Last Updated: on April 14, 2024 by Jack
If your wired headphone cable isn’t long enough to reach your desired device or you want some more freedom of movement, there are plenty of extension cables out there that are reasonably priced and long enough without degrading the sound quality.
The typical headphone extension cable is a 3.5mm male to female one where you simply plug your headphones or microphone into the female connector. There are 2 other connector types used that aren’t as common – 6.35mm and XLR.
Our recommended first choice: Victeck.
If you need to extend your headphones for the TV, studio recording, DJing, home audio or a games console setup, then here are our 5 recommended picks to choose from.
- Best Overall: Victeck
- Best for Headsets with Mics: KabelDirekt
- Longer Cable (10M): JLONG
- 6.35mm: J&D
- Budget: World of Data
Best Headphone Extension Cables Reviewed
1. Victeck
Our number 1 general headphone extension cable choice is the VICTECK due to the overall quality of the cable.
The main appeal is the flexible nylon braided cable design. The braided cable is perfect for longer, extended cables as it’ll not break or tangle as easily as your standard rubber cables. Even with the 5M option, you can still fold or bend it easily without causing any damage or getting into a tangled mess. The braided design is excellent for portability and changing between different devices.
You can choose from 4 lengths of black extension cabling – 1M, 2M, 3M and 5M. It uses a standard male to female connection where you connect a 3.5mm headphone or microphone jack into it.
Note: You can’t use this for a headset as it’s only a 2 ring male connector. See the review below for a connector that allows headsets to work.
There were no issues with the sound quality, even with the longer 5M cable. It has gold-plated plugs at either end, which is essential for extension cables to prevent signal loss and interference and produce high-quality audio. The aluminium casing around the connectors is robust enough to stop any damage from consistent use.
If we have one complaint, it’s that the cable itself is a little on the heavy side at 160g (approximately).
Verdict: If you’re just after a standard 3.5mm male to female extension cable for your headphones, then this is an excellent choice due to the quality braided cable design and overall construction.
Pros
- Braided cable is great for moving about
- Slim connector that helps fit in smartphones
- 4 sizes available – up to 5M
- Reasonably priced
Cons
- Quite heavy – 160g (Approx)
2. KabelDirekt
This is our recommended extension cable pick for headsets or headphones with a microphone or controller, as it connects audio and microphones.
This KabelDirekt cable has 3 poles around the male connector as opposed to the standard 2 poles, meaning headsets or headphone controllers will work for microphone output, adjusting volume, skipping tracks, etc.
It sports a well-made rubber cable that seems flexible enough for bending and moving about without damaging the cable. The rubber it uses is slightly thicker than your average cable and does a good job of stopping tangling.
There are a range of 8 different sizes to choose from – 0.5M all the way up to 10M. Most people will probably be looking at the shorter options for extending gaming headsets and setups.
Though we like the rubber protection for the wires and find it reasonably flexible for extending purposes, we would prefer to use braided over rubber for anything around 5M and over really.
The metal casing and the PVC that attaches to it creates good protection for the gold-plated connectors. Bending the cable at the connection points was fine, and you never felt like it was going to snap or come loose like some cheaper models you get.
Audio and microphone quality was as you would want it to be, with no noticeable loss in sound quality thanks to the excellent gold-plated connections at either end.
Verdict: This should be your choice if you’re using a gaming headset and looking for a shorter headphone extension cable (Around 0.5 -3M).
Pros
- Extends audio and microphone output for headsets
- Good range of different lengths: 0.5 – 10M
- Robust rubber cable for shorter lengths
- 36-month warranty offered
Cons
- 5M length and above would be better with a braided design
3. JLONG
This is our longer headphone extension pick, thanks to its 10M of braided cable. It’s perfect for extending headphones for TVs that are on the other side of a large room.
The cable is braided, which we prefer for flexibility with longer lengths, such as the 10M worth here. You should find no issues with bending or moving the nylon braided design around, as it’s robust but flexible enough to be moved about the room and switched between devices if needed.
One thing that’s obvious is that it weighs more than your average 10M extension cable at 278g. The braided design adds a bit of weight to it. The extra weight just means it’s not as portable as it could be overall.
The Jlong has a similar design to our first choice, which is also braided. It has a 3.5mm male to female connection and has reliable metal housing around the gold connectors at either end. Again, another strong set of connectors that aren’t coming to come apart after plugging and unplugging them a few times.
Note: This extender is not designed for headsets.
It’s understandable that people get concerned over signal loss, interference and a generally poor audio signal when extension cables get quite long. In this case, there are absolutely no issues with the audio signal as far as we could tell, and it still sounds exactly the same running through a 10M cable.
