I recently bought an Acer Nitro EDT34OCUR monitor and connected my Xbox to it over HDMI. The monitor has no built-in speakers and doesn't appear to have a headphone or audio-out jack. I'd like to use decent external speakers, but I'm not sure whether an Xbox-compatible Bluetooth speaker, USB audio device, or another adapter would work. Could I connect speakers through the monitor's DisplayPort while using HDMI for video, or is there a better way to get sound from the Xbox?
4 Answers
The simplest option is usually plugging headphones or small powered speakers into the 3.5 mm jack on the Xbox controller. The controller sends the game audio through that connection, so the monitor doesn’t need any audio features.
The monitor can’t provide audio if it has no speakers or audio output. DisplayPort won’t help while the Xbox is connected through HDMI, and the monitor would still need to support audio passthrough.
Generic Bluetooth audio is usually not a reliable option with an Xbox, since Xbox consoles don’t support ordinary Bluetooth speakers the way phones do. A speaker or soundbar specifically compatible with Xbox might work, but check its compatibility before buying.
I’d go with the controller’s headphone jack if the speakers have a suitable input. It’s much less complicated than trying to pair Bluetooth devices.
Another dependable solution is an HDMI audio extractor. Put it between the Xbox and monitor, send HDMI video to the monitor, and connect the extractor’s 3.5 mm or optical audio output to powered speakers. Make sure it supports the Xbox’s resolution and refresh rate.
That makes sense. I didn’t realize the monitor had no audio hardware, but I’m still really happy with the display itself.