# Can Someone explain to me how an Headphone splitter works / the technical ?



## AllsWell

I'm looking for a headphone splitter ( Y splitter the same thing ? ), I have a couple of headphones that I would like to do an A/B comparison on, and I think a splitter would be beneficial for me ( partly because I have a bad short term memory ! ). Plus it would be awesome if my friends could use my headphones and listen with me.
   
  The source would be my laptop, no outside amp. So I would like to have 2 or more headphones going at the same time.
   
  My question(s) is, do you lose "sound" quality when using a splitter ? Can the type of headphone in use influence the sound of the other headphone being used on that same splitter ( power fluctuations ?... splitter build quality...  ?), Does impedence matter ? ... etc... ( I know there are more questions, but I can't think of any right now ) Maybe someone can tell me more.
   
   
  I just want the splitter I decide to purchase, to not change or influence the sound quality/signature of the headphone.


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## VictoriaGuy

Good questions!
   
  If you just want to do A/B testing, a switch will let you listen to the headphones in turn without the 'unused' headphone affecting the sound....
   
  Of course, this will not be suitable for two people listening to headphones at the same time. For that, I do not have a simple answer.
  Without a buffer circuit of some sort, I think that different impedance headphones will take unequal 'shares' of the audio power available and have different loudness.  A 'pro audio' product designed for recording studios or sound techs would probably not 'color' the sound, but audiophiles tend to be very sensitive to such things, perhaps more than professional musicians and recording engineers.
  I'm sure somebody more expert will come along and provide the answers to your questions.
  Stay tuned!
  John


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## Trysaeder

The splitter will decrease the load on the source, which will change the sound. You'll have to implement a switch.


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## RonaldDumsfeld

Ideally you would get yourself a multi channel output audio interface (DAC) or failing that a multi channel headphone amp/splitter.
   
  If you don't want to do that for reasons of expense and a Y splitter is the only alternative then the general rule is that a single channel should not be split more than 3 times. You lose ~3 dB of gain on each channel when you split. You probably have enough spare gain so that is irrelevant.
   
  If the two headphones are identical or very similar then the split will not have an audible effect (beyond loss of gain as stated above). If the headphones are different then it just might. Hard to say with any degree of certainty.


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## AllsWell

Quote: 





trysaeder said:


> The splitter will decrease the load on the source, which will change the sound. You'll have to implement a switch.


 


  Tyrasaeder,
  Could you be a little more specific/detailed, im still a bit of a newb when it comes down to technical behind the scenes stuff.


  Quote: 





ronalddumsfeld said:


> Ideally you would get yourself a multi channel output audio interface (DAC) or failing that a multi channel headphone amp/splitter.
> 
> If you don't want to do that for reasons of expense and a Y splitter is the only alternative then the general rule is that a single channel should not be split more than 3 times. You lose ~3 dB of gain on each channel when you split. You probably have enough spare gain so that is irrelevant.
> 
> If the two headphones are identical or very similar then the split will not have an audible effect (beyond loss of gain as stated above). If the headphones are different then it just might. Hard to say with any degree of certainty.


 

 I don't suppose you could recommed ( just so I have an idea of what I'm looking for/at ) a multi channel amp/splitter.
   
  I do have a D4 mamba DAC/AMP... would this work ? ( well I have tried it and it didn't seem like it did;
  I hooked it up with the usb cable to my laptop, then I had one of my headphones plugged into the headphone jack (AT-AD900), I then plugged in another (SR325is) into the "AUX in/out" jack... , the AD900's were playing at full volume (as they would normally from the D4) while the grado's were barely audible, why did this happen ? Shouldn't they both be playing at matching volume levels ? )
   
  So what else do I need to know?
  Also, can anyone recommend me some decent/cheap equipment for this ?


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## RonaldDumsfeld

http://www.mtraudio.com/mtrcatalogue.htm
   
  It would help if you gave an indication of how much you can spemd or the value of your existing system.
   
  However since you considered a Y cable I assume you want inexpensive.
   
  look down this website. What might interest you are the PS-4 and PS-8. The PS-* costs ~$50.
   
  There are literally thousands of headphone Amp/Splitters. It's a very popular way nowadays for bands on stage or in the studio to monitor one another. So called 'silent stage'.
   
  Samson or ART are reliable and inexpensive brands. Google them.
   
  It's still best though to buy a decent pro-am audio interface in the first place. That will give you multiple stereo channels out with individual controls on each pair as a matter of course. The cheapest one I wholeheartedly recommend would be the Focusrite Saffire 6 but check out other brands such as E-MU, Presonus, TC-Konnec  RME, Apogee.
   
  Do some research yourself and ask again if you have a specific question.


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## Trysaeder

If you have a 32 ohm headphone with a 600 ohm headphone, 95% of the current will go towards the 32 ohm. This will probably result in the 600 ohm being underdriven, while the 32 ohm will sound slightly softer. Instead of a 32 ohm load or a 600 ohm load, you'll have a ~30 ohm load. While that isn't too much of a problem, you'll have a 16 ohm load if you have two 32 ohm headphones. This will draw a lot of current, which probably won't damage anything (ie6/ie7/ie8) but it may affect the sound.


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