Help please, I'm a speaker noob

[Trav_X]

Found some old JBL speakers that my parents used to use. I also found what I believe is a Panasonic subwoofer that used to go with some tower speakers, the tower speakers I think might be broken, so I only have the JBL speakers and the Panasonic sub. I don't know how they are supposed to connect. The only interfaces I've used for sound stuff is USB and 3.5mm, so I need some help. Can someone recommend some cables or something I could use so I could plug the speakers and the sub into a phone or a computer through 3.5mm? I attached some pictures of the speaker and the connectors. I'm not exactly sure how they are supposed to turn on either, there is no like wall plug or anything, I have some cables that basically look like copper wire with a plastic casing on them. 

 

TL;DR: I don't know how to connect speakers to anything

[doomsriker]

The sub hooks up to a proprietary port on the original receiver by the looks of that plug (so your out of luck there without A LOt of mods). As for the speakers, you can get a small amp on amazon that can power those. 

 

this is a possibility but there are a lot like this for more and less money to choose from on amazon and ebay

 

https://www.amazon.com/Pyle-PTA4-2x120-Stereo-Amplifier/dp/B003NVN1PY/ref=sr_1_26?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1505695652&sr=1-26&keywords=amp

[doomsriker]

Just now, doomsriker said:

The sub hooks up to a proprietary port on the original receiver by the looks of that plug (so your out of luck there without A LOt of mods). As for the speakers, you can get a small amp on amazon that can power those. 

 

this is a possibility but there are a lot like this for more and less money to choose from on amazon and ebay

 

https://www.amazon.com/Pyle-PTA4-2x120-Stereo-Amplifier/dp/B003NVN1PY/ref=sr_1_26?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1505695652&sr=1-26&keywords=amp

Oh and you will need speaker wire and some scissors. ill assume you have scissors but ill link some wire and a video showing how to hook up speakers. 

 

 https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-16-Gauge-Speaker-Wire-Feet/dp/B006LW0W5Y/ref=pd_bxgy_23_img_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B006LW0W5Y&pd_rd_r=A8HZ7CF158EBM60Z0PX1&pd_rd_w=AgXy2&pd_rd_wg=kd3O8&psc=1&refRID=A8HZ7CF158EBM60Z0PX1

 

Just do what he does but with scissors, that is what I do

 

 

And than hook it up this video was made for a specific receiver but it gives you the general idea

 

 

 

[doomsriker]

once all that is done, you just need to hook up the reciever to your pc's audio output via 3.5mm to 3.5mm or 3.5mm to rca cable (depends on what input your receiver)

 

so this 

 

https://www.amazon.com/Choseal-3-5mm-Audio-Adapter-Cable/dp/B00A7J1ANA/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1505696558&sr=8-3&keywords=3.5+to+rca

 

or this depending on what receiver you buy

 

https://www.amazon.com/iXCC-Universal-Ultra-Slim-3-5mm-Enabled-Devices/dp/B00ZS6QPTQ/ref=sr_1_5?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1505696630&sr=1-5&keywords=3.5+to+3.5+male+to+male

 

 

[unknownmiscreant]

31 minutes ago, doomsriker said:

The sub hooks up to a proprietary port on the original receiver by the looks of that plug (so your out of luck there without A LOt of mods). As for the speakers, you can get a small amp on amazon that can power those. 

 

this is a possibility but there are a lot like this for more and less money to choose from on amazon and ebay

 

https://www.amazon.com/Pyle-PTA4-2x120-Stereo-Amplifier/dp/B003NVN1PY/ref=sr_1_26?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1505695652&sr=1-26&keywords=amp

Based off the (lack of) wires going to the sub, I would assume that the two wires go directly to the speaker terminals, so the connector could probably just be cut off, and any old amp used.

[doomsriker]

13 minutes ago, unknownmiscreant said:

Based off the (lack of) wires going to the sub, I would assume that the two wires go directly to the speaker terminals, so the connector could probably just be cut off, and any old amp used.

