Need help with PS3/PC speaker setup

[lagstream]

Hello everyone,

I'm new to the whole audio scene so I apologize beforehand if these questions sound really amateur .

I currently have a PS3 slim, a Dell 2408WFP lcd monitor, and a PC that I all want to hookup to my pair of Altec Lansing PC speakers. These speakers have only one 3.5mm audio output plug. The issue i have with my setup goes like this:

The PS3 feeds both audio and video through the HDMI cable which I hookup to my dell monitor. The dell monitor only contains one audio out 3.5mm jack. The same goes for the sound card that is on my PC. My question then is how do i setup my system so that both the PS3 and my PC can feed sound to my speakers without having to replug my speaker output plug each time?

A friend suggested I purchased a Y-Adapter like the one found here:
radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2102969

Can anyone confirm if this will indeed work? I'm open to other suggestions as well. Thanks in advance.

 

[Adam]

Welcome to the forum!

Yes, a y-adapter like that would work for you. One thing to note with that type of connection is that both sources (PS3 audio via the monitor and the PC audio) would be feeding to the speakers - so you'd get distorted sound if both were sending a signal at the same time.

If your PC has an audio input, then you could feed the audio from the PS3 (via the Dell monitor) to that input, and then you'd just have one connection to your speakers. You'd just need to select that input on your PC when you were using the PS3.

Another option is a switch box. You can get one that has 3.5mm jack inputs and output like the MK-1 at the site here (I've never heard of that site, so I'm not endorsing it). You can also get a more common switch box made for RCA jacks (like this) and use cables that convert 3.5mm jacks to RCA (like these).

Those are just a few thoughts.