums might have compromised your password there and seems many are using the same PW here. We would suggest you UPDATE YOUR PASSWORD and TURN ON 2FA for your account here to further secure it. None of the compromised accounts had 2FA turned on.
    Once you have enabled 2FA, your account will be updated soon to show a badge, letting other members know that you use 2FA to protect your account. This should be beneficial for everyone that uses FSFT.

How to manage multiple audio inputs/outputs

B

bencho

2[H]4U
Joined
Sep 15, 2007
Messages
2,093
Hi,

I have a 3.5mm Y splitter coming from my PC sound card that goes to my powered speakers and head phones. I leave my headphones unplugged when not in use and turn off my speakers if they are plugged in.

I want to add a set of powered speakers for my TV that has a 3.5mm out; so I don't have to use the TV's speakers. I should just be able to use a 3.5mm to rca. Now my TV is also my 4th display and when I watch movies from my PC, I want to have this new set of speakers be the main output. I can throw in another two Y splitters and call it a day but that would be a pain to have to keep plugging and unplugging stuff.

Is there something that I can plug everything into and just manage it from there?
 
bencho said:
Hi,

I have a 3.5mm Y splitter coming from my PC sound card that goes to my powered speakers and head phones. I leave my headphones unplugged when not in use and turn off my speakers if they are plugged in.

I want to add a set of powered speakers for my TV that has a 3.5mm out; so I don't have to use the TV's speakers. I should just be able to use a 3.5mm to rca. Now my TV is also my 4th display and when I watch movies from my PC, I want to have this new set of speakers be the main output. I can throw in another two Y splitters and call it a day but that would be a pain to have to keep plugging and unplugging stuff.

Is there something that I can plug everything into and just manage it from there?
Click to expand...

A 4x4 composite matrix switch would do everything you want, but finding one cheap, might be an issue. If you were going to spend a few hundred on a switch, you'd be better of just buying an AV receiver.

One way that might work on the cheap, would be to use a plain old 4x1 switch, wired backwards. I know it would work with one that switched mechanically, like a relay. I'm less certain it would work with one that switched using transistors/ICs.
 
do you have HDMI on your graphics card? you can send audio to the tv that way..

if not buy a cheap sound card, usb maybe.

now, either way, heres what you should do:
use a different pogram for watching movies on TV. different than when you watch on the monitor. program that program to
a) automatically pop up on the TV display.
b) automaticlly use the secondary sound card, be it HDMI or a USB sound card.
 
Not open for an expensive solution at this point.
I don't think a receiver is suitable in this situation...

The easiest solution I can come up with at the moment is to add a 2nd Y splitter to my PC speakers/headphones so that the 3rd split can go to another Y splitter that connects to the prospective new speakers and tv output.

I have a 6950 with 4 displays attached; 1 dvi, 2 miniDP to active DVI adapters, 1 hdmi to TV.
I use MPC-HC and will use it on any of the given displays... Never tried to run multiple instances. If it's not running on the TV, I'd want it to run off PC speakers so there is no "set in stone" setup.

Now that I've looked at it a bit more, the only cost effective solution I have is just Y splitters and plugging in/turning on or off components.
 
honestly, that suggestion was just to make it easier for you so you never have to switch any cables or settings....

what i would do is install a portable version of MPC and change the settings on that one, OR you can just change the settings in control panel each time. i would imagine that just changing the settings in sound properties would be easier than unplugging cables.
 
Last edited:
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
Yeap.

Was at guitar center and guy suggested a mixer. But now that I think about it, it would require me to leave all my speakers turned on, as they will all be active. In retrospect, it may be more ideal to just save up a bit more and go the receiver/passive route.
 
bencho said:
Yeap.

Was at guitar center and guy suggested a mixer. But now that I think about it, it would require me to leave all my speakers turned on, as they will all be active. In retrospect, it may be more ideal to just save up a bit more and go the receiver/passive route.
Click to expand...

when you do do that, you should just get a stereo amp with an AB function and headphone jack.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top