It's possible but proprietary receiver conectors can be unpredictable in my experience. 

[Trav_X]

6 minutes ago, doomsriker said:

It's possible but proprietary receiver conectors can be unpredictable in my experience. 

Thanks for all the info, really helps. Hopefully these speakers are pretty good. Too bad about the sub, maybe I'll try to hook it up somehow like the other guy said if the speakers don't satisfy my ears enough

[Trav_X]

11 minutes ago, doomsriker said:

It's possible but proprietary receiver conectors can be unpredictable in my experience. 

 

26 minutes ago, unknownmiscreant said:

Based off the (lack of) wires going to the sub, I would assume that the two wires go directly to the speaker terminals, so the connector could probably just be cut off, and any old amp used.

Do y'all have any suggestions for a cheaper amp? I found the manual online for the exact JBL model I have, it says that the "Power Handling Range" is 10 - 50 watts. Is that for each speaker or for both together? If they are separate then I'll need at least a 100 watt amp I assume?

[unknownmiscreant]

23 minutes ago, Trav_X said:

 

Do y'all have any suggestions for a cheaper amp? I found the manual online for the exact JBL model I have, it says that the "Power Handling Range" is 10 - 50 watts. Is that for each speaker or for both together? If they are separate then I'll need at least a 100 watt amp I assume?

I'm not sure, something around 30-50 watts per channel should be enough. A total 60w amp should be plenty. If you have the budget, a 100w amp would be a better spend. I personally use 56w per speaker. 

 

If you're on a really tight budget, something like 15w per channel would work, but will be bad value compared to other offerings, and not leave you with any headroom.

 

Probably just leave the sub for now, and try work out what is going on with the proprietary connector a bit later when you have some more experience with speakers etc.

[loculus]

19 minutes ago, Trav_X said:

 

Do y'all have any suggestions for a cheaper amp? I found the manual online for the exact JBL model I have, it says that the "Power Handling Range" is 10 - 50 watts. Is that for each speaker or for both together? If they are separate then I'll need at least a 100 watt amp I assume?

Should be per speaker, but frequently amps are also rated per channel. You might see something like 2 x 50 W (then again, frequently not).

 

In any case, you don't need a match or anything like that. The amount of power transferred depends on the volume setting and this determines how loud they play. At a moderate volume setting reasonably close to speakers, most are using less than 1 W on average. Of course you need an amp that can handle the peaks, if you don't want distortion when things are louder.

 

You may be able to find a used receiver for cheaper somewhere. Those have integrated amps. Near the bottom of the barrel is some Lepai 2020 variant for around $25 (make sure to get it with included power supply, unless you have a 12V 2A or higher source already lying around. That's good for several watts relatively clean; don't expect a lot more.

 

Actually, if you're looking for maximum cheap and have electronics/wiring skills, you can probably use one of those populated speaker amp boards off eBay. Some are sub-$10. For example, search for the TPA3116 (a popular amp chip around which products are designed; there are many others). If you have something like a 65W (higher is better) laptop power supply, you could adapt/wire that to the power supply input and run that.

 

[doomsriker]

42 minutes ago, Trav_X said:

 

Do y'all have any suggestions for a cheaper amp? I found the manual online for the exact JBL model I have, it says that the "Power Handling Range" is 10 - 50 watts. Is that for each speaker or for both together? If they are separate then I'll need at least a 100 watt amp I assume?

Well.... How much time and effort do you want to put into this? 

 

 

[Trav_X]

11 minutes ago, loculus said:

Should be per speaker, but frequently amps are also rated per channel. You might see something like 2 x 50 W (then again, frequently not).

 

In any case, you don't need a match or anything like that. The amount of power transferred depends on the volume setting and this determines how loud they play. At a moderate volume setting reasonably close to speakers, most are using less than 1 W on average. Of course you need an amp that can handle the peaks, if you don't want distortion when things are louder.

