What device am I looking for (line out from sound card)?

Factual Questions
1

A friend of ours came to visit a couple of months back, and very generously bought us a pair of Bose speakers for kaylasmom’s computer (he’s trying to convert kaylasmmom into a regular on-line radio listener). So okay, a left speaker and a right speaker, I should be able to get them plugged into the two output channels on the back of the computer, same as on the back of a stereo amp, right?

Of course not. There’s only one line out jack on the back of the computer, and it’s a two-ring minijack. No problemo; I go to Radio Shack and pick up this adapter, with a two-ring mini-plug, and at the ends of two six-inch wires, a pair of female connectors; one for the left channel and one for the right channel (this).

Turns out this doesn’t quite do it; both speaker wires terminate in mono plugs, but what I thought was a splitting adapter, is merely a duplexing adapter, putting out both channels on each jack. The mono plugs only pick up the left channel.

Grrr. Back to Radio Shack I go, and I explain the problem. Manager disappears into the tiny electronic parts corner for a couple of minutes, and returns with a 1/8" Y-adapter (this). I couldn’t be happier. I rushed home with the treasure, and prepared to get this puppy rolling in TWO channels. All I have to do is figure out which one goes to the left speaker, and which to the right. It should have an “L” or an “R” in the appropriate side…

Well, THIS is peculiar. It just says “M” on both jacks. I hook it up anyway, and take it for a spin. Arrrggghhh! It smooshes both channels into mono, and puts out identical signals to each speaker.

Here’s what I want it to do. When I plug the 1/8" two-ring plug into the jack, I want the right-channel audio to be tapped off the sound card, and delivered to a mono jack that I can plug one speaker into. I also want the left-channel audio to be tapped off and delivered, all by itself to another mono a jack that I can plug the other speaker into.

DOES ANYONE HERE KNOW WHAT I WANT TO BUY?

Thanks so much for any responses.

2

A new sound card? :smiley:

(sorry, I don’t know…)

3

The first thing you bought is more-or-less correct.
However, the mono plugs on the speakers may be only picking up one channel, so this might work better.

4

I think you want one of these . Then you might have to find a way to convert the RCA back to 1/8" mono, as I assume that’s what your speakers have. Not sure from your description though.

5

Pretty sure that isn’t going to do it. I’ve tried this setup on two different computers, with identical results. I’m beginning to suspect that I shouldn’t have bought speaker wires with 1/8" mono phone plugs, and instead should have got them with RCA plugs like Og (or Avery Fisher) intended speakers to have; then looked for a Y adapater that goes from a 1/8" stereo plug to color-coded RCA jacks.

6

I have my Lappy plugged into my sound system in this way. The cable is a 1/8-inch stereo miniplug to stereo RCA plug pair. It’s basically a stereo headphone plug on one end and a right and a left RCA plug on the other. Here’s one from Radio Shack, though I wouldn’t buy Monster Cable–they’re too much of a ripoff.

Edit: no, you want to connect the speakers directly? The cable I described is for connecting to an amp. If you have amplified speakers, it might do, but I’m not sure whether the average sound card can drive speakers directly.

7

From your link, I’m pretty sure this is what you need

Or possibly this adapter, but I’d make them ohm it out at the store to insure that it is a L/R stereo adapter.

8

Yeah, I’ve pretty much established that a 1/8" mono plug is only going to pick up the left channel when it’s put into a stereo jack, even if I TELL one of them I want the right channel. Stupid speakers. And your pic seems to be prepared to do what I ask of it, Unfortunately, it seems to want an RCA plug at the end of the speaker wire, and I have 1/8" mono plugs.

Does this product EXIST with 1/8" mono jacks? It HAS to. What else would be the point of 1/8" mono plugs existing?

9

Now, that you mention it, Sunspace, the speakers seem to be displaying a distinct lack of oomph for Boses. Is there a cheap audio amplifier that I can run these things through?

And compact, too; preferably about the size of my wireless router.

10

I’m an ex Radio Shack manager, and unless those Bose speakers are amplified in some fashion none of these scenarios is going to work. The output from a sound card is a line level output and is intended to go to self amplified speakers. It is not intended to drive unamplified speakers. You can take the sound card output to a stereo receiver-amplifier line L+R line level input (ie tape CD etc) and drive the speakers from the receiver, but this would be a bit kludgy.

I’d recommend getting a decent inexpensive pair of amplified speakers and save the BOSE units (if they are unamplified) for use in home theatre or similar setup.

On the off chance the BOSE speakers are amplified PC speakers they should have a cable set included in the box terminating in a mini stereo plug that will attach directly the the sound card output and to the speakers.

11

Thanks for setting me straight, astro. I’m going to have to re-think this whole thing.

ETA: Because no, they’re not amplified.

12

Speakers of the type you describe with a 1/8th mono L & R mini plug connectors typically went into a sub-woofer+ amp as part of home theatre or similar setup that had left and right plug ins for the speakers on the sub-woofer amp chassis. The mono plugs were to make setup easy. It sounds like that piece of the hardware setup is missing. If you intend on using he speakers your best bet is to nip off the mono plugs and strip the wire into a conventional bare polarized speaker wire for attachment to an amp.

13

Another concern I have is that if they were intended to be part of a sub-woofer ensemble setup, they are likely engineered to be mid-high frequency range speakers, and low end performance is likely to be poor even with a conventional amp.

14

I had a scruffy little Radio Shack amp that I used in these circumstances for years. However, looking at the RS site now, I see only AV receivers and PA/DJ-style equipment. A better place to look might be a large specialist musical-instrument store. Or a computer store. Hmm.

A used musical-instrument store? Even a pawnshop might be good for finding such a little amp. We are not talking about ‘state-of-the-art’ here.

My cable goes from my computer into the ‘AUX’ input of a stereo receiver.

15

To confuse this even more, some computers have used sound cards that drive the speakers directly. HP Pavilion computers used to for one example. Most computers require amplified speakers to use the sound cards.