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Front panel audio connected to two sources?

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  • Audio
  • Front Panel
  • Components
Last response: in Components
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October 26, 2013 7:42:45 PM

I want to connect my front audio panel to two separate audio sources, so that when I switch my default sound device, I can still use the front audio ports. I've never heard of anyone doing this and can't find the appropriate adapter online, so I was thinking of making my own. Here's my plan:

I'm going to buy two HD audio extension cables, then cut the female end off of one of them and splice each of it's wires into the corresponding wires in the other one, creating an adapter with two inputs (female) and one output (male). I will then plug that adapter's male end into my existing cable that goes to the front panel, and plug each of the female ends into separate audio cards.

Will this work? Or will this somehow mess with the resistance/amps and fry my audio card(s) or front panel? (If it does work, I am aware that it will probably cut the volume in half for both sources, I'm fine with this, I'll just turn it up.)

More about : front panel audio connected sources

October 26, 2013 8:07:36 PM

Sending both at once shouldn't cause a problem since both won't probably be playing at once.

The better way to do it though would be to use a switch. Really you only need to swap 2 wires, left and right. Ground could be included in the switch, but in reality, it's the same ground from sound card to sound card to grounds on the cpu to every screw in the case, everything is a ground. Either way though a 4 or 6 pole (2 or 3 wires x 2) single pole throw switch would work and probably be the safer way.

Drill a small hole in one of your empty drive bay covers and put the switch there.
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October 26, 2013 8:16:34 PM

I am with the above user on this.

I switch is a much safer bet. Connecting outputs to each other is generally a good way for one output to load another and may cause issues depending on the hardware design. Merging 2 outputs can be done with an opamp(2 x 5.1 analog systems(computers) to one set of speakers with isolation :) ), but yeah, that is just adding more work for you.

getting 2 dpdt(I got some on digikey and they work well for audio switching :)  ) switches will allow you to switch each of the 2 plugs to either card independently of one another.

This image was made for another post about selecting the location PC analog audio is sent. Now it only shows one half of the switch, but should give you an idea.
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October 26, 2013 10:29:39 PM

getochkn said:
Sending both at once shouldn't cause a problem since both won't probably be playing at once.

The better way to do it though would be to use a switch. Really you only need to swap 2 wires, left and right. Ground could be included in the switch, but in reality, it's the same ground from sound card to sound card to grounds on the cpu to every screw in the case, everything is a ground. Either way though a 4 or 6 pole (2 or 3 wires x 2) single pole throw switch would work and probably be the safer way.

Drill a small hole in one of your empty drive bay covers and put the switch there.


That could work, but I would like both audio sources to retain the ability to sense when something is plugged into the headphone port, so I think I would need a 5 pole (PORT1 L, PORT1 R, SENSE_SEND, SENSE1_RETURN, and PRESENCE#) DOUBLE throw (on-on, or on-off-on) switch, cuz wouldn't a single throw (on-off) switch just turn it off instead of switch the audio source?

One more thing, apparently the PRESENCE# pin is so that BIOS knows there is something plugged into the audio header on the motherboard, and I'm guessing that's why BIOS alerts me that the front audio is disconnected when it's plugged into my audio card instead of the motherboard. I just press F1 to continue the boot. So do I even need PRESENCE# on an audio card? should I just get a 4 pole switch instead of 5 and leave PRESENCE# out of it, so it can always stay connected to the motherboard along with my PORT2? I only want to switch PORT1 back and forth.
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October 26, 2013 10:34:21 PM

nukemaster said:
I am with the above user on this.

I switch is a much safer bet. Connecting outputs to each other is generally a good way for one output to load another and may cause issues depending on the hardware design. Merging 2 outputs can be done with an opamp(2 x 5.1 analog systems(computers) to one set of speakers with isolation :) ), but yeah, that is just adding more work for you.

getting 2 dpdt(I got some on digikey and they work well for audio switching :)  ) switches will allow you to switch each of the 2 plugs to either card independently of one another.

This image was made for another post about selecting the location PC analog audio is sent. Now it only shows one half of the switch, but should give you an idea.


One output loading another huh? Can cause issues? Do you mean like damaging components, or loss of quality? So is it bad that I've got an audio joiner (like an audio splitter, but with two males and a female instead of one male and two females) connecting my speakers to both audio sources at the same time? Should I be using a switch for that too?
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Best solution

October 27, 2013 6:37:50 AM

This depends on who you ask. I mean many pc cards are designed to be abused(they never know what you will do to the card) and able to deal with this kind of thing.

So while using a Y-cable to run 2 sets of speakers off one output is the intended use of such a device, some user use it to run 2 devices to a single set of speakers/receiver/ect. Not recommended, but in most cases it just leads to a loss of quality(not that this is recommended for many home theater setups).

I went a different more complex route(mostly because I wanted both to run at the same time.).

http://www.rane.com/note109.html
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