How to set up Xbox 360 so game sound comes through headphones, not TV?

kharrisma · Jul 15, 2018

Hey Everyone,

Unlike my PS4, this Xbox 360 has no provision for listening to the game audio through headphones plugged into the controller. Is there some kind of hardware configuration I can use so the game audio (not chat, I don't do online gaming) can be heard only
through headphones? My TV is an older Visio, with 2 HDMI inputs as well as the older RCA inputs, too. Both HDMI ports are in use (Roku & PS4), so I'd like to use the AV/RCA cable to connect it to the TV. So is there some box or adapter that can go inline
with the audio output to the TV that will interrupt the audio feed to the TV when the headphones are plugged in, or has a switch (to TV; to Headphones) that will broadcast the audio wirelessly to a wireless headset (which I'd prefer... don't like long cables
all over the place; that's one place where the PS4 really clobbers the Xbox.) Or something I haven't thought of altogether?

Thanks for any suggestions!

:)

nagadas · Jul 15, 2018

how do i re route the sound from my tv to just my headphones?

I have my headphones tritton 720 plugged into my new 360 slim through optical cable in back of the slim. I hear both sound coming from my tv through hdmi and my tritton headphones. How do i cut the sound from my tv and just have the sound come through my
headphones?

QuickMasta123 · Jul 15, 2018

How to use headphones only for sound

I want to be able to plug in my headphones into the audio jack on my Xbox one controller and hear sound through my headphones only, everytime i plug in my headphones into the controller the sound comes through the headphones themselves and the tv speakers,
how do i change that? Thanks

M3tal Daz3 · Jul 15, 2018

I hope you are aware that you trying to use new technology on a console of the old generation (time to upgrade maybe)

That being said I'm sorry to disappoint, but the headphone jack on the 360 controller is for voice communications only. Game sounds, music, etc. are all played through the display device (tv/monitor).

To get the audio from the Xbox to your headset you'll need some sort of converter cable/connector that turns the red/white connector that goes to your tv to the jack that you have on your headset.

Arminator · Jul 15, 2018

Just like the next generation Playstation 4, the Xbox One is ABLE to give you headphone game sound from the controller.

On the Xbox 360 you are limited to chat sound only.

Also, keep in mind that by using the AV/RCA cable on the Xbox, you do not get HD graphics and are limited to low resolution standard TV resolutions, so you might want to think about investing in an AV receiver with enough HDMI inputs, or getting a HDMI switch.

But as for your sound issue:

If you have an Xbox 360 E model (the rectangular one that looks like the Xbox One), and you're using the AV/RCA plugs, you can get a stereo audio signal from the red and white RCA plugs. You'd "only" need an adapter to go from stereo RCA to any amplifying
headphone.

Or for the original Xbox 360 or S model, that console also has an optical output. For that, there are some headsets with a base station, that you can use to plug in an optical cable, to be able to get surround sound, that then transmits the sound wirelessly
to the headphone.

Unfortunately, due to the age of the Xbox 360, a lot of headset makers discontinued such headphones.

You might try to find some leftover stock or an offer on ebay for a Razer Chimera 5.1 headset, Turtle Beach EarForce X42 and the likes, that have a base station. You can plug an optical cable or the stereo RCA plugs into the base station, which then transmits
the sound wirelessly to the headphone.

kharrisma · Nov 3, 2018

Just like the next generation Playstation 4, the Xbox One is ABLE to give you headphone game sound from the controller.

On the Xbox 360 you are limited to chat sound only.

Also, keep in mind that by using the AV/RCA cable on the Xbox, you do not get HD graphics and are limited to low resolution standard TV resolutions, so you might want to think about investing in an AV receiver with enough HDMI inputs, or getting a HDMI switch.

But as for your sound issue:

If you have an Xbox 360 E model (the rectangular one that looks like the Xbox One), and you're using the AV/RCA plugs, you can get a stereo audio signal from the red and white RCA plugs. You'd "only" need an adapter to go from stereo RCA to any amplifying
headphone.

Or for the original Xbox 360 or S model, that console also has an optical output. For that, there are some headsets with a base station, that you can use to plug in an optical cable, to be able to get surround sound, that then transmits the sound wirelessly
to the headphone.

Unfortunately, due to the age of the Xbox 360, a lot of headset makers discontinued such headphones.

You might try to find some leftover stock or an offer on ebay for a Razer Chimera 5.1 headset, Turtle Beach EarForce X42 and the likes, that have a base station. You can plug an optical cable or the stereo RCA plugs into the base station, which then transmits
the sound wirelessly to the headphone.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the detailed info, ArminatorX. That's exactly what I was looking for! I picked this thing up for a measley $25, and figured I could finally play games that weren't available on other platforms. I've also managed to snag about a dozen really
good games for around $5 each, so I'm set for awhile. I like my PS4 a lot, but it can't play any of the Halo games, among others. I do most of my gaming either very early or very late; either way, the wife is asleep, and I'd like to keep her that way. I
wasn't aware the optical output carried audio as well... that sounds like the best solution by far.

