# Headset and Speakers question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 31, 2003, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/headset-and-speakers-question/222004 "2003-12-31T21:02:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Creative\_Munster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/919ad9/32.png) [@Creative\_Munster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Creative_Munster)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2003, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/headset-and-speakers-question/222004/1 "2003-12-31T21:02:34Z")
Okay, this should be simple, but I’m having a hell of a time with this. My problem is that I can’t hear out of my headphones when they are plugged in the line in socket of my motherboard (A7N8X Deluxe). They work fine when plugged into the line out which my speakers are plugged into, but then of course I can’t hear from my speakers. My ideal setup would be to be able to hear out of my headphones and my speakers at the same time and when I just wanted to hear out of my headphones, I could turn my speakers down or off. Can anyone help me with this? This motherboard has onboard NVIDIA sound drivers, and I have something called the NVIDIA nForce Control panel to make the changes. I’m using the latest drivers. I would really appreciate an answer to this problem which has been vexing me for far too long. I know it should be possible. Thanks in advance. By the way, I currently have my headset plugged into the line in, microphone sockets, and my speakers into the line out socket. The microphone and the speakers work fine. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2003, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/headset-and-speakers-question/222004/2 "2003-12-31T21:08:37Z")
The line in socket is an _input_ into the sound card. You can’t hear anything out of it, becasue nothing _is_ coming out of it. Pick up a headphone splitter Y cable at some place like Radio Shack. Assuing sufficient signal level, you should be able to run both at the same time from the line out jack. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2003, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/headset-and-speakers-question/222004/3 "2003-12-31T22:05:20Z")
The Line out jack shouldn’t work very well either, since headphones typically have higher power requirements than that. Most sound cards have a headphone out (which you’re probably plugging into if the sound in the speakers cuts out when you plug the headphones in). if that’s the case, a splitter won’t help, since the act of plugging something into that jack actually breaks the connection to the speakers. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2003, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/headset-and-speakers-question/222004/4 "2003-12-31T22:09:57Z")
Oh, I forgot the solution: If you want to spend the money, get a Y splitter for the line out, then feed one side into a headphone pre-amp and plug your headphones into that. You’ll get better sound quality that way too, since the headphone preamps on sound cards generally suck. ---
**Author:** ![dakravel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85e7bf/32.png) [@dakravel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dakravel)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2003, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/headset-and-speakers-question/222004/5 "2003-12-31T22:13:11Z")
Yurp. Most devices (cd players, sound cards, TVs) will usually cut the speakers if you plug something into the headphones jack. ---
**Author:** ![dakravel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85e7bf/32.png) [@dakravel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dakravel)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2003, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/headset-and-speakers-question/222004/6 "2003-12-31T22:14:53Z")
On another note, with your headphones plugged into the line in, you can use them as fairly undersensitive, stereo microphones.