Question Need help finding audio splitter cable.

[jamesdsimone]

I need to find a 3.5mm 1 female to 2 male splitter cable. I want to setup 2 computers and output each to the same set of speakers. I bought some cables with a head phone output and microphone output expecting but the head phone output doesn't work. I have looked on newegg and amazon and every thing is the same configuration. I just need a simple splitter. If anyone knows where I can look that would be great.

 

[Paperdoc]

Yeah, that item you bought is for a different purpose. It splits signals from a 4-contact TRRS male plug into two 3-contact TRS males. Is is used to adapt certain headsets into the more common plugs used on computers to connect separately the earphones and the mic of a headset into two separate front panel sockets.

What you want is like this

https://www.amazon.com/Plated-Copper-Female-Y-Splitter-Adapter/dp/B08TW7DY3G/ref=sr_1_15?crid=3IYLLCK2DTMAO&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.TKgEYtJGDC6Ha3c9clG6oskx1LrpUJlvLpg-YfFXuhvlNYA2DzksflohpubzXmmQX-40uYVYrbc_1prGCKguLkfH6w2zv3lJpauNp4LjHRP8jh2RQW5zs0-wLX45KjoZeFRcOOgm0KhX4mKpyJweV8aJTXjApXdEv2rAkL0g1cxTyNITcVKTrqdUpGJEgbN5TlfsaWw5-kL2UwsFI9AWUBdWIZGr59PLl7yEFIBln1c.Cg7c1BFAUtaeGtoBOHTHI5ND1T7VNEi7Fwwu_fiH4x8&dib_tag=se&keywords=3.5mm%2Bsplitter&qid=1727443861&sprefix=3.5mm%2Bsplitter%2Caps%2C102&sr=8-15&th=1

Note that it shows used as you need - two output sockets from computers to become one joint socket to feed one earphone or whatever. Also it shows that the two male plugs' contacts each are merely connected in parallel to the female socket.

 

[mindless1]

^ Nice looking cable but pretty expensive. You could probably find a 5 pack on Aliexpress for $2, or paying the US importer markup...

6" 3.5mm Stereo 1 Female to 2 Male Y Splitter, AV-Y02B | eBay

(1) 3.5mm Stereo Female. (2) 3.5mm Stereo Male. Connector: Nickel plated. Cable: Black PVC jacket, OD: 3.0mm.

www.ebay.com

Edit: Granted, the short length of the above cable isn't really practical for direct plugging into two systems! Here's a longer one:

6ft 3.5mm Stereo Female to 2-Male Y-Splitter Audio Cable, CablesOnline AV-Y07B | eBay

CablesOnline Part Number: AV-Y07B. 6ft 3.5mm Stereo Female to 2-Male Y-Splitter Audio Cable. Length: 6ft (can be pulled apart and extend to 12ft). This audio cable goes from a Stereo 3.5mm female jack and splits to two 3.5mm male plugs.

www.ebay.com

I'm sure there are others even cheaper on ebay if you keep looking, but to avoid the problem with the first cable tried, avoid those that mention mic, or have the two male plugs with one green and the other red insulator rings, or that state they have a 4 contact female socket.

Also, depending on what the output stage is like on each PC, the result is unpredictable whether having two systems constantly wired in parallel, will degrade the sound. Ideally instead of a splitter cable, you'd get an A B audio switch splitter or just DIY wire one up with a DPDT switch on the signal wires to isolate them. If either system is unique in having a floating ground (anything operating off a 2 contact wall plug like a laptop), then you might want to isolate the ground leads too.

 

[Steltek]

^ Nice looking cable but pretty expensive. You could probably find a 5 pack on Aliexpress for $2, or paying the US importer markup...

6" 3.5mm Stereo 1 Female to 2 Male Y Splitter, AV-Y02B | eBay

(1) 3.5mm Stereo Female. (2) 3.5mm Stereo Male. Connector: Nickel plated. Cable: Black PVC jacket, OD: 3.0mm.

www.ebay.com

I'm sure there are others even cheaper on ebay if you keep looking, but to avoid the problem with the first cable tried, avoid those that mention mic, or have the two male plugs with one green and the other red insulator rings, or that state they have a 4 contact female socket.

Also, depending on what the output stage is like on each PC, the result is unpredictable whether having two systems constantly wired in parallel, will degrade the sound. Ideally instead of a splitter cable, you'd get an A B audio switch splitter or just DIY wire one up with a DPDT switch on the signal wires to isolate them. If either system is unique in having a floating ground (anything operating off a 2 contact wall plug like a laptop), then you might want to isolate the ground leads too.

Yeah, something like this if you want volume control on the switch or something like this if you don't need volume control.

You can probably find cheaper versions if you look around.

 

[Paperdoc]

OP, as you may see there are some important clues to finding what you want. MOST of the things I see with two MALES and one FEMALE are the wrong ones. They are the ones to CONVERT a 4-contact TRRS male connector from a headset into two male 3-contact TRS plugs to fit into the TWO jacks on a computer front panel - earphones and mic. Most often you will see symbols on the two males for earphones and mic, but some may simply be colour-coded or have words. Most often they use the word "Adapter" because the do convert signals, but not always - some just say Splitter. If the say they let you use a HEADSET with normal computer jacks, that's this wrong type. (I even found one cheap "splitter" that claimed it could do both jobs! Impossible!)

