BleepingComputer.com: Speaker Problem

Hey I was just wondering, I have 2 speakers that come with my stereo and I have them hooked up to my computer. I got one speaker from a friend and he told me that all I have to do to get the the speaker he gave me to work is to touch the wires with one of the wires that belong to the other two speakers. So I stripped the right speaker on my stereo to hook touch the wires with the speaker he gave me and now nothing works. and I only get music on left side/ what do Ihave to do??


(Mod edit: moved to appropriate forum.jgweed)

Disconnect the new speaker and put everything back as it was. If you still only get sound out of one chanel you have either damaged the wires elsewhere or the sound card has blown.
What type of sound card do you have in your PC? Ordinarily sound cards do not contain audio amplifiers and need amplified speakers to produce anything but the lowest volumes. Stereo speakers are not normally amplified and so are not suitable for use as PC speakers.

General note on Hi-Fi speakers:
Amplifier output is carefully designed to drive a particular impedance - a resistance like property of the speakers. If you look on the back of speakers they should have their impedance marked e.g. 8 Ohm or 4 Ohm (the Ohm may be represented by an Omega symbol like an upside down horseshoe). If you connect two speakers to the same amplifier output you reduce the impedance which means more current will flow when music is playing and the amplifier will distort and possibly burn out.

Dear Chris,

Again, I agree with Rimmer. But can you trust a guy that has 666 as a post number?

Hahahahaha

Just kidding!

junkdk

Thanks sooo much junkdk but that H is for hologram not 'horned one'

I know what you mean but its nothing with my soundcard. why is using stereo speakers bad?? Ive been using them ever since Ive learned how to use a computer.

Quote

I didn't say it was bad, just that they are not usually compatible with PC sound cards. Stereo (Hi Fi) speakers normally are straight speakers, unamplified. they need a sound source with an amplifier in it to drive them.

Older sound cards used to have amplifiers in them, but because of space limitations and power limitations this was dropped and current sound cards have little or no amplification - thus requiring powered speakers to produce any volume. I'm sure there are some exceptions to this but that's the way it is in the majority of set-ups.

If you don't know what kind of sound card you have you could download Everest - a system analysis utility - so you can get detailed information about your system:
Everest download

Dear Chris,

I get the picture of you using a 2" 4" 8" home stereo speaker. Is that right?

Well not impossible but improbable; in order to push a sound through anything you need enough push.

I could go on and on about the history of sound but take this to heart. In order to hear a sound it has to be from 60 decibels to 140 decibels..anymore and it won't matter.

Some hear different but you get the drift.

In order for speakers to produce those levels they have to have a good level of electricity or power to enable the speakers to sound. Too simple! OK!

I play heavy metal guitar through a Mesa 90 watt amp that goes to a 4 X 12" speaker Marshall cabinet. The Marshall is rated at 350 watts, do you think it will be able to take the Mesa 90 watt. No! Any amp can deliver more than what its rated. At full volume I could have the neighbors two blocks over call the police.

What all computers are missing is that amp. It's lucky if you have 5 watts on a sound card. Things are changing though. I here now you can hook your sound system with your computer for your entertainment center.

Microsoft is doing it. Not hip on that yet but its out there. Remember even that system still needs a amplifier.

Hope that helps,

junkdk

yes it did thanks