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moog
Stranger
Registered: 02/15/05
Posts: 1,296
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Connecting speaker wires directly to PC?
#4840886 - 10/23/05 10:16 AM (18 years, 4 months ago) |
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Here's the deal. I usually listen to music through my stereo by connecting RCA audio cables from my PC to a reciever. Lately i've only been listening only to mp3s though, and i don't listen to CDs or radio anymore. So i figure, if i can route the audio right from my soundcard to the speakers, i can get rid of my reciever, which just takes up space that it might not need to.
Is there a way to connect plain old copper speaker wires directly to my soundcard? Maybe with the help of a small converter/binding device?
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daimyo
Monticello
Registered: 05/13/04
Posts: 7,751
Last seen: 12 years, 1 month
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Re: Connecting speaker wires directly to PC? [Re: moog]
#4842139 - 10/23/05 04:34 PM (18 years, 4 months ago) |
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There should be some RCA outputs on your card you can connect to(strip the wire and attach RCA plugs). However I don't think the amp(if there is one) will provide much power, and it might sound shitty as well.
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"I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man."
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Rustifer
prestige worldwide
Registered: 04/10/05
Posts: 7,071
Loc: Central Texas
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Re: Connecting speaker wires directly to PC? [Re: daimyo]
#4842326 - 10/23/05 05:33 PM (18 years, 4 months ago) |
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You'll probably need to get a new sound card, I belive you can do that with the sound blaster audigy.
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HELLA_TIGHT
Madge the Smoking Vag
Registered: 08/19/03
Posts: 84,387
Loc: Afghanistan
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Re: Connecting speaker wires directly to PC? [Re: moog]
#4845846 - 10/24/05 01:44 PM (18 years, 4 months ago) |
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You can get a 3 dollar connector that has 2 RCA jacks on one end, and an eighth inch jack on the other.
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trendal
J♠
Registered: 04/17/01
Posts: 20,815
Loc: Ontario, Canada
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Re: Connecting speaker wires directly to PC? [Re: moog]
#4846037 - 10/24/05 02:38 PM (18 years, 4 months ago) |
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Not with most soundcards these days, no. They don't have any power amplifiers on the cards anymore, so the sound level coming out the jacks is only line-level and won't play very loud at all on speakers without further amplification. That's why you need that amplifier there, and why all computer speakers have amplifiers built-in to them.
If you're big on big speakers then stick with an external amp/speaker system like you already have. If you don't mind smaller speakers (sacrificing max volume) you can get VERY excellent speaker packages designed specifically for computers. Get a set with a sub-woofer and the sound quality can be really quite good.
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Once, men turned their thinking over to machines in the hope that this would set them free. But that only permitted other men with machines to enslave them.
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ThePredator
Your a eunich ifyou don't useunix!
Registered: 08/23/05
Posts: 542
Last seen: 17 years, 8 months
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Re: Connecting speaker wires directly to PC? [Re: trendal]
#4846058 - 10/24/05 02:44 PM (18 years, 4 months ago) |
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Cut open the RCA wires and get a jack and cut open its wire, splice the wires tegether (- to -, + to +) and their you go (I have this set up going from my stereo to my speakers (sorround sound speakers made for a tv with only RCA) works like a charm).
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trendal
J♠
Registered: 04/17/01
Posts: 20,815
Loc: Ontario, Canada
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Re: Connecting speaker wires directly to PC? [Re: ThePredator]
#4846480 - 10/24/05 04:20 PM (18 years, 4 months ago) |
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Again, it won't work with most computers because the sound card doesn't amplify the signal.
It would be like trying to wire a speaker directly to the RCA jacks on the back of a VCR. Yes you might get a LITTLE volume out of it, but it isn't going to go much past a watt (I'd expect no more than half a watt of power, but I don't have any specs on me).
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Once, men turned their thinking over to machines in the hope that this would set them free. But that only permitted other men with machines to enslave them.
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moog
Stranger
Registered: 02/15/05
Posts: 1,296
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Re: Connecting speaker wires directly to PC? [Re: trendal]
#4846800 - 10/24/05 05:40 PM (18 years, 4 months ago) |
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OK, i'll still have to use an amp then, because these are 300+ watt JBL speakers i'm talking about here. I'll probably still get rid of this big lunky receiver though and just buy the smallest quality amp I can find.
Thanks everyone for the help.
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trendal
J♠
Registered: 04/17/01
Posts: 20,815
Loc: Ontario, Canada
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Re: Connecting speaker wires directly to PC? [Re: moog]
#4846913 - 10/24/05 06:07 PM (18 years, 4 months ago) |
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Yeah all you need is a power head with line-level input to drive the speakers.
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Once, men turned their thinking over to machines in the hope that this would set them free. But that only permitted other men with machines to enslave them.
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sychosymatic1003
Stranger
Registered: 11/08/05
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Re: Connecting speaker wires directly to PC? [Re: trendal]
#4911973 - 11/08/05 11:34 PM (18 years, 4 months ago) |
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My computer cam with an optional built in 50w amp. The original speakers are JBL Platinum Series. I plugged an audio splitter into the port on my computer. Then i plugged the JBL's into one slot and another speaker system that i bought into the other slot. THen one day i started messing with the jbls and noticed that i could unsrew the speaker. I did this and had an idea about hooking two home stereo speakers to it. I drilled a hole in the back of the JBL "Box" and ran the wire threw it and wired it up to the speaker itself. They work fine and is loud as hell. When the computer equalizer is modified, they have killer bass as well.
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