The best Headphone Adapters: Reddit reviews

From 3.5 billion Reddit comments

Just a word of warning - I implemented this in my car, and ran into a few hurdles:
1) Audio output was too quiet, haf to crank my stereo to 100%. Installed a USB soundcard ( https://www.amazon.com/Sabrent-External-Adapter-Windows-AU-MMSA/dp/B00IRVQ0F8 ) to correct the issue.
2) Calling support is limited! Just launches speakerphone on your phone, no bluetooth audio support for calling.
3) I had trouble finding a power adapter that wouldn't trigger the lightning bolt (bad power indicator) in the upper right of my screen when, especially since the phone pulls power through the Pi. Oddly this one worked fine: https://www.amazon.com/AUKEY-Charger-Charge-Samsung-Galaxy/dp/B01KZHKF4I
4) This issue is probably limited to my exact car, or my model of car ( 2010 Hyundai Elantra Blue), but: after connecting the setup, within 5 minutes a light would fire in my dash indicating one of my TPMS sensors had disconnecting. Removing the Pi setup would clear the light within 5 minutes. The sensors operate on 315 mhz; no idea how the Pi setup could be interfereing ( tried a Pi2, Pi3, and Pi3b+ w/ Official 7" LCD ). I am probably the only person on earth who will experience this, but figured I'd report anyways.
5) Heavy Waze + Spotify user here; the entire setup would shit the bed if there was too much going on in Waze (traffic, cops, accidents would trigger massive audio tearing). Other users report similar experience on this front.
Overall, cool project, but I retired my setup!

The Google adapter is currently $6.39 from Target: https://www.target.com/p/google-usb-c-digital-to-3-5mm-headphone-adapter-white/-/A-53968163

The Apple adapter is currently $7.99 at Amazon (and the regular MSRP is just $9.00): https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B07K25P3N1/

No1 selling adapter on Amazon. #2 is the metal cased version for a little more.

L-out = line out, aka headphone jack.

My guess is that it's a normal 3 pole jack and will only do audio out.

Every desktop I've seen is like that, only ever seen laptops and phones have 4 pole jacks that can do mic + audio out so you will probably need a splitter to do Line out and mic in.

One of those female to dual male ones like this https://www.amazon.com/Headphone-Splitter-KOOPAO-Microphone-Earphones/dp/B084V3TRTV

or get a cheap usb sound card.

Use a 3.5mm splitter. They work in reverse too. Nobody sells it as a "combiner" but they are just passive electrical devices. You won't get any fancy features like muting one source or relative volume balancing it will just "merge" the two audio signals.

You also may need some male to male adapters as I doubt anyone makes them with the ports reversed.

On edit: someone actually does make one with ports reversed (they call it a headphone splitter not a source combiner which annoys the engineer in me) https://www.amazon.com/Headphone-Splitter-Computer-Smartphone-Headset/dp/B01MQZ2023/

I share this a lot on here, so I don't think you really searched the sub, but this is a cheap and fast option :

Sabrent USB External Stereo Sound Adapter for Windows and Mac. Plug and play No drivers Needed. (AU-MMSA) https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00IRVQ0F8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_wKM7Nttz7Awms

First, I agree: don't go wireless. Just get a recent controller with the 3.5mm jack built in.

Second, "console" headsets are almost always 50% more expensive than PC equivalents, and the sound quality is almost always 50% worse. Not saying that gaming headsets need to be "audiophile" grade (they don't), but if you're going to charge $100+ for a gaming headset, it had better sound like a $100 pair of headphones, not a $20 pair with lots of cool gaming logos.

Personally, I just bought this adapter off Amazon and it lets you use any PC gaming headset with the Xbox. Hooked it up to my Logitech $40 headset and couldn't be happier.

It's proibably a combo jack, which has both the headphones and mic combined into one port. It's the same port as those on phones where wired headphones often have a mic built into them.

You can get an adapter for cheap: https://www.amazon.com/Kingtop-Adapter-Tablet-Headsets-Version/dp/B01I3A47I4

In that case, I think you'd really enjoy the SHP 9500. My PS4 controller is not able to sufficiently power the SHP 9500, but a laptop will be able to. I used my SHP 9500 on a laptop for a while too. I would strongly suggest getting at least a cheap USB DAC. My laptop has a lot of noise straight out of the headphone jack and I got this USB DAC and it sounded far better. The SHP 9500 does have good bass, just not as much as a closed back. You can always EQ it to give it a little more bass. I actually enjoy my SHP 9500 better in some violin tracks because of the wider soundstage.

