Hardware question
 

Hi

I have a 4.1 speaker system and a laptop (with single jack for speakers) and a desktop (with 4.1 soundcard and therefore a jack for subwoofer as well). Does anyone know if its possible to connect the speakers to both my laptop and desktop simultaneously, utilizing the subwoofer jack on the desktop?

I know that if I don't want subwoofer separate channel on the desktop then I can use the convertor that came with the speakers to change to single channel and then use coupler/cables to connect to both computers simultaneously, but I was wondering if the other option was possible since it may give me better sound on desktop..........

Thanks

two computers, one set of speakers ??
two options
1. buy a mixer to combine the two output signals and then feed into speakers.
2. cheaper and less obvious option, buy a second set of speakers.

Unless you are curious what smoke smells like, Dont connect the wires straight together before connecting to the speakers.

floppy

oops

Ok, thanks floppy..

I guess I'll just buy some cables, you know the coupler and the 'male' and 'female' cables and use them.

Not coupler but "mixer"
rock on over to Radio shack or something
people who know electronics
and get a "mixer"

The problem is that many assume that signals coming out of
one device can be just combined with signals coming out of another and fed into a speaker, a bit like connecting two hoses to one nozzle - doesnt work like that !

you might have different signal levels and even the earth voltages may be different and if you connect one output to another you risk seriously screwing up the output transistors of your sound card.

In all honesty, a second set of speakers will be the easiest option

live long and prosper
floppy

floppy,

I found some other options, do you know if any of them might work without risking the speakers:

1. To use a KVM switch (I could get a used one with cables for $10).

2. Use a male cable to connect Line Out of one sound card into the Line In of the other.

3. Get a mixer (of course even the cheapest would cost $50).

Earlier I had actually meant a coupler rather than a mixer; I could have connected the speakers to one end of the coupler, the male end of the Y-adapter to the other end of the coupler, and both of the audio cables to the two female jacks on the Y-adapter. But as you said this would risk the sound cards.

Anyway what do you think of the above solutions? Mixer would be least preferable due to cost, and my speakes are rather nice. But I don't want to buy another set of speakers since I don't have space in a college dorm room ;)

Thanks a lot.

I suppose you can connect the Line-Out from your laptop to the line-in of your desk top , and I mean Line-out not speaker-out.and I mean line-in not mic-in.
This might present an isue with software and somene else might be best able to explain what / how to do. As I have never tried it.
Do not connect the speaker-out to the mic-in or you will definately blow something.
Failing this, and the mixer option being to expensive, a cheap pair of speakers looks the go.
Rock on down to some electronics store, try to pick a salesperson with some sort of intelligence, and see what other options they can give.
good luck
live long and prosper
floppy

Can I ask why you need these good speakers on your notebook if you already have a desktop with good speakers? You say you're in college in a dorm, so I assume you're not traveling around with a big set of 4.1 speakers... Does your builtin notebook speakers not work?

I would say that if you "need" speakers for your notebook, than you should get a another set. Actually I have a cheap set on one of my spare computers. Their Altec Lansing with just the 2 main fronts and a subwoofer... it's only like $30 and they actually get quite loud!!! I got mine at Target..

Good Luck..

Ok, I need them since my desktop being slow I can't play games on it, and my music being on most of the time I like to have it on the desktop. So I would like sound from both. Of course buying speakers is good except that there's no space here :(

But anyway, as floppy suggested, I'll go to Radioshack and have a look and see if they have something.

I see you're in Bloomington, I assume you're at Illinois State?

Illinois Wesleyan, actually. Guess it makes more sense to assume I'm at ISU, it being 15 times larger :D
You're at Rockford...I was there over thanksgiving, went to a friend's house at Roscoe.

Cool.. yeah that's pretty much one and the same.. few of my cousins live in Roscoe.. I've heard Wesleyan is pretty cool, though I've never been there..

I had speakers for my laptop but they broke.