Simple mixer for computer audio

[iondune]

Not sure if this is the right place to ask this, but I'm an audio newb here trying to decide what equipment I need for what seems to be a somewhat obscure task.

I have a computer set up with multiple computers and laptops that I use for different tasks (music player, team chat for games, main computer, etc.) Normally I just wire up the audio from any computer I want to listen to to the main computer's line-in and then use headphones/speakers on that computer. I'd like to set up a more permanent and robust solution though.

What I'd like to be able to do is have some sort of pre-amplifier or mixer that takes the audio output from all of my computers and outputs to my headphones/speakers, with volume adjustment for each channel.

Right now I feel like the simplest and cheapest option would be to get something like this Behringer 5-channel compact mixer. However, the device takes 1/4" phone TS connectors for L/R (I think), so I'd have to get an adapter to take the 1/8" TRS output from my computer to 1/4" TS L/R and back again to output to my headphones or speakers.

My question is whether I would lose significant audio fidelity by feeding everything through a stereo to 2 mono splitter, this mixer, and then another 2 mono to stereo splitter? I also feel like this device might be overkill for my task. I really don't need any features besides individual and master volume adjustment. I found a device that looks more akin to my needs, the Nady MM-141 4-Channel Mini Mixer, but it takes mono input instead of stereo.

Any advice or recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

 

[shadyJ]

Depending on how your headset and headphones connect to everything, it seems like it should work. How many devices are you mixing together? All of them are stereo I take it?

 

[iondune]

I'd like to do 4 devices, and yes stereo on all of them. My headphones and speaker are both just 1/8" TRS so I planned to plug them directly into the mixer with a stereo to 2 mono splitter.

 

[shadyJ]

If you have four stereo devices to connect in a mixer, you are going to need an eight channel mixer. Something like this would work well. You might look on ebay for used mixers as well, there are a lot of good deals on decent analogue mixers when a lot of guys dumped their mixers for digital and USB mixers.

Here, get this one so you'll have room for expansion:

 

[fmw]

Recording mixers are probably a bit pricier than what you need. Here is an inexpensive mixer that will do what you want. It is basically 4 passive volume controls. You will just need to make up some cables with TRS on one side and whatever your sound cards need on the other. You would just raise the volume on the one you want to hear.