Hooking up stereo speakers to laptop or flatscreen audio

[mjplaya]

I have 2 stereo speakers and 1 subwoofer. (not optical, older)
I have a laptop with headphones (audio out).
I have a cable to convert heaphones to rca audio
I have a flatscreen with audio out (but no amplification)

What can I do to connect these items without buying an expensive receiver?

 

[tattoo_Dan]

something like this ? http://www.amazon.com/PCA2-40-Watt-Stereo-Power-Amplifier/dp/B001P2VV50/ref=pd_cp_e_1
or this ? http://www.amazon.com/Lepai-Tripath-TA2020-Class-T-Amplifier/dp/B0049P6OTI/ref=pd_cp_e_2

it won't work for 3 channels for the sub ,

unless the sub has an amp built in ,then that would work.

 

[bikemig]

Dayton makes inexpensive amps as well; plus there are stereo receivers available for around the $100 mark (I'm not sure what you consider expensive). You are going to want to think about an external dac as well if you are listening to your music via a computer.

 

[TLS Guy]

I have 2 stereo speakers and 1 subwoofer. (not optical, older)
I have a laptop with headphones (audio out).
I have a cable to convert heaphones to rca audio
I have a flatscreen with audio out (but no amplification)

What can I do to connect these items without buying an expensive receiver?

This is a post that is impossible to answer. We don't know your TV, and what connections it has. Most new TVs only output audio at the RCA jacks from the internal over air tuner, for DRM reasons.

We don't know what your sub is, and whether it is powered or not. We don't know what terminals it has.

Next we don't know what you are planning to listen to on your laptop.

With a post like yours we can give you no sensible or reliable advice at all. More likely than not we will lead you into wasting money and buying gear you can't use.

 

[mjplaya]

My tv has audio output with rca jacks
The subwoofer is not powered, and it has a single rca terminal (can be taken off to have a hot and ground wire

 

[TLS Guy]

My tv has audio output with rca jacks
The subwoofer is not powered, and it has a single rca terminal (can be taken off to have a hot and ground wire

In that case a receiver is your cheapest solution. Other wise it gets complicated. Even then you will need an amp for your sub.

With no receiver you will need a two channel amp that allows you to switch inputs, an electronic crossover and an amp for your sub. That will be complicated and expensive and you will not have the ability to add to your system.

You still did not tell us what your TV is, or a link to the manual. On most flat panel TVs, the analog RCA out shave very limited functionality.

Everything is geared to all the peripherals going to a receiver or pre/pro, with one HDMI connection to the TV.

If you buy a receiver do not buy a cheap one, start at the mid level.

 

[markw]

On most flat panel TVs, the analog RCA out shave very limited functionality.

Unless things have changed, I believe that any source fed to the TV that plays through the speakers is fed to the red/white stereo analog outputs. He'll still need an amp/receiver to drive speakers and source selection but that passive sub will still be useless.

 

[TLS Guy]

Unless things have changed, I believe that any source fed to the TV that plays through the speakers/b] is fed to the red/white stereo analog outputs. He'll still need an amp/receiver to drive speakers and source selection but that passive sub will still be useless.

No longer true because of DRM. In recent offerings only the audio from the internal tuner appear at the RCA jacks and nothing from HDMI for instance.

 

[BMXTRIX]

No longer true because of DRM. In recent offerings only the audio from the internal tuner appear at the RCA jacks and nothing from HDMI for instance.

A bit off topic, but I just worked with a Sony display fed 100% by HDMI and the digital audio outputs carried all the inputs (Blu-ray/Dish) out of them to a speaker bar located under the TV. So, I do think it is product dependent.

More on task to the original poster...

While you do have several options out there, your sub is junk. Probably something which came with a home theater in a box, and will require it's own amplifier.

A CHEAP subwoofer amplifier:
http://www.outdoorspeakerdepot.com/suam.html

Their SMP60 is $60.

A cheap amplifier:
http://www.outdoorspeakerdepot.com/amplifier1.html

About $100.

At the very entry level, you can go to eBay and likely find something that'll work for under $100 and may provide more overall quality. But, it'll require more work on your part to know what you are buying.

http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=surround receiver&_dmpt=Receivers_Tuners&_fln=1&_ssov=1&_trksid=p3286.c0.m282&_mPrRngCbx=1&_udlo=1&_udhi=100