Is there some purely hardware device which takes in 1 stereo audio input & can switch between one of 3 or 4 stereo audio outputs ?
Idea is to keep headphones and speakers pre-connected & just press a button to switch between any of them. Only one output should be active at a time.
When I search around I often see the opposite kind of device, like mixers, which combines multiple inputs to one output.
or things like 4-channel headphone amplifier or headphone splitter, which simultaneously outputs on all the ports.
What could be the technical name of a device that I am looking for ?
Maybe look more into the analogue Hi-Fi / TV side for cinch Switches (red, white, yellow). The adapter cables to stereo are inexpensive and available in all lengths. I would advice against stacking multiple adapters (see below) because it might introduce humming or you have to fiddle with multiple wonky 3,5mm stereo plugs.
I had something similar to this, it was a bare bones Scart switch. Only putting in Scart to chinch adapter, then an adapter to stereo jack and populating only red and white (I had plenty of those adapters) I could switch between different audio devices. It is dumb as bricks device but did the job. I am sure there is something similar at least for cinch (simply ignore the yellow video out).
“Monitor Controllers” come to mind. Take a few inputs and route them to multiple outputs.
The mentioned Mackie BigKnob series is one option.
Another option would be the ART Studio Control Center or
Your requirement to also handle headphones makes this a bit difficult since in a studio setup, you would have a dedicated headphone amp hanging one of of the outputs from the controller.
Yep, make sure you look at ones with headphone outputs
I use an audio interface with 2 line outs and 5 headphones out, but it ‘may’ be overkill for your use case. (Livetrak l-12)
It allows for lots and lots of different inputs and outputs options you may be intrigued to explore right after you achieve your current goal…
I have one line out to powered monitors, one line out to a proper amp+speakers, one headphone out to wired in ears, one headphone out to a Bluetooth transmitter,
The interface has two stereo outs from my pc and can mix the inputs to the various outputs independently …
So I have Spotify on channel 1-2 out to my speakers, teams out to channel 3-4 that is muted on speakers, but out on both headphones, and Netflix going to either speakers or headphones depending on the case
It also handles mic in and sound in to the same setup from my gaming PC…