 

You may be able to find a used receiver for cheaper somewhere. Those have integrated amps. Near the bottom of the barrel is some Lepai 2020 variant for around $25 (make sure to get it with included power supply, unless you have a 12V 2A or higher source already lying around. That's good for several watts relatively clean; don't expect a lot more.

 

Actually, if you're looking for maximum cheap and have electronics/wiring skills, you can probably use one of those populated speaker amp boards off eBay. Some are sub-$10. For example, search for the TPA3116 (a popular amp chip around which products are designed; there are many others). If you have something like a 65W (higher is better) laptop power supply, you could adapt/wire that to the power supply input and run that.

 

Yeah, I don't have electronics or wiring experience. Only real tech stuff I've done is built one computer and swapped some stuff out in a different one  I'm not adept in the audio arts yet. I don't plan on absolutely blasting the music, but I might just spend the $40-50 to just get one of the 100-120W total amps that were linked in this thread on Amazon, then its future proof I guess if I ever want to use it again or something. 

[Trav_X]

2 minutes ago, doomsriker said:

Well.... How much time and effort do you want to put into this? 

 

 

I'll watch that video in a bit but I'm not looking to spend a lot of more nor spend a ton of time. Im pretty busy most of the time, but I want to get these speakers working since I really don't have any decent speakers (I use headphones for gaming and listening to music on the go), and I'd like to have something at home lol. This video might be interesting tho

[unknownmiscreant]

12 minutes ago, loculus said:

Should be per speaker, but frequently amps are also rated per channel. You might see something like 2 x 50 W (then again, frequently not).

 

In any case, you don't need a match or anything like that. The amount of power transferred depends on the volume setting and this determines how loud they play. At a moderate volume setting reasonably close to speakers, most are using less than 1 W on average. Of course you need an amp that can handle the peaks, if you don't want distortion when things are louder.

 

You may be able to find a used receiver for cheaper somewhere. Those have integrated amps. Near the bottom of the barrel is some Lepai 2020 variant for around $25 (make sure to get it with included power supply, unless you have a 12V 2A or higher source already lying around. That's good for several watts relatively clean; don't expect a lot more.

 

Actually, if you're looking for maximum cheap and have electronics/wiring skills, you can probably use one of those populated speaker amp boards off eBay. Some are sub-$10. For example, search for the TPA3116 (a popular amp chip around which products are designed; there are many others). If you have something like a 65W (higher is better) laptop power supply, you could adapt/wire that to the power supply input and run that.

 

Those ebay things are honestly pretty crap. I used to use things like that before I built my system, the $150 I spent on parts for the amp was well worth it, even with the same speakers. 

 

Laptop supplies don't output enough voltage (19V) to drive amplifiers (well calss AB at least). My LM3876 and LM3886 amplifiers need 70V (+/-35V), and they actually output that (within a volt or two) to the speakers. I personally wouldn't use less than 40v, as then you end up with not enough headroom to handle peaks.

 

Buying some used receiver or amplifier is probably your best option.

[doomsriker]

1 minute ago, Trav_X said:

I'll watch that video in a bit but I'm not looking to spend a lot of more nor spend a ton of time. Im pretty busy most of the time, but I want to get these speakers working since I really don't have any decent speakers (I use headphones for gaming and listening to music on the go), and I'd like to have something at home lol. This video might be interesting tho

If the size of the receiver is not an issue you can buy used. That is what I did for all my speskers at home (usually pay around 10-30$). Check your local craigslist and thrift stores for receivers (Yamaha and Sony are both good brands to look for) but keep in mind that theses thisgs are often around the size of two old VCRs. Oh, and try to find one that comes with the original remote if you can (next to impossible to find replacements).

[unknownmiscreant]

15 minutes ago, doomsriker said:

Well.... How much time and effort do you want to put into this? 

