Yea, I have been in the same boat and would like to know if there is any way around this. I thought that if I were to purchase digital speakers for my desktop and enable the digital output on my Audigy 2 card, that I could get around this. But I would rather not have to go through an extra expense of buying more speakers when these are new. I have been considering enabling onboard sound and seeing for myself how this affects gameplay just so I can use my desktop speakers. Thanks for asking a question I have had for so long m8.
Yep, the speakers can be disconnected.
Use the "2 speakers" jack as shown
on the Sound card instructions.
Change the Windows setup to head phones
and you are up.
Of course you could do as i did and buy the
Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS with the neat
CD drive bay controller and remote.
All i got to do is plug in my high end
stereo head phones and, it's done.
A nifty volume control and remote come with it.
Additionally there is....
#1, AUX in RCA jacks and volume control.
#2, SPDIF in-out
#3, firewire
#4, MIDI in-out
#5, Optical in-out.
The speakers automatically disconnect when
you plug in the head phones (1/4 in jack).
Creative/SB also makes other options including
seperate off line stereo amps.
But I really like the SB Audigy2 ZS
MLC
Ok the Idea here was that I would not have to climb down and manually unhook the headset if I wanted to use speakers. I have been pretty much able to get that one worked out(or perhaps not) by selecting quad speakers and pluging the headset in the front speaker jack. The problem I am having now is that I am getting an echo when playing online with TS. The echo is not there if the game is not loaded. I have reinstalled drivers. Changed mic's. Tried just headphones. Still no good!. I do not have any of the creative software installed ie surmixer. It did not come with the card. I spent all day trying to get it to work with teamspeak and no joy.
If anyone has any ideas im all ears!
One other easy and inexpensive trick
is to go to the local "Radio Shack/Tandy"
store and purchase two 1/8 in jack headphone
extension chords. Plug one into the sound card
in the "two speaker jack" and plug the jack
from your speakers into the other.
You then plug the male and female ends together
when you want speakers. You seperate
them and plug in your headset when desired.
The ends can be kept handy in front of you
and within easy reach.
This way you don't have to crawl behind the
computer every time you want to change over.
MLC
Sorry, wasn't clear on your problem.
Sounds like you almost have it.
My earlier comment relates to this: When I plug in headphones (for me on the wired remote for the speakers), it cuts out the speakers, and the sound through the headphones is odd -- I have 5.1 speakers, but I only get 2 channels in headphone, not a 2-channel version of the signal, but only two of the 5.1 channels, cutting out and echoing other noises. If I turn off "hardware acceleration..." sound on the headphones becomes normal. (I just switch it back on, either in setup or in game, when I go back to speakers. My alternative is to go into the "Creative" setup and switch the signal from 5.1 to 2-channel, but it's just as easy as described above.)
OT Note: For my setup, I also have a microphone extension cable, so that the microphone can plug in next to where the headphones now need to be plugged in.
Anyway, hope you work it out, and maybe I'm on topic at least this time. (It was late)
The sound in this game, even when "right" is still disappointing -- hope it improves in later efforts.
Papa_K