How can i attach these Loudpeakers (old) to my Laptop?

[Koontz]

I was rummaging in the attic and came across a pair of what appear to be some good loudspeakers, at least better than my £25 Creative 2.1's i hope.





First of all i was wondering how good are they, compared to my current speakers and how much you would expect to pay for the same quality for a new set of speakers today?

Secondly, id like to attach them to my Dell Inspiron 6400 laptop, is this possible? If so, how difficult would this be, which cables would i need to order and would i need to strip wires etc? I'm clueless when it comes to speakers so any help would be appreciated! Here's a pic of the back of one of them:



Plus i have this amp which i assume is required, its a bit old but the light still turns on :

 

[markw]

You've pretty much got the idea down pat.

You do need an amp to drive tose speakers. "Computer" speakers have small amps built in.

First off, you'll need to get the 'puters audio output ti the amplifier. That means converting the computers 3.5 mm stereo mini-plug output into RCA plugs, which your amp understands.

Something like this will do that. :http://www.nationalaudiovisualsupply.com/store/p/23117-ST-Series-3-5mm-Stereo-Mini-Plug-to-2-RCA-Plugs-Audio-Cable-3ft.html?feed=froogle

This assumes there are RCA jacks on the amp. That's a standard here. If not, this may be what you need :http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=310103409273

Remember, I'm not too familiar with DIN connections so YMMV.

Again, not being from where you are, I'll assume that the outputs on the amp and the speaker inputs are single banana plugs. In such case, virtually any speaker cable terminated with single banana plugs on both ends will do the job of connecting the amps speaker outputs to the speaker inputs.

Odds are great that you'll like the sound of your "new" setup better, assuming you're after a more realistic presentation. If boomy fake bass which many 'puter speakers feature, is your cuppa tea, it may take some getting used to. . ...but you may find it's worth it in the long run

 

[Koontz]

Thanks a lot for your help

It doesn't look as if there are RCA jacks on the amp, here's a picture showing the available connections:



Could you give me a link of the speaker cables with banana plugs i could use to connect the amp and speakers?

and this shows a closeup of what i believe to be the connections that could go to the laptop.



Would the wire you recommended here fit the socket here?
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=310103409273

if not, could you give me a link of something that would fit it?

again, thanks for helping!

 

[Adam]

Could you give me a link of the speaker cables with banana plugs i could use to connect the amp and speakers?

You can add banana plugs to any bare speaker wire, which is usually cheaper than buying cables that have plugs already on them.

The MS10 speakers should have five-way binding posts, meaning that you could use bare wire to connect to them. Try unscrewing the outer portion of the speaker terminals on the back of those speakers. You should be able to expose a hole for bare wire. If there is no outer portion to unscrew, then that part might have been lost at some point in time, and you will need to get banana plugs.

Also, would you please try to unscrew the speaker terminals on the back of your amp to see if those are like what I described above? I'm curious if it will also take bare wire.

Would the wire you recommended here fit the socket here?
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=310103409273

Yep, I think that one will work.

 

[Koontz]

So shopping list =

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/5-pin-DIN-plug-to-a-3-5mm-MONO-plug-Item-406_W0QQitemZ260357812716QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Computing_CablesConnectors_RL?hash=item3c9e88f1ec&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72:1121|66:2|65:12|39:1|240:1318|301:1|293:1|294:50#ebayphotohosting
= £3.60

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Good-quality-4mm-Banana-plugs-set-of-4-FOC-P-P_W0QQitemZ330329719193QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Computing_CablesConnectors_RL?hash=item4ce92f8199&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66:2|65:15|39:1|240:1318|301:0|293:1|294:50
= £2.99

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/5m-189-Strand-OXYGEN-FREE-Speaker-Wire/Cable-Bargain!_W0QQitemZ260413686965QQcmdZViewItem
= £3.98

Could you just confirm the above is correct and all i will need?
= £10.57 overall, worth it over my 25 quid 2.1 speakers?

thankyouu

 

[Adam]

If you need to use banana plugs for both the speakers and the amp (you can do the checks that I mentioned above to see if you do), then you'll need to order two sets of those banana plugs from eBay. That item listing is for four plugs, and you'd need four plugs for each speaker connection if you need plugs on both ends of the wires.

 

[Koontz]

ahh, i do need to use banana plugs for both ends, there is no way as far as i can tell to unscrew the back of the speakers, id rather just order 8 plugs and keep it simpler.

For the amp, i'd have to unscrew the whole shell to get at the back i think and i'm not that confident doing it, id rather just leave it as it is sorry!

 

[Seth=L]

ARG, I HATE DIN. I hope that adapter works for you.

Nice little speakers and amp btw.

 

[Adam]

ahh, i do need to use banana plugs for both ends, there is no way as far as i can tell to unscrew the back of the speakers, id rather just order 8 plugs and keep it simpler.

For the amp, i'd have to unscrew the whole shell to get at the back i think and i'm not that confident doing it, id rather just leave it as it is sorry!

Just to be clear, I wasn't talking about unscrewing the back of the speakers or the amp. The speaker terminals on the speakers (and maybe that amp) should have an outer nut that will unscrew and expose a whole near the base.

Let me find a good picture for you. Just a second...

 

[Adam]

This thread might help explain things a bit.

 

[Koontz]

Thanks for that thread/video Adam it should help quite a bit when i fix the banana plugs.

I'm still unsure of where/if there is an unscrewable nut on the back of the speakers, heres a pic:

 

[Adam]

I'm still unsure of where/if there is an unscrewable nut on the back of the speakers...

Yeah, it certainly isn't obvious if they have one from that picture. It looks like they don't, but I read a review of them that stated that they had five-way binding posts.

Try spinning the outer metal cylinder of the binding post (the part that is sticking out the farthest - for example, the metal cylinder sticking out from the red circular band).

No worries, though, if you're getting those banana plugs. It's more of a curiousity than anything at this point.

 

[Koontz]

Nothing out of the back was unscrewable Adam

Anyway, the adapter finally came through today so i could set it up I didn't order any wire/banana plugs in the end as i found the ones my dad had originally used with the speakers in the loft.



It sounds really good, slightly dissapointing coming from my my dads naim amp/cd player i was testing them on before the adapter got here but still a massive upgrade from my pc speakers!

Thanks again for everyone who helped me sort this out!