HEADSET ADAPTER OR SPLITTER? SPOT THE DIFFERENCE

If you’ve got a headset with two jack plugs and you’re looking to connect it to your smartphone, you’re going to need an adapter. But watch out: Headphone splitters look the same, so it’s easy to mix them up. Read on to learn how to tell them apart.

It’s quite common to come across two products that look exactly the same but which are designed for entirely different purposes. Headphone splitters and headset adapters are certainly no exception. So, just as you know how to differentiate between other types of tech, you need to dig a bit deeper when it comes to cables and adapters too.

Perfect audio for two thanks to splitters

Let’s say you and your partner are on the train. One of you has brought a laptop and you want to watch a film on it together. Since you don’t want to disturb the other passengers, you use your headphones. But sharing a pair of wired earbuds isn’t ideal. The solution to this issue is to use a second pair of wired earbuds and a 3.5mm headphone splitter – also called a Y cable.

This splitter consists of two female jacks on one end and a male plug on the other. With it, you can connect two sets of headphones to a single audio jack. Then, you can both enjoy a film on your laptop or listen to the same music on your smartphone.

The splitters in our range have gold-plated connectors and an unbreakable metal plug, so they’re nice and sturdy. The connector is also slimline enough to fit through thicker smartphone and tablet cases so you can leave them on.

For calls and voice chat, you’ll need a headset adapter

If you’ve got a traditional headset with separate 3.5mm jack plugs for the headphones and microphone but your smartphone, tablet, or laptop only has a single combined 3.5mm audio jack, you’ll need a special headset adapter. It has clearly labelled jacks: One has a headphone symbol and the other has a microphone symbol, so you always know which of your headset’s jack plugs goes where. Thanks to the 4-pole design, the adapter supports all typical headset functions, such as skipping tracks at the press of a button or carrying a microphone signal.

If your smartphone or tablet case is too thick and you can’t insert the adapter’s jack plug into the audio jack, an additional adapter with an especially slimline plug can come in handy. And with its 4 poles, you can use all your headset’s features.

Go from jack to RCA/phono with the right adapter

Last but not least, you can get jack to RCA/phono adapters. Three configurations are available:

• Two RCA/phono male connectors to one 3.5mm female connector
• Two RCA/phono female connectors to one 3.5mm female connector
• Two RCA/phono female connectors to one 3.5mm male connector