Member Avatar for terence193

Is there I way I can have the rear speakers(where I have 2.1speakers) and front (where i attach my headset) working simultaneously?

I tried connecting the headset to one of the rear jacks as front speakers but it didn't work.

The speakers have a jack for headset (Arctic Sound 2.1 s362) but when I connected it there .. bass kept coming out of the Subwoofer and from the headset only treble came out.

I am assuming that there is some possible software options which I don't know of.

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by skilly

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Short summary and practical options tied to earlier replies from , and .

The symptom (headset only getting treble when plugged into the speaker’s jack) is commonly a hardware routing/crossover issue inside the powered subwoofer: many 2.1 systems feed the headphone socket from the satellite‑channel after the low‑frequency crossover, so the subwoofer keeps the bass and the headphone sees a high‑pass signal. Separately, PC jacks can be assigned to specific surround channels, so a rear connector may not carry the same stereo feed as the desktop/front jack unless the driver remaps it.

Two practical ways to get both headset and speakers working simultaneously

  • Hardware: use a true splitter or an independent output device. Feed a single full‑range line output (from the PC) into both devices via a passive stereo splitter or, better, a small headphone amp/switch box. Do not directly wire two active outputs together (that can damage hardware). A cheap USB audio dongle for the headset is a safe and simple solution: it creates a separate sound device so both can be used at once without internal re‑wiring.

  • Software: mirror the system stream to two outputs. Virtual audio tools (virtual cables or a small mixer app) receive the default sound, then route copies to the speakers and to the headset device. This avoids hardware changes and works even when the driver treats jacks differently.

Quick troubleshooting checklist

  • Update the audio driver and check jack‑retasking options (some drivers let you remap outputs).
  • Try the headset on a known full‑range output (not the subwoofer jack) to confirm the crossover behavior.
  • Avoid paralleling two outputs; use a splitter from one output or a USB device for the headset.
  • If convenience is the goal, a small external headphone amp/switch or inexpensive USB adapter is usually the fastest, most reliable fix.

Recommended Answers

All 6 Replies

Member Avatar for rubberman

It depends, but basically you can do that. What is your operating system? What are you doing to configure your audio output?

Member Avatar for terence193

It depends, but basically you can do that. What is your operating system? What are you doing to configure your audio output?

I am using Windows 7 Ultimate and am using an onboard soundcard. I have the Realtek HD Audio Manager software installed. I don't understand why the rear is muted, and it is really boring having to connect and disconnect the cable from the jack each time.

Member Avatar for rubberman

If you right-click on the sound icon in your docking bar, and select "adjust audio properties", then you should be able to go to the "Audio->Speakers" tab and setup the speakers as you prefer. At least this is what you do with XP (I don't have Win7), although I expect Win7 has similar controls. If that doesn't work for you, I expect to get a Win7 system later this week for my new job, so I should be able to determine if there are changes to what you do to get the other speaker port to work properly.

Member Avatar for skilly

i am also very interested in how to do this,

i have thought about installing one of the extra PCI sound cards i have, but it just seems like it would be a waste of time...

is it a waste of time?

Member Avatar for rubberman

i am also very interested in how to do this,

i have thought about installing one of the extra PCI sound cards i have, but it just seems like it would be a waste of time...

is it a waste of time?

You would probably have to disable one of the cards. I use the HD card that came with my Intel motherboard, and I can switch between front and back, or bluetooth device, as necessary, at least in my Linux system!

Member Avatar for skilly

i use windows7 and i have found what i was looking for(sort of)
control panel->hardware and sound->sound->playback tab
select a playback device and click properties
select custom tab
there are 2 checkboxes:
'switch line-in to rear output' and
'switch mic-in to center/LFE output'

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