Personal computers, along with stereo systems and televisions, are part of the household multimedia complex. The capabilities of a PC are superior to those of other systems. With high-speed Internet, you can download high-bitrate music files from the network, so connecting a low-frequency sound system allows you to listen to music in excellent quality. Rich bass is present in the sound tracks of computer games and movie tracks. For maximum immersion in the game, gamers connect multi-channel speaker systems to their gadgets. A subwoofer is used to reproduce deep low frequencies. It is not possible to connect a car subwoofer directly to a computer.
Is it possible to connect a subwoofer to a computer?
To process sound and output it to external speaker systems, the PC uses a sound card. This element can be integrated into the motherboard or be a separate unit. In the first case, it is an integrated circuit that implements a limited number of capabilities. On the rear panel of the device there are three connectors related to sound. They are sockets for a 3.5 mm mini-jack plug. The nests are the same and differ only in color:
- Line input - blue
- Line output - green
- Microphone input - pink
The line input can be supplied with a signal from an external device. This could be a CD player, a music synthesizer, or another sound source. The microphone input has a higher sensitivity, so it is intended only for connecting a microphone. You can connect headphones, an active speaker system or the input of a low-frequency amplifier to the line output. With this configuration, you can only connect a car subwoofer to a personal computer using an external multi-channel amplifier.
Installing a subwoofer and connecting it to the radio
List of required components and their functions:
- Power cable. Provides high-quality operation of the amplifier in the car.
- Acoustic cable. Performs the function of delivering an audio signal from an amplifier to passive speakers.
- Bulb with fuse. Protects the power wire from short circuit.
- Battery terminals. Simplifies the connection of power cables to the battery and car body.
- RCA connector (“bell”, “tulip”). The best option for transmitting an audio signal from a car radio to a device for power amplification.
To install any subwoofer you will need:
- kitchen knife;
- pliers;
- electrical insulating tape;
- cable tie;
- fuse;
- capacitor;
- ready set of wires;
- wrenches (including adjustable wrenches).
Subwoofer installation location
The location for installing the subwoofer directly depends on the vehicle model. Conventionally, there are three main classes of cars: sedan, minivan, convertible. Each of the three types must be considered separately.
- Installing a subwoofer in a sedan. The sound system can be located in the armrest in the rear seat or on the rear parcel shelf. The first option is considered preferable and more convenient.
- People who own a minivan/hatchback do not have to worry about choosing a place to install the subwoofer; a large luggage compartment will be the best place.
- Big problems can arise if you have a convertible, as there is a lack of free space. But with a strong desire, everything is possible. The subwoofer can be installed on the rear shelf.
To do this, you will need to make a flat stealth case.
In other words, installing a speaker system in any car is possible. You need to approach the organization of the process competently, do the work slowly, and make the right choice of woofer.
How to properly connect a subwoofer to a computer
Low-frequency acoustic speakers can be part of 2.1, 5.1 or 7.1 type sound sets. The numbers indicate the number of speakers included in the sound kit. A commonly used 2.1 system includes a small bass speaker with a built-in low-frequency amplifier and two full-range satellite speakers. The low-frequency speaker is often equipped with a bass reflex, which provides good and rich bass. You can connect such a sub to your computer using one connecting cable, at one end of which there is a 3.5 mm mini-jack connector, and at the other end there is an RCA (Tulip) connector. The mini-jack is inserted into the green “Line Out” socket on the back wall of the computer, and the “Tulip” into the “AudioIN” connector on the subwoofer. All volume and tone adjustments are made by the controls of the active speaker system. You can connect an active subwoofer to a laptop in the same way, since all compact computers are equipped with a headphone jack.
In a similar way, subwoofers included in complex acoustic sets such as 5.1 and 7.1 are connected to computers. They include a woofer with a built-in low-frequency amplifier and 5-7 satellite speakers.
The best manufacturers
Company Example of the Microlab M-200 model - a 16-watt active kit in 2.1 format with a decent frequency range and low cost. The H-500 II is a super-powerful 5.1 kit with an MDF body and a reference frequency range. For convenience, a remote control is provided. GENIUS Genius 2.1 SW-HF1205 Wood is a compact 32-watt stationary speaker in a wood and plastic case. Edifier S550 Encore is capable of turning any laptop and computer into a full-fledged home theater. The ultra-powerful 5.1 speaker system is capable of producing 540 watts of sound.
Choosing good speakers with a subwoofer for a laptop is not difficult if you know all the important criteria. The speakers are connected to a computer and laptop simply: either wirelessly or via cable. As a rule, drivers are not needed or are included in the kit, so you don’t have to be tricky with the settings.
