Adapter to combine 3.5 mm left & right male speaker output to 3.5mm female stereo

[Lee Schierer]

My computer has left and right 3.5 mm female outputs for speakers that use 3.5 mm male plugs. My speakers have a 3.5 mm stereo male plug. I've looked high and low for an adapter to combine the left and right audio out into a single stereo 3.5 mm female socket so I can connect my speakers and get stereo. Anyone know of a place to get such an adapter.

[Jim Becker]

Try the big-box electronics stores or Amazon...since Radio Shack went to the "great retail oasis in the sky", it's harder and harder to find "doo-dads" for adapting like that.

[Tim Boger]

I found the connectors I needed at Radio Shack .... not even sure if their still in business.

Tim


My computer has left and right 3.5 mm female outputs for speakers that use 3.5 mm male plugs. My speakers have a 3.5 mm stereo male plug. I've looked high and low for an adapter to combine the left and right audio out into a single stereo 3.5 mm female socket so I can connect my speakers and get stereo. Anyone know of a place to get such an adapter.

[Bruce Wrenn]

Ebay is your friend, however you will look at a thousand pictures before you find what you need. Typing in search box is almost useless.

[Jim Becker]

I found the connectors I needed at Radio Shack .... not even sure if their still in business.

Tim

They are not...

[Pat Barry]

Might be a software setting in the computer to output audio as Mono?

[Paul F Franklin]

Use one of these: https://www.amazon.com/CablesOnline-3-5mm-Stereo-Breakout-AM-603C/dp/B0759Z1QCP/ref=sr_1_18?s=wireless&ie=UTF8&qid=1515165914&sr=1-18&keywords=3.5+mm+mono+to+stereo+adapter

And one of these: https://www.amazon.com/Monoprice-107230-Stereo-Adaptor-Plated/dp/B004C87WQ6/ref=sr_1_1?s=wireless&ie=UTF8&qid=1515166206&sr=1-1&keywords=3.5+mm+coupler

[Lee Schierer]

Might be a software setting in the computer to output audio as Mono?

No, the computer has left and right speaker output jacks in the back.

[Lee Schierer]

Paul, that is the closest thing I've seen yet.

[Alan Caro]

Lee Schierer,

I'm confused on this one. Every computer with integrated sound I've ever seen, uses a standard coded output. The stereo output is a single, pale green 3.5mm jack. That is to say, that one jack carries both L and R channels. If you're using a pair of the typical computer satellite speakers that sit on either side of the monitor, that will run a single lead having a matching pale green jack on it that simply plugs into the on board pale green connection. That will run via single lead to one speaker that has the on/off and that master speaker will have a lead to the other speaker. This has been standard a long time.

If there is a row of various colored jacks, it's probably for surround sound. If you have a dedicated, plug in sound card- PCI or PCIe, it may have separate L and R outputs, but these are mostly RCA jacks. I use a ASUS Essence STX PCIe - strictly stereo + a headphone amplifier and that has RCA's. That goes out RCA L & R into a single female 3.5mm- a Y adapter. That connects via a single, pale green jack to a subwoofer /amplifier. (Logitech z2300 2.1 system) By the way, these Logitech 2.1 systems are really good. I use the z2300 for the computer and a z533 for the television and both of those have a wire remote with on/off an volume, plus a headphone jack. Very convenient when the sound has to be muted to answer the phone. I've given a couple of the z313 systems- that also has the wired remote control- to friends and family.

Computer sound is important but the variety of connector /adapters is dizzying. If it's not solved and not too much trouble, can you post a picture of the outputs on the computer and of the speaker connections?

Alan Caro

[Lee Schierer]

Here are the jacks on the back of the computer. The plug in the pink jack is the microphone.
375577

[Jim Becker]

That's interesting Lee...no computer I've ever owned or worked on had separate left/right outputs like that in recent memory. I think I'd find the components to make up my own "Y" adapter if you can't find something pre-made. You might also be creative with combining different plug types. For example, you may be able to get a 3.5mm stereo to L/R RCA and then use RCA to male 3.5mm mono adapters into the PC.

[Ruperto Mendiones]

Rogerssystems.com have the greatest gamut of adapters I've found.

[Curt Harms]

When it comes to cables and adapters, Monoprice is pretty hard to beat and their prices on HDMI, Ethernet and such? It tells me what the markup is at Staples, Best Buy and the like.

[David L Morse]

Lee, that looks like a standard sound card setup to me. I see a Green jack on the left with the symbol showing an outward pointing arrow. That's a stereo output. On the right is a Blue jack with an inward pointing arrow. That's a stereo line level input. I don't think you need an adapter.

[Alan Caro]

Lee Schierer,

The center pale green socket is the standard stereo output, so the connection to the speakers will originate as a 3.5mm stereo plug. Typically, computer speakers will simply have a single 3.5mm plug that connects to the speaker that has the amplifier in it. The amp/speaker then has an output to the other speaker.

On some speakers that have the amplifier in a subwoofer unit, the 3.5mm stereo will split into L and R RCA:

3.5mm Mini Plug to 2 RCA Female Audio Stereo Adapter 6 inch NEW
(https://www.ebay.com/itm/3-5mm-Mini-Plug-to-2-RCA-Female-Audio-Stereo-Adapter-6-inch-NEW/391744199629?hash=item5b35c61bcd:g:8EkAAOSwmgJY4Vp O)
And I use a connector like that one.

What is the speaker connection like on your set?

Alan Caro

[Lee Schierer]

So what does the light blue jack do?

I connected the stereo speaker plug to the green jack and do in fact get stereo output. If I plug into the blue jack, I get nothing.

[Jim Becker]

The light blue one, based on the icon, is an input, not an output. David mentioned that in his comment on the previous page.

[Alan Caro]

So what does the light blue jack do?

I connected the stereo speaker plug to the green jack and do in fact get stereo output. If I plug into the blue jack, I get nothing.

Lee,

This the standard coding for computer audio connections:

green = stereo output, front channels
black = stereo output, rear channels
grey = stereo output, side channels
gold = dual output, center and subwoofer
blue = stereo input, line level
pink = mono microphone input

That is showing the cores for a system for a soundcard with surround sound: 2X front, center or subwoofer, 2X side, and 2X rear speakers

The blue socket is a stereo line level input. If you wanted to record a CD to the computer, that would be the place to connect the CD player output.

Alan