How does it all work? Can you get anywhere near relative desk top quality sound? Can a subwoofer be used with a laptop?

Thanks very much. 🙂

Virtually all consumer computers/soundcards use the same 3.5mm jack audio out. If it works with a desktop, it’ll work with a laptop. I doubt that you’d notice any significant/problematic difference in audio quality across different devices.

Thanks for your reply Three_Fish, that’s useful to know. Would a sub work OK do you think?

I’m not sure what you mean by ‘work’. Most computer speaker systems get their signal from the computer’s jack output. It’s usually called the headphone socket on a laptop; but it’s the same thing as a socket marked ‘speakers’ on the back of a PC tower. Subs usually take their audio signal a line/cable from the main speakers, which in turn are plugged into the computer’s jack socket. Power is obtained from either USB or wall sockets, so there’s no drain on the audio output, just a constant (volume dependent) signal no matter how many speakers are linked. Does that make sense?

In true stw style, I will respond by not actually answering the OP’s question but a similar one.

I have a standalone media PC (cheap ex office desktop) with my music & films on a personal cloud drive. This is connected to my hifi via a 3.5mm -> phono jack. It’s sounds as very good to my ears. However I did pay <£10k for my interconnects so not sure I am qualified to comment.

I would suggest trying it and if not happy then getting an external USB soundcard for when plugging into your speakers at home unless you have a laptop that has an exceptional sound card fitted (ie marketed at gamers, music people etc)

Or you can get USB speaker set ups that have a build in sound card.

Another option is bluetooth or wifi so no cables to connect.

For a sub you would have to get a 2.1 set up which will have built in cross-overs to send the lows to the sub and everything else to the speakers. If you want to connect a dedicated sub and stereo speakers that are not a ‘package’ then an external sound card or something like an amp will be needed.

I think the question is can I use a sub woofer with my laptop speakers to get good sound

I think that sounds tricky. I think getting the cross over frequency correct would be difficult. Not heard of a specific laptop subwoofer

I’m sure you know that you can buy lots of products that plug into the 3.5mm jack and handle all the sound. Any of these would be fine including ones with sub woofers

You can also get wifi speakers if you don’t want to plug in

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=wireless+speakers+wifi&tag=googhydr-21&index=aps&hvadid=49023867135&hvpos=1t2&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=3104237035382109234&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_6q1irk0lid_b

Plenty of helpful info to digest. Thanks all. 8)

I think that sounds tricky. I think getting the cross over frequency correct would be difficult. Not heard of a specific laptop subwoofer

You can get sub-systems that are designed to fit ergonomically with a laptop, but the drivers aren’t designed to work specifically with either laptops or desktops/towers. The same unit could be used with a tower/desktop and sound exactly the same (soundcard differences aside).

As long as c_g uses directional cables and porcelain cable stands, she’ll be golden…

This isn’t for me, I’m a desk top gal. 😀

What is it you want them for? Permanently left on a desk for when you plug your laptop in?

Something like this would be ideal…
http://uk.jbl.com/jbl_product_detail_uk/jbl-creature759.html?gclid=CLyIrb2Qpb8CFSbKtAodZTYAsQ

although some of the larger computer speakers from people like Logitech still put out a decent amount of bass so you might not need the sub.

When I watch the F1 on SkyGo using my laptop, I just use a pair of small Mini Max II speakers and it is a massive improvement over the laptop speakers.

When my wife was looking for a laptop, there was a couple of them that came with a sub and special socket for it. She didn’t go for one of them in the end, so I can’t really comment. Saying that, there is only so much sind tiny speakers can produce. Even the sub that came with them was tiny.

Most Satellite+Subwoofer combos will split the “Subwoofer” signal off the signal inside the speakers – you just need to hook up to the headphone jack.

Bear in mind that a pair of active or all around larger speakers will likely sound better, small active monitors, for example these will probably sound better. Your budget is the next question.

The advantage to 2.1 systems is the sub can be hidden, but if the speakers are very small, then the sound will always be compromised. If you have the money, then the compromise will be lessened.