You need one that does NOT claim to convert or enable use of a headset. And you can't tell by looking at the photo because the telltale FOUR contacts are inside the FEMALE connector where you cannot see them. What you really need is hard to identify and find, which is why I quit looking after finding one that IS expensive, I agree. Looking more on Amazon I found ONE other much cheaper, but several users report it did not work because it made poor unreliable contacts. That can happen with poor wires or construction, or from plug male shafts that are too small in diameter.

The item linked for you above on eBay looks to be the correct type and cheaper, but then you pay big Shipping! Of course, from Amazon you pay shipping, too, unless you are ordering a bunch more stuff. Look around yourself for a good price, using these clues to identify the right one.

 

[jamesdsimone]

These will work too?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0785VKZW4/ref=sspa_dk_detail_3?pd_rd_i=B077ZCVWFK&pd_rd_w=vHWH6&content-id=amzn1.sym.8c2f9165-8e93-42a1-8313-73d3809141a2&pf_rd_p=8c2f9165-8e93-42a1-8313-73d3809141a2&pf_rd_r=06Z7KY96EN6MXFM90DME&pd_rd_wg=vXnWH&pd_rd_r=42838982-6e0f-403e-b5f5-669148c49954&s=industrial&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9kZXRhaWw&th=1

 

[jamesdsimone]

6" 3.5mm Stereo 1 Female to 2 Male Y Splitter, AV-Y02B | eBay

(1) 3.5mm Stereo Female. (2) 3.5mm Stereo Male. Connector: Nickel plated. Cable: Black PVC jacket, OD: 3.0mm.

www.ebay.com

Edit: Granted, the short length of the above cable isn't really practical for direct plugging into two systems! Here's a longer one:

One computer has a 5.1 PCIe sound card but the other has a little external 5.1 sound card so I can move that around pretty easily. I could not get me ASUS Xonar to work. I have no idea why. It wouldn't work in my Windows 7 P510 or the Dell 9020 I'm setting up with Windows 10. Everything installed fine but as soon as I tested to speakers it would test ok with the first 2 then freeze and stop working. Reinstalled drivers and the same thing happened.

 

[mindless1]

These will work too?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0785VKZW4

No, that is a dual (male) mono cable, despite the description title stating otherwise. You need dual stereo, with 3 separate contacts on each male plug, but also that the female socket be TRS, not 4 contact TRRS which is used for microphones.

That brand does offer one, but it is only ~2ft long and splits halfway up the cable, though possibly that doesn't matter since you stated one system has the external sound card that you can move around:

https://www.amazon.com/Plated-Copper-Female-Y-Splitter-Adapter/dp/B08TW7DY3G

I still think you ought to get an A B switch instead.

 

[jamesdsimone]

I still think you ought to get an A B switch instead.

The problem with that is I'll need 3.

 

[mindless1]

3 what? You stated two systems and one speaker.

You're a lazy sack of bleep for only writing "I'll need 3" instead of elaborating on what that means, so your dumb, lazy ass, is wasting the time of people trying to help you!

This topic is a waste if you don't make the problem clear in the first place.

unsubscribed

You have a learning problem that I can't solve. Get an A/B splitter switch as I already mentioned.

#cantfixstupid



Insulting members asking for help isn't what we're about.
Yet you keep doing this to people.
Maybe lay off helping people as it doesn't seem to work.


esquared
Anandtech Forum Director

 

[Paperdoc]

OP, you said, "I could not get me ASUS Xonar to work". Once you installed the card in each system, did you use the Windows system to select that audio output source? If you don't know what that means, I'll explain. No matter how many sound output devices your system has, Windows can use only one of them at a time. It is common for a desktop computer to have three such devices: a mobo sound chip, a sound card added in a PCIe slot, and a third sound chip on a video card to send sound via HDMI cable to a monitor with speakers. On your screen at bottom left in the search window type Sound Settings to get a window for that. At the top there is a drop-down window to select which device actually is to be used. Click on its down-arrow to see a list. You may see a Realtek system on your mobo, your ASUS sound card, and a system named like your video card. You must choose the one of those you want to use for the Default Sound Output Device, than back out to main screen and try it. Of course, you need to have your speakers or earphones plugged into the rear panel sockets for that particular device. (You generally do NOT have such sockets on the video card - it only sends sound to the monitor.)

IF you want the added sound card to feed signals to your case's front panel earphone and mic sockets, you need to make connections from those sockets' cables to the Front Panel header on your sound card instead of to the mobo's Front Panel header. See the card's manual. Otherwise you can simply plug any earphone or mic into the sound card's rear panel sockets.

 

[jamesdsimone]

OP, you said, "I could not get me ASUS Xonar to work". Once you installed the card in each system, did you use the Windows system to select that audio output source?

Yes I did. I disabled the onboard sound and set the output to the sound card. It has to be some driver issue since I get sound for the first couple speaker tests then it locks up and I get nothing. I had the card in another Windows 7 system and it worked fine and ASUS has specific Windows 10 drivers. I have the PCie x1 card in another system and it works fine.