Arminator

Just like the next generation Playstation 4, the Xbox One is ABLE to give you headphone game sound from the controller.

On the Xbox 360 you are limited to chat sound only.

Also, keep in mind that by using the AV/RCA cable on the Xbox, you do not get HD graphics and are limited to low resolution standard TV resolutions, so you might want to think about investing in an AV receiver with enough HDMI inputs, or getting a HDMI switch.

But as for your sound issue:

If you have an Xbox 360 E model (the rectangular one that looks like the Xbox One), and you're using the AV/RCA plugs, you can get a stereo audio signal from the red and white RCA plugs. You'd "only" need an adapter to go from stereo RCA to any amplifying
headphone.

Or for the original Xbox 360 or S model, that console also has an optical output. For that, there are some headsets with a base station, that you can use to plug in an optical cable, to be able to get surround sound, that then transmits the sound wirelessly
to the headphone.

Unfortunately, due to the age of the Xbox 360, a lot of headset makers discontinued such headphones.

You might try to find some leftover stock or an offer on ebay for a Razer Chimera 5.1 headset, Turtle Beach EarForce X42 and the likes, that have a base station. You can plug an optical cable or the stereo RCA plugs into the base station, which then transmits
the sound wirelessly to the headphone.

kharrisma

Just like the next generation Playstation 4, the Xbox One is ABLE to give you headphone game sound from the controller.

On the Xbox 360 you are limited to chat sound only.

Also, keep in mind that by using the AV/RCA cable on the Xbox, you do not get HD graphics and are limited to low resolution standard TV resolutions, so you might want to think about investing in an AV receiver with enough HDMI inputs, or getting a HDMI switch.

But as for your sound issue:

If you have an Xbox 360 E model (the rectangular one that looks like the Xbox One), and you're using the AV/RCA plugs, you can get a stereo audio signal from the red and white RCA plugs. You'd "only" need an adapter to go from stereo RCA to any amplifying
headphone.

Or for the original Xbox 360 or S model, that console also has an optical output. For that, there are some headsets with a base station, that you can use to plug in an optical cable, to be able to get surround sound, that then transmits the sound wirelessly
to the headphone.

Unfortunately, due to the age of the Xbox 360, a lot of headset makers discontinued such headphones.

You might try to find some leftover stock or an offer on ebay for a Razer Chimera 5.1 headset, Turtle Beach EarForce X42 and the likes, that have a base station. You can plug an optical cable or the stereo RCA plugs into the base station, which then transmits
the sound wirelessly to the headphone.

Thanks for the detailed info, ArminatorX. That's exactly what I was looking for! I picked this thing up for a measley $25, and figured I could finally play games that weren't available on other platforms. I've also managed to snag about a dozen really
good games for around $5 each, so I'm set for awhile. I like my PS4 a lot, but it can't play any of the Halo games, among others. I do most of my gaming either very early or very late; either way, the wife is asleep, and I'd like to keep her that way. I
wasn't aware the optical output carried audio as well... that sounds like the best solution by far.

M3tal Daz3

I hope you are aware that you trying to use new technology on a console of the old generation (time to upgrade maybe)

That being said I'm sorry to disappoint, but the headphone jack on the 360 controller is for voice communications only. Game sounds, music, etc. are all played through the display device (tv/monitor).

To get the audio from the Xbox to your headset you'll need some sort of converter cable/connector that turns the red/white connector that goes to your tv to the jack that you have on your headset.

GreenDisease

To my knowledge, you can not adjust game sound to come through the headphones only. However, you can do this for chat by going into the chat setting and voicing through the headset only. As far as game sound, I usually turn my tv all the way down and just
turn up the game sound on my controller with the headset adapter.

Nazty Fox

Did you choose the correct TV provider when you went through the setup? Try changing the TV provider until Channel up works.

As far as the sound goes, you would not be able to separate the sound on your tv from your headphones. They are both pulling sound from the same place (Your xbox or cable tv). Certain brands of headphones have a feature on them to separate chat and game volume
which is what you may be mixing up.

When you are saying mute, you are muting your TV volume which is where your xbox and cable come through. When your TV is muted, all sound is muted unless you have a home theater system, in which case sound would still come through the home theater. But again,
the home theater would be pulling its sound from the same place as the tv so there is no way to separate your tv / game volumes.

How to set up Xbox 360 so game sound comes through headphones, not TV?