Morning. My bro’ is wanting to replace his ageing desk top with a laptop. Like me, he’s a Youtube music lover. He was impressed with the sound quality from my desk top with speakers and sub.

Other alternative is to run Google Chromecast through the telly but you need a soundbar to get any half decent sound quality.

I realise it’s all compromise but it’s good to know what options are out there.

Thanks.

I tend to take the line out (or headphone socket) 3.5 mm then send it into a cheap hifi with line in socket(3.5 mm) on it (which has a “Subwoofer”) quiet good sound 🙂

@gc plenty of DJ’s use laptops to hold their music. The machine is more than capable of driving a decent sound system, if you want “detail” in the music you need a better format than MP3 etc. That’s more important than laptop vs desktop question.

Anyway if you hook the computer up to a proper sterio it will sound pretty good. Less so with speaker/sub-woofer pc speakers but still decent enough.

EDIT: CG if youtube is your music source frankly any old laptop/speakers will be fine 😉 In fact you don’t even need a computer just stream it through your smart phone.

The Harmon Kardon soundsticks are pretty much the best computer speaker systemgoing, without going the whole DAc-Amp-Speakers hi-fi route. £100 from Currys/PC World at the moment. Excellent sound for the mony, real bargain.

jambalaya – thanks, it’s just trying to find a reasonably simple solution. There’s some fantastic vids on Youtube of bands from the 70’s, in fact I’ve been finding some brilliant bluesy stuff from the 60’s that I never knew existed! Very much compromise though. 🙂

stoffel – those really are hideous! Sorry.

Try some Acoustic Energy Aego speakers, for about £130. Supposed to be excellent:

Acoustic Energy bad ass little speakers with subwoofer

Alternatively buy an USB external DAC with phono outputs and hook it up to a handy hifi using your choice of cable/interconnect/string. Richer have some that are around the £100 mark.

Related question….I’ve got an old pc surround sound 5.1 system. It was powered by a deceased desktop, and had separate connections for each speaker (2 wires, black/red) and for the sub. Can I get these working with a laptop with a headphone jack? Would be great for the turbo if I could….

Be aware that the output from the headphone jack is not normally of great quality and is often noisy, even on desktops/laptops which boast high-definition sound, etc.

You will often be a lot better off with an external USB DAC or even a pc-card one, like an echo indigo. You can get some quite serious quality sound if you follow this route.

for the speakers the general rule is the smaller the main speakers the less deep they can go in the bass, so the more the subwoofer has to handle.

A subwoofer should stop output at 100Hz or you will be able to hear where it is, so this limits how small the main speakers can be, or forces you to place the subwoofer somewhat centrally and accept that you are listening to mono for a lot of the sound.

Those very small Bose speakers are guilty of this, as well as sounding iffy you can hear the subwoofer as it plays ways higher than it should.

Also, for certain low-quality speaker systems you may find you ‘prefer’ the headphone jack as they sound better from the jacks compressed, and maybe more bassy, sound than from a purer high quality feed from the external DAC.

You will often be a lot better off with an external USB DAC or even a pc-card one, like an echo indigo. You can get some quite serious quality sound if you follow this route.

Does that matter if the source is youtube

A subwoofer should stop output at 100Hz or you will be able to hear where it is, so this limits how small the main speakers can be, or forces you to place the subwoofer somewhat centrally and accept that you are listening to mono for a lot of the sound.

As a user of a sub and satellite with a higher cross over than that I’d say if its vaguely the right place its fine. Yes I have also heard proper hi fi

Does that matter if the source is youtube

yes, especially as some headphone jacks can be pretty noisy.

As a user of a sub and satellite with a higher cross over than that I’d say if its vaguely the right place its fine.

each to his own, but yo will be hearing more of a mono signal than you should. plus placing a large subwoofer in the middle of the speakers somewhat kills the convenience of the smaller speakers.

stoffel – those really are hideous! Sorry.

They aren’t pretty, no. Awful 90’s plasticky things.But they do sound very good for what they are, and better than anything else for that money, and a lot more for twice and more. A 15+ year old design, which still consistently gets great reviews. Loadsof much more stylish stuff around, but if oyouwant decent sound quality, they can’t be beaten in my pionion.