does anyone know of a device that will let two pcs share a sound system? I suppose I can use a series of 3.5mm jack Y cables but presumably it would cause problems having the signal from one machine able to reach the jack on the other machine via the Y splitter? Is there something that would do switching A+B+Y instead but that keeps the individual inputs isolated from one another?
I would have thought switching inputs on some sort of pre-amp is the good way to do it.
You could wire up a switch. Common up the grounds and use a dpdt toggle switch?
Anything stopping you using a cheap stereo amp. Something like a 2nd hand Cambridge audio entry model?
Will it work for more than 2.0 configurations? I'm currently running 4.0 but might move to 5.1 soonOriginally Posted by b0redom
An older av amp would be a good shout then (pre everything being hdmi). Should give you component input for multichannel, as well as coax/optical and plain old stereo. Can just ignore the video side of it
Yeahthis. Presumably if you’re doing multichannel
out you can output over digital? You could probably get a reasonably good 2nd hand 5.1 setup including speakers for not very much off eBay.
if both output digital via fibre optical cable you can get a cheap switch for about £3 on ebay etc, so 3 cables, one to amp from switch and each pc to the switch (manual - no power). you can get cheap USB soundcards for about £8 or so if you don't have the optical
both machines have optical - never used it tbh. How would this play if using optical out and then connect headphone+mic to front panel 3.5mm jacks? Would it still isolate /mute in the same way?
Probably depends on the OS. I have a pc hooked up to several screens (via hdmi and display port) including a 4K tv and a soundbar via aux. I have to choose the output from within windows.
I'd think you need to think a bit more about exactly what you want to connect, but the answer to your question will be yes, there are devices that will do it. But exactly what depends on what outputs you use, and what the audio systemm inputs expect.
The simplest would be that double pole switch DanceswithUnix mentioned but that would make me a smidge nervous, either about ensuring break before make, or about potentially damaging switch noise.
At the other end of complexity would be if the outputs are digital and the inputs analog, then there's goingvto be some kind of DAC in there, with or without pre-amp.
There are several companies doing all sorts of switches for this kind of stuff, depending on exact configuration, and several similar type were mentioned in my thread a few months ago about recording LPs (albeit I was going the other way, from phono or line out, via ADC to USB in). Behringer is one such, but there's others. As these companies often are talking about professional sound, or home recording studios, you can get anything from fairly basic £20 2-input switches, up to multi-channel mixers.
You need to get straight what you're connecting. If it's line-out on sound cards to line in on a sound system, then it should be a pretty basic switch.
A lesson learned from PeterB about dignity in adversity, so Peter, In Memorium, "Onwards and Upwards".
But then a sound system should already have an input selector.
or use bluetooth and re-pair if you aren't doing it too often.
at the moment I simply have two pairs of speakers plugged in two 3.5mm jacks on the rear of the machine. One goes to one pair, one to the other. The Pc does the maths on the quad-sound.
I want to be able to connect another PC and use the same screens and speakers. I have HDMI switches for the screens. Now I just need to connect the speakers. I would like something that does A+B+Y so I can have sound coming from both at the same time. simple Y splitter cables (used in reverse) would do this, but as above I'm worried about signal going into the outputs on the other machine and causing issue so I kind of need one-way Y joiners, or a box/switch that achieves that.
Sounds like you want something like a couple of these then:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/STEREO-Manu...dp/B073GWCRP3/
I would've thought that a local hifi shop would have something similar. Really though if you're considering going full 5.1, I'd price up a 2nd hand system as ~ £40, plus all the cables you'll need would make a big dent in the price of a 2nd hand/budget 5.1 setup I'd have thought.
they don't do ABY just AB
For A, B, Y I'd have thought some kind of small mixer would be required.
But, at least for 'reputable' brands, that'll bump the price up some. There are no doubt cheap imports, but after a couple of experiences of such devices ending up destroying the gear I had connected, I now refuse to even consider them. YMMV, of course.
Eminently possible. But how many inputs are already hooked up.
e.g. I have phono (record deck), then external DAB tuner, MD recorder, CD deck and cassette deck, and wanted switchable inputs from a couple of DVR/HDR decks too. I ran out of line-in's.
A lesson learned from PeterB about dignity in adversity, so Peter, In Memorium, "Onwards and Upwards".
Some older receivers do allow you to do this. If you're willing to look around you can probably find one of these cheap. Otherwise an audio mixer would be your best bet.
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