How do I switch between two loudspeakers - alternative to a relay?

I am hacking an existing MP3 player. It reads tracks from a USB stick and plays it in to an earphone socket connected to a small speaker.

At the moment I have a mechanical switch that disconnects the two signal lines to the earphone socket and connects them to a bigger speaker that has a built-in amplifier.

I want to replace my mechanical switch with something controlled by the Arduino. I have considered using a relay but they seem big and expensive. All the ones I have looked at are about power switching. All I want to do is change where a signal line goes...

  • Is there an alternative to using a relay?

I have considered using a relay but they seem big and expensive.

Relays come in all shapes and sizes, there are many miniature ones that would be ideal for the job like this one and they are not expensive:-

If it helps in your application you can get a [u]"closed circuit" headphone jack[/u] with a built-in switch to turn-off the speakers when headphones are plugged-in.

Otherwise, a relay (or switch) is usually the easiest/best way to switch a low-impedance connection like speakers/headphones. Even with "regular" audio signals there are advantages to using relays/switches.

You can even get Dil packaged relays - about the size of an 8 pin chip

When all is said and done, something like this https://www.ebay.com/itm/DR21A01-DC-5V-DPDT-Relay-Module-Polarity-reversal-switch-Board-for-Arduino-UNO/272284414876?hash=item3f656a739c:g:4jcAAOSwV6ta8N3E is probably the lowest-hassel solution, and the price is not prohibitive.