I want to plug some speakers into my PC, but I'm not sure if I should try it...

[MikeyPutsOut]

I'll give you some background first.

I have a 2.1 set of speakers for my PC, and I just bought two stands to put the speakers on to put behind me.
Now, I have this extra set of speakers, but they aren't computer speakers, they are actually these small speakers designed for a receiver. But I was wondering if it would work if I converted the two wires (the red and black wires) from the speakers into a plug (from Radio Shack) and plugged that into my pc...?

Speaker info:
4 ohms
Minimum 5 watts
Maximum 30 watts

Sound Card:
Audigy 2

thanks guys:Q

 

[snidy1]

I think you would need speakers with power.

 

[lenjack]

That's right. Your pc speakers have an amplifier built in, while your receiver speakers do not. Your pc doesn't produce any significant amount of power (watts). You'll be lucky to hear more than a whisper.

 

[compudog]

Welcome to the forums Mikey! You can buy a cable at Radio Shack that has a 1/8" stereo jack that would plug into your Audigy2, then connect it to your stereo amplifier (receiver) and then power those speakers. They won't work without an amp.

 

[Lord Evermore]

Unpowered speakers will work on the correct port of a sound card. I don't know if actual home theatre speakers will or not, but unpowered PC speakers aren't uncommon. I discovered that some (if not all) onboard sound does not have any amplification through the output jack, while sound cards that have specifically a speaker out and headphone out jack separately provides amplification on the speaker port.

Incidentally, if you set up the 2.1 speakers as your rear speakers, you may not get the type of sound you'd expect. While the location of a subwoofer doesn't matter as far as you hearing it, most of your sound output, including the bass, would be coming from the front speakers, like in a game. You might end up depending on the bass performance of the other speakers if you use them for the front channel.