If the computer senses an impedance of 4 to 16 ohms, it knows it’s probably powering a speaker. This is because computers can automatically recognize the device plugged in and assign the necessary equalizer (EQ) settings for the best sound quality. It’s also easier to have just one jack because you don’t have to change the default audio settings on your computer. And since we like to carry them around with us for work and travel, most people prefer to keep it that way. This is no problem for normal, everyday use because most people don’t need more than one headphone jack for their computer. And as laptops get thinner and lighter, they’re bound to keep the single-jack configuration. That’s because they typically have more powerful sound cards than the ones in laptops.īut, in general, most PCs and Macs only have one headphone jack. Some desktop computers may have two or more jacks.

Most computers have only one mini-stereo output, or an audio jack. Connecting two or more headphones to PC or Mac

Speakers and headphones simultaneously