Verdict: If you need to extend headphones quite far for a studio setup or a TV at the other end of a large room (Up to 10M), then you should pick this.
Pros
- Long, robust, but flexible braided cable at 10M
- No noticeable sound degradation
- Value for money
- 18 months warranty
Cons
- Slightly heavier than similar models – 278g
4. J&D
This is our headphone extension cable pick if you need a 6.35mm male to female connection for audio equipment such as amplifiers, mixers, or speakers.
J&D usually produce decent-quality cables, and this extender is no different. It has thick rubber shielding around the wires but still feels flexible enough to be constantly moved around a studio or music room.
It’s designed with the best possible audio transmission in mind to avoid any sound degradation, which is especially important if used in a music studio environment. The gold plated metal connectors and overall quality design ensure that the extended audio sounds exactly as it would directly through the headphones.
There are only 3 smaller lengths of cable available to buy, but it’s probably not a bad thing, as generally, they’re used for extending headphones ever so slightly for music or audio equipment close by.
Verdict: If you’re involved with music or audio in any way and are in need of a 6.35mm jack headphone extension cable for equipment such as amplifiers, mixers, speakers or guitar amps, then this should be your choice.
Pros
- Strong but flexible rubber cable
- Quality construction from J&D
- Lightweight – 80g (Approx)
- Reasonably priced
Cons
- Only 3 smaller lengths available
- Could be a bigger warranty
5. World of Data
This is our headphone extension cable budget choice and is by far the cheapest pick on our list.
It uses rubber shielding for the cable, which is ok, but it’s not the most durable or flexible that we’ve come across. The cable isn’t designed for strenuous use and won’t last as long as the other choices above. You will also find that the cable will tangle fairly easily.
The construction could be better overall, as the plastic connector casing feels flimsy and might come loose.
It’s a standard male to female extender which works with 3.5mm headphone or microphone jacks. It’s advertised as having gold-plated connectors. This doesn’t seem to be the case in the flesh. In saying that, there aren’t any issues with signal loss or the audio connection as far as we can tell.
Note: You can’t use this with headsets.
Verdict: If you just want a really cheap, straightforward male to female headphone or microphone extension cable without worrying too much about durability, then this is a perfect choice.
Pros
- Really cheap
- Extended sound was fine
Cons
- Only 1 length available – 5M
- Cable and connectors aren’t that durable
- No warranty – Expected with the price
- Tangles fairly easily
Buying Considerations
Cable Length
The cable length really depends on why you’re extending the headphones in the first place.
The typical cable lengths manufacturers offer with their models fall between 0.5-5 metres. For most people, a 1-2 metre extender is more than adequate
A few uses that might require a slightly longer cable would be for TV usage, where the headphones need to reach the other side of the room, such as a care home. Studio usage may also require a longer cable if it’s a larger studio with recording space.
Connections for Different Uses
There are 3 extension cable types that you’ll see around – 3.5mm, 6.35mm and XLR.
The most common is the 3.5mm male to female connection, which most headphones and microphones will work with these days. This is probably the connection you will be after unless you have a music-orientated setup, which you can see below.
6.35mm is used more in music setups where you need to connect to amplifiers, guitar amps, speakers, mixers, etc. They’re not as common as 3.5mm connections but are still sought after, which is why we’ve included one on our list.
Most people won’t use XLR, which is typically for professional and commercial audio setups.
Headset Use
Many gamers buy extension cords for their gaming headsets to reach their gaming PC or console.
The issue is that though most standard extension cables allow you to connect microphones, you’ll need an extender with 3 rings around the audio jack so that you can utilise the microphone when connecting a headset to it.
We have mentioned in our picks above that 1 model is designed for use with headsets, and the rest are not. Many people get caught out buying these cables for gaming headsets with microphones and end up disappointed.
Rubber or Braided?
Generally, we would advise you to go for rubber cables if possible, as they’re the best overall for delivering peak-performance sound.
The problem with some of the rubber cable designs, especially the cheaper ones, is that they tangle fairly easily with all the moving around and end up breaking.
We like braided designs for longer cables, especially for storage, and constantly moving them around. We feel that some of the braided designs are slightly more flexible than their rubber counterparts.
Conclusion
We recommend the Victeck as our number 1 choice overall if you’re looking for an excellent headphone extension cable.
We’ve tried to cover a number of bases with our 5 picks, each suiting different headphone needs and uses.
If you’re not in love with the idea of running a cable over your room or are sceptical about the extended sound quality, an alternative is to use a Bluetooth adapter or switch to wireless headphones.