Owner's manual:

NOTE
The sound output via the headphones is identical to that output
via the OUTPUT [L]/[R] jacks and the OUTPUT [L/MONO]/[R]
jacks. Furthermore, plugging in or disconnecting a set of
headphones has no effect on the sound being output via these
jacks.

This is the same as other synthesizers in the Yamaha line. I'd prefer to have a way to differentiate between the two in cases where I want to fiddle around and not have to turn down speakers or have the A1 audio tech (EDIT: gender neutral) mute me.

The "cure" for this is to get a stereo bypass switch that allows for cutting off the keyboard input from an output and also handles "terminating" the signal when disconnected so there's no switch noise when switching in/out. I don't have a specific suggestion for a device. On the more expensive side - a small mixer would do the same thing where you mute yourself (your keyboard) when you want to monitor with headphones and not advertise your noodling to the world.

There's no getting around that the headphones and OUTPUT L/R are the exact same (always) no matter what.

Is there any way to switch off the xlr/jack outputs (when headphones are plugged in)? Now I have to unplug my monitor speakers everytime I want to listen through my headphones, but maybe I’m missing something obvious here.

Thanks for thinking along!

Hi luuc! Welcome to YamahaSynth!

While, today, you can plug your Line level keyboard directly into your powered studio monitor speakers — that is a reality in today’s gear — I think back to the old days when such a thing was not possible… it was unthinkable.

Today, they have input buffering and protection circuitry to keep folks from doing damage to their monitors... they know we plug our synths directly in… I always ask myself, what was the solution in the past… before this was possible.

When you need separate volume controls from your instrument’s Phones and your sound system, you can insert a mixer. The mixer is not only a device that allows multiple signals to be simultaneously plugged into your monitor speakers (after all they are not sold as keyboard amps), a mixer is also a device that can give separately controllable audio output options. That is what you are ready for, now!

The “missing something obvious here” is the mixer.
Today’s monitor speakers have a dedicated built-in mixer (of sorts) before going to their power amps (allowing a wide variety of use cases). You have reached one that requires an external solution.

I use a small format mixer (not only does it allow me to plug in multiple keyboards -I usually have two connected at any one time- it solves a ton of other issues as well).

Link — Yamaha AG06— fits neatly on the desktop. It’s functionality is off the charts, for webcasting, etc. it provides phantom power for microphone input, separate output gain for headphone (solves the issue of headphone volume… many really good headphones are inefficient, it means you must feed them signal for them to do their thing -having a separate headphone amp is heaven). Balanced outputs…. Etc., etc.

My first studio when I joined Yamaha, was based around a pair of NS10Ms… no plugging a keyboard directly into them (haha)!

You’re ready for a small format mixer (external to the one they build into most studio monitors these days). If you're not ready to spend money… then

Today’s powered monitor speakers have On/Off switches… you can power them off when using Phones, or doing vocals or open mic recording.

Hope that helps.

Thanks, both, for your replies and solutions!!

It helped.

- now I know for sure that there’s no built-in way to choose my output, so that makes me stop wondering. 😀
- now I know that my previous way of handling this “issue” was the right way: I happen to own a small mixer (Mackie 8) which does the job perfectly, but since I sold some of my instruments I didn’t really use the mixer for ‘mixing’ anymore and got rid of it in my setup. Guess I’ll set it up again. 😀