My guess would be that that headset use TRRS tips while that Roland most likely uses a TS input. So you’d need an adapter like this to separate the mic signal from the headset.

Why not try using a headphone splitter first? https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B084V3TRTV/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_39CR78B19SEDEZ3XPG8B pick up two of those and plug both systems into the computer at once to see if it's going to work. If you like how it sounds you can go ahead with splicing the inputs together.

Do you need a DAC?

Honestly IEMs aren't usually hard to drive and a DAC kinda useless if your phone still has a headphone jack of course.

The Apple Dongle is cheap and good. No reason to spend more unless you have a specific need to fill.

Really. DACs are simple and not really crazy tech, if all you need is just a DAC, the Apple Dongle does an excellent job.

There are lots of devices people also tend to call DACs but are actually a bunch of things, the FiiO BTR5 for example. That's a DAC, and an amp, and it does Bluetooth, and has an app and symmetric output and a whole bunch of stuff. If you need a device that does all of these things, you should spend a good bit more than 30$ to get something actually decent (like the FiiO).

But really, you most likely don't. Phones generally drive anything that isn't in 100+ Ohm territory just fine and also generally sound just fine. Don't buy into the audiophile hype of needing this and that and whatever to get great sound. The vast majority of your gear will sound the exact same no matter if it's your phone or an expensive tower of boxes that fandangle your audio. Especially if you're just using IEMs.

Buy things for a purpose. If you have headphones that need a lot of juice, buy an amp that can provide that juice. If you want a specific feature, buy the thing that has that feature. Don't just buy stuff because the hivemind does.

Perhaps more importantly, buying better headphones is almost always the better choice. 150$ headphones and a 150$ amp won't sound as good as 300$ headphones. Simple as that. (Unless you actually need an amp of course).

If you want further reading, this is good:

http://nwavguy.blogspot.com/2011/02/gain-and-headphone-ampsdacs.html

I see two audio ports on the front of the case; one with a mic symbol above it, the other with a headphone symbol above it. /u/Switchen your suspicion is correct, and OP will need a splitter cable like this.

No, the controller can't be used as an adapter, sadly. You just need to buy a

headset -> headphone/microphone adapter. They are $6 on Amazon:

https://smile.amazon.com/Headphone-Splitter-Computer-Smartphone-Headset/dp/B01MQZ2023/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=headset+to+mic%2Fheadphone+adapter&qid=1610867232&sr=8-3

A guitar won't drive headphones to a useable level. You might use an adapter like this to get your guitar into your computer, then listen there with headphones.

I picked an external one simply because it was super cheap, well-rated, and I had heard audio samples with the modmic.

I didn't use an internal because I have a mini-ITX case and had zero room.

Here is the amazon link to the one I am using - if you decide on this, make sure to get the (AU-MMSA) model as it provides enough voltage while newer models do not.

https://www.amazon.com/Sabrent-External-Adapter-Windows-AU-MMSA/dp/B00IRVQ0F8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1499826634&sr=8-1&keywords=sabrent+usb+sound+card

Are you asking about a USB sound card, that offers a headphone port?

I bought a cheap one by Sabrent from Amazon that works fine.: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IRVQ0F8/

For the Pi Zero W it's on, I had to add an adapter between the OTG USB port and the Sabrent dongle's full-size USB plug. You need to decide whether that is small enough for your constraints.

If you are connecting to the 3.5mm microphone ports on the back of the pc:

1. Ensure you have the drivers installed from the motherboard manufacturer's page for audio

2. Ensure you are plugging the headset plugs into the correct ports (there are usually 6 ports, with one being for mic and one where headsets go)

If you are plugging into the 3.5mm connections on the front of the computer case:

1. Ensure you have plugged the HDAUDIO connector or the AC97 connector from the inside of your case to the appropriate audio port on the motherboard

If the device is USB:

1. Ensure you have the proper USB device drivers installed from the device's websites

General Notes:

1. In windows, you will need to go into sound settings to make sure your device is listed as the input/output device

2. If you are using realtek audio drivers, you may need to open the realtek audio control panel to change which audio is detected. This can vary wildly between releases of realtek audio drivers. Make sure your realtek is the latest version supported by your motherboard.

