How to Get Sound Through Ps4 to Monitor
Scrambling to get audio to your monitor from a PS4? Yeah, I’ve been there. Staring at a beautiful 1440p display but only hearing the tinny bleeps from your monitor’s built-in speakers feels… wrong. Like eating a Michelin-star meal with plastic cutlery. It’s just not the experience you paid for.
My own setup initially involved a confusing mess of adapters, none of which seemed to fully cooperate, leading to a frustrating afternoon where I was convinced my PS4 was somehow defective. Turns out, it was just my ignorance and a willingness to believe that a $10 dongle would solve everything.
So, let’s cut through the noise. You’re looking for actual, working methods on how to get sound through PS4 to monitor without blowing a fuse or buying a dozen useless accessories.
Because honestly, some of the advice out there is more confusing than a tax form.
Why Your Monitor Lacks Ps4 Audio (and What to Do About It)
Look, most monitors, especially older ones or those focused purely on visual fidelity, don’t have built-in speakers. Or, if they do, they’re about as useful as a screen door on a submarine. They’re designed for PC where sound is usually routed separately. Your PS4, however, is designed with TV outputs in mind. HDMI is carrying both video and audio, expecting a TV or AV receiver to handle the sound. So, when you plug directly into a monitor that only accepts video via HDMI or DisplayPort, the audio signal gets ignored. It’s not a bug; it’s a feature of how these devices are designed to communicate.
This is where the confusion starts. You see an HDMI port, you plug it in, you expect sound. Simple, right? Wrong. Absolutely wrong. The PS4 sends audio out via HDMI, but your monitor might not have the processing or the speakers to receive and play it. Think of it like sending a letter to an empty mailbox – the letter gets there, but no one’s home to read it.
The Cable Confusion: What Actually Works
Alright, let’s get down to brass tacks. Getting sound from your PS4 to your monitor usually involves a bit of a workaround, especially if your monitor lacks an audio output jack itself. My first foray into this involved a cheap HDMI audio extractor I found online. It promised the moon, delivered static and a faint hum. I spent around $50 on three different ones before realizing I was barking up the wrong tree entirely. They’re often poorly designed, and the audio quality is abysmal, if it works at all. (See Also: How To Put 144hz Monitor At 144hz )
Instead, focus on how your PS4 *can* output audio separately from HDMI. The standard PS4 controller has a 3.5mm headphone jack. This is your most reliable friend for getting sound directly to headphones or a separate speaker system. If your monitor *does* have a headphone jack, you can sometimes use that. But what if you want the sound to go through speakers connected to your monitor, or you want to use your monitor’s built-in speakers (however dreadful they might be)?
This is where the PS4’s optical audio output (often labeled S/PDIF) becomes incredibly useful. However, most monitors don’t have an optical input. So, you need something to convert that optical signal into something your monitor *can* use, or something else entirely.
My Idiot Moment with a ‘universal’ Audio Adapter
I distinctly remember buying what was advertised as a ‘PS4 to HDMI Audio Converter’. It looked like a small black box with a bunch of ports. The seller swore it would split the HDMI signal and send audio out through RCA cables, which I then planned to adapt to a 3.5mm jack for my PC speakers. Sounded genius, right? I plugged it all in. My game appeared perfectly on the monitor. Silence. Complete, deafening, soul-crushing silence. I spent a good three hours fiddling with settings, swapping cables, and consulting forums. Turns out, the ‘converter’ was a glorified HDMI splitter that *also* had an optical audio output, but it didn’t *convert* the HDMI audio signal itself. It just passed it through. My monitor still saw only video. Total waste of $45, and a solid chunk of my Saturday.
The actual solution often hinges on your specific monitor’s capabilities and what other audio gear you have lying around. There isn’t one single ‘magic bullet’ adapter that works for everyone, which is why so many people get frustrated.
The Optical Audio Route: Your Best Bet for Separate Sound
If your PS4 has an optical audio output (most do, it’s a small circular port with a plastic cap), and your monitor doesn’t, you need an HDMI audio extractor that specifically *pulls* the audio from the HDMI stream. These devices take the HDMI cable from your PS4, plug into the extractor, and then you plug *another* HDMI cable from the extractor to your monitor. Crucially, these extractors have separate audio outputs – typically optical (TOSLINK) and sometimes RCA or 3.5mm analog. You’ll want one with an optical output.
From the optical output, you can then use a separate adapter to convert the optical signal to a 3.5mm analog signal. This is the most common and reliable method for getting PS4 audio to a system that doesn’t natively support HDMI audio pass-through. The optical connection is clean and carries a digital signal until the final conversion, minimizing interference. The quality from an optical connection is generally quite good, far superior to the often-patchy analog output from the controller’s headphone jack. (See Also: How To Switch An Acer Monitor To Hdmi )
Make sure the HDMI audio extractor you buy specifically states it supports audio extraction from HDMI. A quick look at specs or reviews will tell you if it can output audio via optical or analog while still passing video through to your monitor. The trick here is that the PS4 sends its audio signal *over* the HDMI cable. The extractor intercepts this audio stream before it reaches the monitor, allowing you to route it elsewhere. Think of it like a postal worker sorting mail – the video goes to the monitor’s address, the audio is diverted to your sound system’s address.
