Three kids, one iPad and a nine-hour flight. How will you cope?
There are many times that a headphone splitter will come in handy (the above example being one of them), so whether you need a way to share music and films with your family as you travel or for a group gaming session in your living room, the best headphone splitter will help you share sound without sacrificing sound quality.
If you’ve already dedicated the research into finding the right electronic devices, then put a little bit of extra thought into the small accessories that you’ll need to use it with. The wrong headphone splitter will have a negative impact on your listening experience, so we will highlight the right headphone splitters for you below!
Things to Take into Consideration
Think about what you need from a headphone splitter as you’re searching. Here are a few things for you to consider:
- Number of Ports. If you have multiple listeners, you need multiple ports. The standard is two, but you can find splitters with five or more ports.
The down side to a splitter with more than two ports is that you may be sacrificing some sound quality. The more listeners there are the less sound each one will hear, but really, the difference depends on the quality of the splitter. If the headphones you’re using don’t have individual volume control, each listener may not have the same experience.
Luckily, some manufacturers have taken steps to prevent the sound loss, such as the Belkin Rockstar. We’ll discuss it more below, so keep reading!
- Gold-Plated vs. Silver-Plated and Nickel-Plated Plugs. Gold is a better conductor of electricity than silver and nickel, but unless you have a really high-quality device, you won’t notice the difference in sound between a gold-plated plug vs. silver or nickel-plated plug.
Either one of these plugs, for the sake of headphone splitters, is great.
- Secure Fit. One of the main things you should look at when comparing and contrasting splitters is the fit. You want it to be snug and secure, just like the PlugLugs on our list below (number two).
Top 6 Headphone Splitters Chart
[ws_table id=”70″]Top 3 Best Headphone Splitters Reviews
1. Belkin F8Z274btBLU
The Belkin Rockstar is a traveling family’s best friend. Is a quiet, peaceful car ride or relaxing flight is possible? While we can’t guarantee the outcome of your travels, at least you know that you’ll give it your best shot by connecting everyone to a great movie!
The Rockstar features one hard-wired connection and five jacks that will allow listeners to enjoy music, films or favorite TV programs from any type of device: DVD players, smartphones, tablets, iPad, laptops and much more.
Rockstar is a very appropriate name for this splitter because…it pretty much rocks. Each listener will experience excellent sound quality, even if all five jacks are in use. Not very many splitters are capable of delivering this level of sound quality with more than two jacks, which is why we consider it the best headphone splitter on our list!
2. PlugLug PL11073
Any device that fits a 3.5mm plug will work with this headphone splitter.
The sturdy design features plugs with strain relief design and beveled step-down design that will help keep your devices securely plugged in. They also feature polished metal molding and corrosion-resistant gold-plated plugs, giving it a slight edge over some of the other options out there that use nickel.
This is a Y-splitter with plugs for two devices. Connect it to MP3 players, CD players, laptops, tablets, smartphones, etc.
For a high quality splitter with two plugs, you’ll love the PlugLug.
3. iLuv i111
You have five listeners, one device. What to do?
Just have everyone plug into the iLuv splitter. It’s compatible with any standard 3.5mm plugs and allows you to connect to any iPad, iPod, iPhone or MP3 player, just what you need when you’re traveling and have multiple people listening to one device.
Some have found that when there is a lot of background noise (especially on an airplane) that it’s hard for multiple users to hear. Some also find that there isn’t a great range of volume if you have one person who likes the volume louder and others who like it softer, but in the workplace, at home or in places with normal noise levels, they work great!