3. If your device is 3.5mm but supports mic and headphones over a single 3.5mm connection, you will need a break out cable like this one: https://www.amazon.com/Headphone-Splitter-KOOPAO-Microphone-Earphones/dp/B084V3TRTV/ to properly plug into the 2 pc audio connections.

you need a splitter then

headset and mic splitter cable

something like this https://www.amazon.com/MillSO-3-5mm-Jack-Adapter-CTIA/dp/B071NDLCGC?ref_=fsclp_pl_dp_1

You can grab something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Sabrent-External-Adapter-Windows-AU-MMSA/dp/B00IRVQ0F8

It will create another output in Windows, so you can output one thing to your headphones and another out the back of your PC.

Issue 1 is weird, never seen anything like it. Maybe plug your PC into a TV and see if that issue still happens?

For issue 2, I just dealt with a similar thing, and here's what I'd try:

1. Does your mobo's I/O panel on the back of the case have a mic slot? If so, try it. If it doesn't work, this is very weird and almost certainly a driver issue.

2. Are you absolutely, positively, 100% sure the front panel connector for the mic is plugged into the mobo, and that the connector is oriented correctly?

3. Is it possible for you to disassemble your front panel and inspect your mic port? It might just be physically broken.

BTW, don't buy a USB headset if things don't work. Buy something like this off Amazon for $8. Unless you're an audiophile with $250 headphones this will be fine.

I'm assuming you're talking about a USB microphone.

If you want it to work on an Xbox, you'll need for your microphone to have a headphone jack at the bottom, and you'll need a headphone splitter like this to connect both your headphones and microphone.

As for the adapter, I don't use one, I plug the splitter right into my controller and it works fine but I've heard that's not the case for everyone.

if it's combined in usb, then that's easy.

if it's combined in aux in/out, you would need an adapter like this.

https://www.amazon.com./Headphone-Splitter-KOOPAO-Microphone-Earphones/dp/B084V3TRTV/ref=sr\_1\_6?keywords=headphone+splitter&sr=8-6

>Obviously, wired earphones don't have 2 headphone jacks

Most 'gaming' headsets nowadays that don't use USB to connect come with two jacks, one for the headphone output and one for the mic. If you have only one jack then you'll have to get a splitter cable to use them both at once.

As for the bluetooth headset, it's an issue with windows really, it separates them into one "headphone" which only gives audio input, and one "hands free audio" which is only for communication audio. So if you want to use your mic you'll default to the hands free audio, but that means the "headphone" won't give an audio output, so you'll have to switch completely to the hands free audio to get both, but then the audio quality ends up absolute shit. I believe there's a way to fix it for some headsets, but no clue how that actually goes so youtube is your best bet.

You could check Device Manager to see if there still are audio devices your PC is able to recognize, but this happened to my SO's PC a few months ago: the motherboard audio chipset got bonkers without an identifiable reason. No output, no input and suddenly no devices on board. Dead as a doorknob. I got around it with a cheap external USB sound card.

I have an AT2020+ that works fine on PS4, but PS3 took some extra steps. I believe what finally ended up working was getting one of these (https://www.amazon.com/Sabrent-External-Adapter-Windows-AU-MMSA/dp/B00IRVQ0F8/), plugging that into the PS3, then plugging the monitor/headphone jack of the microphone into that adapter.

It's kinda silly, but basically you need to get the mic into a format the PS3 can read for it to work.

You probably don't need a USB adapter.

You likely need one of these.

Or one of these depending on the type of connectors your laptop and headphones have.

It may have done damage to some of the capacitors along the line, or even oxidized the ground plane in the board, if it traveled along the ground plane. It would be impossible to say without physical access to the board, and possibly even destructive testing if it's not just a blown capacitor or such.

It definitely sounds like it's a hardware issue, though, and with lightning, I wouldn't be surprised if other more subtle problems manifest in the future, but your audio issue could be solved for $8 with a USB audio dongle. I've got a few of this exact dongle and they're quite handy. I generally use them on PCs that don't have front audio inputs or have a combo jack and I need a separate mic input, and they don't require any drivers. Just plug in and Windows will have it running in a few seconds, and it will be it's own entirely new audio interface with its own power supply and no crossover to the onboard audio, so it shouldn't share the symptoms.

Connecting the headset plug will automatically switch the microphone input; you'll need to use an adapter to convert the headset plug to a dual headphone+microphone plug and then only connect the headphone.

Are you connecting it to the front of the case or the motherboard directly? might be worth it to buy a USB soundcard and use that for output instead.