connecting speakers to HP laptop

[Donald]

I have a decent Altec Lansing computer speaker system with a subwoofer and 2 satellites. I have not used it in many years but the power light goes on and I hear some scratchy static while I was plugging in the input cable.

My 1 yr old HP laptop only has a headphone jack. I plugged the input cable fort the speaker system into the headphone jack. When I was plugging in the cable to the laptop headphone jack the internal laptop speakers stopped for a second then went back to playing (Neil Young).

The laptop SETTINGS lists "Headphones" with the cable plugged into the headphone jack.

Do I have an impedance mismatch?

Do I need to use a USB cable to audio cable connector vs plugging into headphone jack?

 

[gathermewool]

It is a "headphone" output, as far as your laptop is concerned. This is normal and you don't need to change a thing, if you don't want to.

It may not change much, but you may have some control by changing settings, as follows:

1. Hit windows key

2. type, "sound"

3. Play around with the settings in this pop-up to see what changes and how you like it

 

[Andrew1972]

Before you get too far how do these speakers sound when connected to a smartphone playing music?

 

[ARCOgraphite]

I may have the same ones. Not as good as some old Cambridge Soundworks ( Designed by the great Henry Kloss ) but quite serviceable.

You may have an OPEN in your cable to the SW. Also make sure the satellite volume is at around 12 o'clock.

IDk how sophisticated the audio I/O amp chip is where 20K ohms may show an open circuit on a HP out. Ive never seen it in the past, but times they are a changin. I do doubt that it has a impedance mismatch sense and reject.

I wouldn't get into USB DAC and stuff just yet. USB is "digital" no analogue audio on there.

A) Did you try some Headphones on the HP out jack in the HP? Set volume to moderately low level and leave it for further testing

B) As mentioned above, did you try outputting some music to the computer speakers from your smartphone Headphone jack?

C) Insure your Altec 3.5MM TRS mini plug is not broken

 

[Donald]

OK, the speakers work on my work HP laptop.

With more playing around on personal laptop it seems the speakers work on Windows Media Play but not Grove Music. Both are Microsoft applications, Wonder why there are two.

I thought I had Google Play Music on my laptop to play music and sync to my Pixel phone but I do not see it.

So if I want to manage music on my Pixel phone with "Play Music" what is the best app on the laptop to manage and sync music.

 

[uc50ic4more]

Originally Posted by Donald
Do I have an impedance mismatch?


The system's input is probably looking for a line level source, not headphones. Having said that, I do this all the time and it works "OK"; certainly not enough of a mismatch to render the connection useless.

 

[Donald]

I will ask on new thread best application.