Multiple Headphones

[rbox]

So my wife and I are getting ready for a long flight next month and I want to use the ipad for us to watch some movies. I bought some motorola bluetooth headphones and paired them without an issue to the ipad.

I then plugged in some standard headphones (because we will both need a pair) and the ipad switched off the bluetooth headphones and only put audio through the standard headphones.

Couple of questions (if anyone knows):
1) Is there a work-around or way to listen via both standard and bluetooth headphones at the same time?

2) can you use more than one set of bluetooth headphones at a time?

3) If the answer to the above two questions is no, is the only way to have multiple headphones is to use a splitter and the standard headphone jack?

 

[FrostyFire]

It's best to use a splitter, I don't think there's a way to do what you described in question 1 and 2 unfortunately.

 

[taudelt]

You cannot use bluetooth and the output jack at the same time. The software turns off the output jack when you are using bluetooth.

I've bought an output jack splitter and it works fine, but I have not tried to use 2 bluetooth devices at the same time. My other bluetooth enabled devices only allow one paired headset at a time, so I would expect the iPad to act similarly.

 

[rowan]

I think you'll be unhappy with using Bluetooth headsets for a long flight because (1) if the charge dies you don't have a headset, (2) airplane noise isn't filtered out, and (3) all it takes is a flight attendant in a bad mood (very likely) to spot your wireless headsets and tell you to put them away for the duration of the flight.

What would work best for you is to get two in-ear (ie, passive noise-canceling) headphones and a headphone splitter/amplifier. Don't trust the volume level with just a Y-splitter. In a room or even a car, yes, the y-adapter with two headphones will pump out enough volume. But with the roar of the plane's engines in the background and dividing the volume between two headsets, it won't be enough.

Look into either a [ame="http://www.amazon.com/T613-bnc-Boostaroo-All-Audio-Applications/dp/B000EIWCFE/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1276113445&sr=1-5"]Boostaroo[/ame] that uses batteries or a [ame="http://www.amazon.com/FiiO-E5-Headphone-Amplifier/dp/B001P9EQH8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1276113274&sr=1-1"]FiiO E5[/ame] that charges with mini-USB. Both those will raise the volume up significantly and give you two jacks for headphones. Keep in mind you can always lower the volume if it's too high, but in a plane the low bass of the engines will suck the decibels right out of your viewing experience and a simple y-adapter is already losing volume by driving two output sources.

Would like to hear back what your experiences were after your trip, also.

 

[rbox]

Thank you all for your help. I ordered the FiiO E5 and will get my wife a set of NC headphones as well. I'll let you all know how it works out for us. Now if only my apple case will come in before the trip... here's hoping.

 

[CaptKirk]

Bluetooth devices consume lots of battery juice.. I dont think anything is out there as you described. As others suggested, i think your best bet is a Y-Adapter setup...

 

[Matth3w]

I bought a Y adapter, but I just want to mention...if you have the headphones with the inline mic/volume control, a Y adapter (at least the one we got, you might need some sort of special expensive one) DOES NOT work. Wife and I found out the hard way and ended up with one earbud per ear.

 

[CaptKirk]

I bought a Y adapter, but I just want to mention...if you have the headphones with the inline mic/volume control, a Y adapter (at least the one we got, you might need some sort of special expensive one) DOES NOT work. Wife and I found out the hard way and ended up with one earbud per ear.

My wife and i use two German Maestro GMP 435 S through a normal Y-adapter. they work great together, no complaints, still have full volume control with each head set unit. . Also check out this page, they clam to have bluetooth modules with multiple jacks.

http://www.marvgolden.com/headsets/adapters.htm

 

[Matth3w]

The cheap one that I bought doesn't allow you to use the apple headsets with the volume control. What Y adapter do you use, I'd like to buy one that works...

 

[CaptKirk]

The cheap one that I bought doesn't allow you to use the apple headsets with the volume control. What Y adapter do you use, I'd like to buy one that works...

Mathew, the volume control is actually on the y-splitter. I use this one, got it from Fry,s. I havent tried on the pad yet but shouldn't be any different then ipod

Griffin Technology: SmartShare + Adapter - Must-have connections for your iPhone

 

[Matth3w]

How would that work then with the apple headphones that already have the volume control in? They are the only ones that screw up with the cheap Y adapter and they don't even work in our Archos movie player, for example...I'm not talking about the volume controls not working, I mean if you plug them into the Archos or splitter they don't even emit sound.

 

[rowan]

I'm a little late getting back to this thread. I thought I should mention something that might not be obvious to everything (if it's obvious to you, then you're a smartypants)...

The in-line volume control on any headset or earbuds can only decrease the volume, it can't increase the sound level from whatever the output level is coming from the device (iPad or whatever). Unless it's actually bumping up the level which requires that it have its own power (a battery) such as the two devices can do that I mentioned earlier in this thread, a volume control can only lower the volume from the maximum output from the device.

 

[CaptKirk]

I'm a little late getting back to this thread. I thought I should mention something that might not be obvious to everything (if it's obvious to you, then you're a smartypants)...

The in-line volume control on any headset or earbuds can only decrease the volume, it can't increase the sound level from whatever the output level is coming from the device (iPad or whatever). Unless it's actually bumping up the level which requires that it have its own power (a battery) such as the two devices can do that I mentioned earlier in this thread, a volume control can only lower the volume from the maximum output from the device.

You see what i do is get the volume down to a comfortable listening level and when a good 'ole rock' song comes up that i like, I turn that sucker UP as loud as i can get it...

 

[Matth3w]

Odd, because my apple headset increases the volume just fine.

 

[rowan]

Odd, because my apple headset increases the volume just fine.

But is it boosting the volume higher than what's already coming out of the iPad? In other words, if you set the volume level on the iPad at a certain level, plug in your apple headset at its maximum level, is it any louder than any other headset without a volume control (differences in manufacturing quality notwithstanding)? If it is, I'd like to know the secret sauce in the apple headset that's doing that.