I just want to know what you guys can recommend for an audio set up. I have a cyber acoustics ca-3602 for my speakers which i plug in directly at the motherboard audio jack. then when i'm switching to my headphones, i have to remove the speaker plug so I can put my headphones on. I don't want to use my front audio jacks because the sound is way different. can anybody suggest a solution/setup where i dont have to remove the plugs everytime i switch outputs?
I use this (picture below). A Steel Series external USB sound card. I am sure any equivalent USB soundcard would work similar too. It came with a headset I own, although it can be purchased separately relatively cheaply and works with any headphones. Although I am not sure if the virtual surround feature would work with other headphones, but I prefer it switched off anyway.
Basically you plug your headphones (and mic) into the soundcard, the soundcard then plugs via USB into your computer. To alternate between headphones and speakers the 'default device' has to be changed back and forth in the sound options in Windows. This can be a bit of a pain as it is located in the 'control panel', so it is best advised to create a desktop shortcut of 'sound'. I have heard that it is possible to alternate between the two with a hotkey by using third-party applications.
Alternatively you could purchase a DAC (Digital to Analogue Converter). These can be very expensive though. TS had a video on them you may be interested in. I am not very knowledgeable when it comes to DAC's though so I am not going to speak on them. Maybe some other forum members can.
