Is it a bad idea to connect a amplifier and speakers to a monitor?
September 9, 2014 9:30 PM Subscribe
I want to hook up my computer monitor with 3.5mm headphone jack on it to a pair of bookshelf speakers and an amplfier with a 3.5mm jack on the front for when i want to listen through my headphones rather then the speakers. I'm using this for my ps4 on a computer monitor. And my hd 558s don't quite get loud enough either through the monitor output jack or the the headphone out on the monitor. It seems like its roughly the same price of the playstation headset I was contemplating buying.
This sounds like a fine plan, just make sure something in the chain you describe (PS4>Monitor>Amp) is responsible for managing volume, and that you have it turned down when you switch the amp on for the first time so you don't damage your equipment or your hearing.
posted by contraption at 9:36 PM on September 9, 2014
posted by contraption at 9:36 PM on September 9, 2014
Headphones? I'd see about an inline volume control nearer than the one on the task bar, sudden up tick on the loudness might be a shocker if you surf around and a pop up, well, pops up. Way up.
posted by Freedomboy at 9:38 PM on September 9, 2014
posted by Freedomboy at 9:38 PM on September 9, 2014
Response by poster: So Sebmojo if the speakers come with the required wires I'm good?
posted by mamamia88 at 9:42 PM on September 9, 2014
posted by mamamia88 at 9:42 PM on September 9, 2014
If you're in the US and these are regular bookshelf speakers and a regular 2-channel amp, they are almost certainly compatible (8 Ohm speakers are the standard, though there are occasional exceptions.) If the speakers and amp came as a set, you're fine.
I think Sebmojo's point about the cable was just that there's really only one standard in use for 3.5mm stereo audio, so the connection from the monitor to the amp should be fine so long as both have a stereo 3.5mm jack.
The speaker cables are likely either raw wire or banana plugs, but even if they have some weird connector that doesn't match the amp it should safe to reterminate them so they fit, so long as you don't short any wires together and the impedances (that's the Ohm numbers) match.
posted by contraption at 11:06 PM on September 9, 2014
I think Sebmojo's point about the cable was just that there's really only one standard in use for 3.5mm stereo audio, so the connection from the monitor to the amp should be fine so long as both have a stereo 3.5mm jack.
The speaker cables are likely either raw wire or banana plugs, but even if they have some weird connector that doesn't match the amp it should safe to reterminate them so they fit, so long as you don't short any wires together and the impedances (that's the Ohm numbers) match.
posted by contraption at 11:06 PM on September 9, 2014
This thread is closed to new comments.
The only real thing to watch for is attaching speaker wire to the back of the stereo - the speakers need to have the same impedance (4 ohms or 8 ohms) or the sound quality will be crappy and it might damage them, but a 3.5 mm jack doesn't have that problem.
posted by Sebmojo at 9:35 PM on September 9, 2014