headphone stereo problems

[Ben P Music]

so i just bought a headphone amp that splits to four headphones. It is an art headphone 4 or something like that, anyway, the problem is, i take an instrument cable that i would use to plug my guitar in, then i put it in the headphone output on my mixer, i take that cord and plug it into the headphone amp, the problem is is that it asks for a stereo input, and the headphones only play through one ear, what cord do i need that plugs into the 1/4 input that is stereo?

 

[Massive Master]

You need to supply it with a stereo source - A (single) guitar is a mono source.

Is there a mono button on the box?

 

[EddieRay]

Look at the end of the cable from your headphones. There's 3 distinct contact points: tip, ring, and sleeve. You need a cable with one of those at both ends.

 

[Ben P Music]

it is comming from a stereo source, my mixer output is stereo, but can the instrument cable only do one channel? and if so what cable should i be using that is stereo?

 

[mattr]

The instrument cable only has a TS jack - it can only carry one channel.
The headphone out of the mixer is a stereo TRS jack.

I'm assuming the inputs of the headphone amp are two (L and R) jack inputs, in which case why don't you take the LR main outs, CR-outs, bus-outs or aux sends from the mixer with two jack cables (preferably TRS balanced) into the two inputs of the headphone amp?

If you insist on using the headphone-out of the mixer, you could use an insert cable to split the stereo TRS output of the mixer to 2x TS for the L-R inputs of the amp.

Headphone amps also quite often have a mono button on them, however I doubt you have this pressed because it would usually put the mono output into both channels of the headphones. If you have such a button you could actually use this to compromise and very quickly sort out your current situation - it wouldn't make it stereo, but it would mean the mono input you're providing the headphone amp with is audible in both sides of the headphones/

 

[mjbphotos]

Basically, you are only getting one channel because the plug contacts of the guitar calbe you are using are only contacting the common and one channel hot signal when you plug it in. A TRS cable has common and two other contacts. TRS cables are typically used for mono balanced signals, but there's no reason you can't use it for a stereo signal.

Here's a bunch of TRS cables, they are available at all music stores and web sites.

http://www.sweetwater.com/c807--Balanced_Cables__TRS_to_TRS