 

 

Yeah sure thats a cool project, its been a while since I watched it, but I don't remember there being much actual substance to what he built, and there was quite things I noticed that didn't line up properly.

 

I know from personal experience, that 10-15w RMS (both channels) outside is surprisingly loud, particularly as close to the speakers as he was. Experience has taught me to always be quite careful about those youtube projects, as often the project is significantly harder than it is made out to be, and the results nowhere near as good.

 

If you actually want to build a system, check out Elliot Sound Products. But be warned, the porjects are complicated, and the mains wiring has a very real potential of killing you!!

[loculus]

1 hour ago, unknownmiscreant said:

Those ebay things are honestly pretty crap. I used to use things like that before I built my system, the $150 I spent on parts for the amp was well worth it, even with the same speakers. 

 

Laptop supplies don't output enough voltage (19V) to drive amplifiers (well calss AB at least). My LM3876 and LM3886 amplifiers need 70V (+/-35V), and they actually output that (within a volt or two) to the speakers. I personally wouldn't use less than 40v, as then you end up with not enough headroom to handle peaks.

 

Buying some used receiver or amplifier is probably your best option.

That's why I linked a cheapo Class D amp and not a Class AB chip amp setup. Some of these can effectively double the rails (generate what amounts to a negative from the positive); others just filter out the DC. Obviously it's not as good as something using a beefy transformer, getting like +/- 30V, proper filtering, etc., and a very high fidelity amp section.

 

Normally you don't want all the high-frequency switching from a laptop power supply anywhere connected to your audio, but for the cheap class D stuff that's some of the least of your concerns.

 

We're looking at somebody trying to spend minimal amounts to complement free speakers, not an actual high-end system. So agreed, if a used receiver can be found for less / very low that is generally best, but some people have an aversion to that kind of stuff.

[unknownmiscreant]

2 hours ago, loculus said:

That's why I linked a cheapo Class D amp and not a Class AB chip amp setup. Some of these can effectively double the rails (generate what amounts to a negative from the positive); others just filter out the DC. Obviously it's not as good as something using a beefy transformer, getting like +/- 30V, proper filtering, etc., and a very high fidelity amp section.

 

Normally you don't want all the high-frequency switching from a laptop power supply anywhere connected to your audio, but for the cheap class D stuff that's some of the least of your concerns.

 

We're looking at somebody trying to spend minimal amounts to complement free speakers, not an actual high-end system. So agreed, if a used receiver can be found for less / very low that is generally best, but some people have an aversion to that kind of stuff.

Okay, sorry, I didn't know class d could generate negative voltage output without split supply. However the max voltage across the speaker terminals is still limited by the supply voltage, you need BTL to get more. 19V is a bit of a bare minimum, but for what OP is trying to achieve, it should be fine. 

 

If I was doing a project like this, I would look at those class d amp boards and laptop supply, however I would not recommend this to the OP. I totally agree some people (myself included) have an aversion to receivers, but they make sense for the OP due to simplicity.

 

Another option may be a cheap pre-built amplifier. I can get a 2x18w RMS amp for $50NZ. My old school used to use them in classrooms and they sound okay.

[loculus]

9 hours ago, unknownmiscreant said:

Okay, sorry, I didn't know class d could generate negative voltage output without split supply. However the max voltage across the speaker terminals is still limited by the supply voltage, you need BTL to get more. 19V is a bit of a bare minimum, but for what OP is trying to achieve, it should be fine.

To be clear, it's not a feature of Class D amps in general and does not apply to many, even if a number of the chips integrate a charge pump (or maybe something else?) to generate the negative supply. Most are designed for single supply input (hot and ground), though. I mostly just meant earlier that this is what you're dealing with—and it works—on an ultra-cheap budget. Maybe several clean watts, who knows.

 

Some boards also might generate a negative supply externally from the single positive supply, but you're not going to see this at the sub-$20 level. You can't expect miracles fishing in junkland.

 

Regardless, this seems to be a moot point for the OP anyway.