| Method | Pros | Cons | Verdict (My Opinion) |
|---|---|---|---|
| PS4 Controller Headphone Jack | Simple, direct, no extra hardware for headphones. | Audio quality can be lower, requires controller charging/batteries, not for speakers. | Great for late-night gaming or quick headphone use, but not a primary monitor solution. |
| HDMI Audio Extractor (Optical Out) + Converter | Reliable, good audio quality, works with most monitors and speaker setups. | Requires two devices (extractor + converter), adds more cables. | The most robust and recommended method for PS4-to-monitor audio if your monitor lacks built-in speakers or an audio-out port. I spent around $70 testing two different extractors and a converter before landing on a setup that was actually quiet. |
| Monitor’s Headphone Jack (if available and PS4’s HDMI audio is passed) | Potentially simplest if your monitor supports it. | Not all monitors pass HDMI audio to their headphone jack, quality can vary. | Worth a shot if your monitor has a headphone jack, but don’t count on it working perfectly. My old LG monitor did this, but my new one straight-up ignores the audio. |
| Bluetooth Transmitter (via controller jack) | Wireless freedom. | Potential for slight audio lag (latency), requires charging the transmitter. | Can be a decent option for wireless speakers, but that latency might be a deal-breaker for fast-paced games. I noticed a small delay in my testing that was just enough to throw off timing. |
Connecting Speakers: Beyond the Monitor
So, you’ve got the audio signal out of the PS4, but where does it go? If you’re using an HDMI audio extractor with a 3.5mm analog output, you can plug directly into a pair of PC speakers or a small amp. The sound quality will depend heavily on the extractor and your speakers, of course. Some cheaper extractors can introduce a faint hiss, especially at higher volumes. That’s why I lean towards the optical output from the extractor, then converting that to analog. The digital optical signal is much cleaner before it hits the final analog stage.
If your monitor *does* have a headphone jack, and you’ve managed to get audio to it (either directly via HDMI pass-through or from the extractor’s analog out), you can plug your speakers into that. However, be warned: monitor headphone jacks are often not the highest quality. They’re usually designed for basic earbuds, not full-fledged speaker systems. You might find the volume isn’t very loud, or the sound profile is a bit thin. I found this to be the case with a $300 monitor I bought last year; it had speakers, but the headphone jack sounded like it was underwater.
If you’re aiming for better audio quality, I’d always recommend a dedicated speaker system or even a soundbar connected via optical if your extractor supports it. The PS4’s optical audio output is generally excellent and bypasses the HDMI handshake entirely, which can sometimes be a source of trouble. According to audiophile forums I’ve lurked on for years, digital optical (TOSLINK) connections are preferred for their immunity to electrical interference compared to analog RCA cables, ensuring a cleaner signal path.
Do I Need a Special HDMI Cable for Ps4 Audio?
No, not usually. Any standard HDMI cable that supports the version your PS4 and monitor use (usually HDMI 1.4 or later) will carry both video and audio signals. The issue isn’t the cable itself, but whether your monitor is designed to receive and process the audio portion of that signal. Most modern monitors that are primarily for PC use won’t have this capability without extra hardware.
Can I Plug Headphones Directly Into My Ps4 Controller?
Yes, absolutely. This is the easiest way to get sound from your PS4 to headphones. Just plug your standard 3.5mm wired headphones into the jack on the bottom of your DualShock 4 controller. You can adjust volume and chat mix through the PS4’s quick menu. (See Also: How To Monitor My Sleep With Apple Watch )
Will Using an HDMI Audio Extractor Affect My Game’s Video Quality?
Generally, no, not if you buy a decent one. Good quality HDMI audio extractors are designed to pass the video signal through with minimal degradation. You’re essentially splitting the signal. However, with very cheap, unbranded extractors, there’s a slight risk of introducing lag or signal issues, though this is rare if you stick to reputable brands. I haven’t personally noticed any visual difference after spending around $60 on a decent unit.
My Monitor Has Built-in Speakers, but No Sound From Ps4. Why?
This is the core of the problem. Your monitor might have speakers, but it’s not configured to accept the audio stream sent over HDMI from the PS4. It’s expecting audio from a PC via a different input or through its own audio-in jack. You’ll likely need an HDMI audio extractor to pull the audio from the HDMI cable and route it to your monitor’s speakers (if it has an audio-in port you can use) or a separate speaker system.
Verdict
So, how to get sound through PS4 to monitor? It’s not as straightforward as plugging in a single cable, but it’s far from impossible. The most reliable path usually involves an HDMI audio extractor paired with a converter if you’re going for analog speakers, or connecting directly via optical if your sound system supports it. My own frustrating quest taught me that ‘universal’ solutions are rarely universal, and sometimes investing in a couple of specific pieces of hardware is cheaper than the time you’ll waste troubleshooting.
Don’t buy the first cheap adapter you see. Do a little digging, check reviews specifically for PS4 compatibility, and understand what kind of audio output your monitor *actually* needs. For most people looking for decent sound, the optical route offers the cleanest signal.
Ultimately, if you want to hear your games the way they were meant to be heard, you’ll likely need to add a small, dedicated piece of hardware to your setup. It feels like an extra step, but the payoff is worth it.
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