Although it’s possible to use two sets of headphones on a computer simultaneously, it’s not as simple as plugging both headsets in at the same time.
Whether you need to plug in two headphones for gaming, watching films/videos, or just to listen to music, it can get a little complicated setting it up.
For starters, a lot of computers only have one headphone jack, so plugging in two different sets of headphones is impossible.
Even if you’re using bluetooth headphones, you still need to play around with your audio settings so you can connect both of them.
Although it sounds tricky, it’s actually not that hard to connect two (or more) headphones to your Mac or PC.
How To Easily Listen To Two Sets Of Headphones At The Same Time
Adjust The Settings On Your Mac Or PC
If you want to find a quick method, you need to first adjust your audio settings. You can access these via the Control Panel on PC or the System Preferences on Mac.
A lot of people find that it’s easier to set up two headphones on a Mac rather than a PC. So, if you have a PC, you may have to tinker with the settings a bit more to enable dual-headphones setup.
Note: For this, at least one of your headphones should be bluetooth.
Buy A Headphone Splitter
This is the most simple solution to plugging two headphones into your PC at the same time. The most common splitter is the Y splitter. It’s named after the fact that it is shaped like the letter Y.
You simply plug the Y splitter into your headphone jack, and then you can plug your headphones into the two audio outputs, and voilá – you’re good to go.
You can also get a multi splitter that will allow you to plug in more than two headsets. On top of that some multi splitters can enable you to plug in other devices like microphones.
Although headphone splitters require minimal setup effort, you will need to remain in close proximity to your PC in order for them to work.
Use A Third-Party Audio Mixer Software
Audio mixer software will let you manage multiple sounds and put them together into one or more channels. The way this works is by letting you manage both sound input and output.
Audio mixers will automatically detect audio devices, and let you choose one or more to use without the need of a splitter.
There are tons of audio mixer softwares you can use, but the following three are some of the best options.
- Adobe Audition: Adobe’s editing and recording software offers a range of fancy features, however, it does offer a simple way to send audio output to two or more headphones connected to your PC.
- Voicemeeter: Voicemeeter is free software that lets you use two headphones on a PC that uses Windows 10 or lower.
- Boom3D: This audio enhancement app allows you to choose multiple audio outputs in a few clicks. This is available on both Mac and PC.
Please note that some of these softwares will require a cost of purchase, and any free programs may contain viruses. In addition, dual listening will only work if you have the software open.
How To Connect Multiple Bluetooth Headphones On PC
Control Panel
There is no way to connect two Bluetooth headphones to a PC using the control panel alone. However, you can adjust your PC’s settings to use one wired headset and one Bluetooth headset.
- Open Control Panel and go to Sound
- Click the Recording tab
- Right-click Stereo Mix and set this as the Default Device
- Next, go to the Listen tab
- Choose Listen to this device and choose your headphones
If you’re unable to see Stereo Mix, just right-click anywhere on the Recording tab and check the box beside “show disabled devices” and “show disconnected devices”.
If you’re still unable to see Stereo Mix, unfortunately your PC doesn’t support dual-headphone use.
It’s also worth noting that there will be a slight delay between the primary and secondary headphones.
Use An Audio Mixer
You can use an audio mixer to manage the audio output. Also, using an audio mixer can allow you to connect two or more bluetooth headsets.
Use A Bluetooth Adapter
You can purchase a Bluetooth adapter which will allow you to listen to audio on up to seven different Bluetooth devices on your PC.
Simply plug it into one of the USB ports and follow the installation instructions. After your PC has recognized the device, you can go ahead and begin connecting your Bluetooth headphones.
These adapters tend to have a long range, allowing you to move up to 10 meters away from the computer. It is also one of the most effective ways to use two Bluetooth headsets on one PC, so it’s definitely worth the cost.
How To Connect Multiple Bluetooth Headphones On Mac
Luckily, it’s a lot simpler to connect two headphones to a Mac than a PC and can be done from your Mac’s Settings
System Preferences
From System Preferences you can create a Multi-Output Device
- Click Finder and open Applications
- Go to Utilities and open Audio Midi Setup (it looks like a keyboard)
- Click the + button at the lower left corner, then click Create Multi-Output Device
- Once that has been made, right-click the label and select “Use this Device for Sound Output”
- Then check the boxes next to the audio devices you want to use
- Look at the menu and on the right-hand side choose Master Device
- Next, choose a Slave Device – check the box under Drift Connection
- Now launch System Preferences and open the Sound pane
- Click the Output tab and select the Multi-Output Device you created and you’re good to go
Use An Audio Mixer
You shouldn’t have to use an audio mixer, as the Multi-Output Device settings should allow you to listen to two headphones at the same time. However, you can use an audio mixer to improve the sound quality.
Use A Bluetooth Adapter
If the Multi-Output Device settings have worked, there’s no need to use a Bluetooth adapter. However, this is the easiest way to listen to more than two devices at the same time.