Connecting Speakers to a laptop
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URL: http://www.1cmm.net/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1412
Printed Date: 31/October/2024 at 9:20am
Topic: Connecting Speakers to a laptop
Posted By: Veritas
Subject: Connecting Speakers to a laptop
Date Posted: 22/August/2006 at 4:49pm
| I got a Dell Inspiron 1505 with just the stock graphics card. I am interested in connecting some speakers to the laptop and don't know what my limit is to what speakers i can use (speaking as watts). Is there other hardware that I will need to go along with the speakers to hook it up to my laptop? Thanks, T42. |
Replies:
Posted By: solitary00
Date Posted: 22/August/2006 at 5:00pm
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Headphone jacks put out very little power.... Not nearly enough to drive a decent speaker (or even a decent pair of headphones for that matter).. Watts are not what you need to be concerned with, underpowering a speaker will fry it MUCH faster than overpowering it. To do this, you will need some sort of amplification. Most 2.1-5.1 computer speakers have an amp in the sub, which is why all speakers connect back to it. If you wanted to hook Home Speakers up to your laptop you will either need active monitors (expensive, hard to find) or a home audio amp.. If you're trying to run your audio through an already existing stereo setup all you need is http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2102974 at the appropriate length.. The headphone plug goes into the laptop, and the RCA plugs go into one of the inputs on your amp. ------------- -bullet buffer- 
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Posted By: Veritas
Date Posted: 22/August/2006 at 6:18pm
| thank you... so if i bought speakers with a subwoofer, and lets say it has an internal amp, would i still need to buy a home amp? i'm guessing headphone jacks are the only place on a laptop to feed speakers also? |
Posted By: Fayaz
Date Posted: 22/August/2006 at 7:40pm
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If you buy a decent speaker/subwoofer set, there is a built-in amp. Keep in mind that PC speaker systems are essentially designed for PC speaker 3.5mm input. A home amp is best suited for larger wired speakers.
For laptops, you can also get a PCMCIA sound card which will deliver far better audio than the stock built-in SigmaTel card. Just slip into one of the expansion slots. Something like the Audigy 2 ZS for notebooks can provide you with THX certified sound, EAX 4.0 HD, 3D positional audio and DTS-ES/Dolby Digital decoding. Regardless, the output will still be 3.5mm pc speaker or 3.5mm digital out. ------------- 
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Posted By: Tybox
Date Posted: 22/August/2006 at 8:51pm
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1CMM tech team to the rescue yet again! ------------- |
Posted By: Bhopx
Date Posted: 22/August/2006 at 10:09pm
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only get a Creative Audigy 2 ZS if you plan on getting some Creative brand speakers with it. I own an Audigy 2 ZS Platinum.
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