Should I expect any (noticable) quality drop using extension cords/switchboxes?

[Trombe]

Short story is I'm getting tired of having to jump around my desk just to unplug my headphones from my PC to use them with anything else I own (consoles, portables, etc). I don't want to spend much though just for convenience; thinking of just getting a stereo extension cable from Radio Shack or something, so I was just curious whether a generic cable would cause any issues with sound quality (from an X-Fi, if that matters).

 

[Nenu]

Get an oxygen free copper cable that has connectors made of the same metal your headphones use.
ie if headphones have gold plate connectors, get gold plate.

The capacitive effect of the longer cable and the extra reactance + resistance will affect the sound.
The longer the cable the more pronounced the effect.
Some frequencies will have slight phase shifts and some frequencies will not be as loud.
Whether you notice it depends on how bad it is, how sensitive you are to audio quality and the quality of your sound system (including soundcard and media quality).

There is also a bit of luck as the changes can do just the wrong things to the sound and not act in harmony with your system.
If very lucky it can correct some imbalances already present in your system.
Its best to keep the cable as short as possible.

 

[Ronco]

If it's a few meters decent quality cable should not introduce any differences.

If you want a 'connection organiser' for use with headphones and powered speakers, consider something like the Mackie Big Knob.