How to connect a subwoofer to a computer directly
Is it possible to connect a car subwoofer to a computer. Low-frequency speaker systems designed for cars are characterized by their large size and high power. If the low-frequency channel is equipped with a built-in low-frequency amplifier, then the connection is made through the linear output of the personal device. A signal is removed from it and fed to the input of the active block. Connecting a car subwoofer to a computer can be done via an external sound card, which has a special connector. The integrated sound card does not have such capabilities. A more complex and multifunctional system is the sound card, which is inserted into a special connector on the main board of the system unit. It connects the subwoofer to the computer.
The figure shows that a high-level sound card has a number of sockets to which you can connect external devices. In addition to the standard jacks for connecting a microphone, headphones and analog input, the board has a digital output, jacks for connecting side and rear speakers and a jack for a subwoofer. With such a sound card, connecting a subwoofer to a PC is very simple. An important problem is connecting only one low-frequency channel. This configuration does not make sense, since the subwoofer is not designed for wideband operation and does not reproduce high frequencies. The work of the woofer produces high-quality sound only together with other speakers, so connecting the subwoofer to the PC must be carried out in conjunction.
Terminology:
- Maximum sound pressure. Maximum subwoofer volume.
- Frequency range (Hz). The frequency range of the subwoofer can be divided into the area of deep bass 20-40 Hz, medium bass 40-80 Hz, high bass 80-160 Hz. Top models from leading manufacturers can reach listeners with frequencies of 20-80 Hz. Higher frequencies usually rely on the stereo pair.
- Crossover (cutoff) frequency. The frequency at which the spectrum is divided by the crossover. If the subwoofer has a crossover frequency of 80 Hz, then all components with frequencies above 80 Hz will be attenuated and transmitted to the speaker system, but the quality of the acoustics plays a role here.
- Sensitivity (dB). The more sensitive the dynamics, the less the amplifier is loaded, the greater the sound pressure it produces at the same power.
The subwoofer formula is that the larger the area, and therefore the size of the diffuser, the more powerful and organic the bass.
The dimensions of the subwoofer are quite large. Basically, the subwoofer body is cubic in shape and made of standard materials for acoustics, for example MDF board made from wood fiber chips, made at high pressure and temperature. You can also find cylindrical and spherical systems, but they are not widely used. The low-frequency diffuser is located inside the subwoofer housing, and it is worth noting that the stroke of the speaker emitter can reach up to 7 centimeters! Subwoofers are divided into active and passive. The active ones already have an amplifier with them, and the passive one needs to be connected to a separate sound amplifier, the function of which is to amplify and transmit the signal to your Hi-Fi equipment (acoustic speakers, home theater speakers).
The main thing is your perception of the music and your feelings. Rely on them, and the chosen acoustics will delight you every time you listen. With the right choice, even inexpensive components can achieve maximum quality; all that is needed is a balance between them.
How to connect a car subwoofer to a computer at home
You can connect a car subwoofer to a computer to get powerful and rich bass only if it is an active system. A low-power personal computer amplifier is not able to “swing” the voice coil and diffuser of a 12-15-inch speaker. You can connect a car active subwoofer to a computer or laptop by applying a signal from the linear output of the sound card to its input. When organizing such a sound channel, another difficulty arises. Some active low-frequency systems operating in cars are not designed to be powered from a 220-volt network, and therefore do not have built-in power supplies. The automotive active low-frequency unit is supplied with power from a 12 Vc battery. Therefore, the user will have to provide a separate power source for the low-frequency path. Connecting a subwoofer with an amplifier to a computer will give the desired result only if the low-frequency block is multi-channel and high-quality broadband speakers are connected to it simultaneously with the low-frequency block
.
Such a sound system will provide high quality sound in computer games and when watching movies and music programs.
Adapter for subwoofer to computer
Sound systems that connect to a PC have different types of connectors. To connect the subwoofer and speakers at home to the computer, different types of connecting wires are used. This can be a connecting cable with two mini-jacks at the ends. It provides broadcasting of a stereo signal from the linear output of the PC to the input of the bass amplifier. The wire from the subwoofer to the PC can end with two RCA connectors (Tulip) or two sockets for mini-jack plugs. Other connecting cable configurations are generally not used.
You can connect a subwoofer to a computer without an amplifier through a special sound card socket designed to connect a low-frequency channel. Broadband speakers are connected to other sockets. The result is an effective and high-quality sound system designed for listening to any files.
Connecting an active subwoofer at home to a computer is done through an output designed for connecting headphones. Since when connecting a low-frequency system to a PC, mid- and high-frequency speakers are required, the connection is made through a splitter. Through it, one signal is supplied to the active low-frequency unit, and the other to the input of a separate amplifier, the output of which operates on wideband speaker systems. If, after connecting all devices, there is no sound from the speakers, this may indicate the following problems:
- Sound is not enabled in settings
- External devices are not activated
- The colors of the sockets and plugs do not match
- Sound card drivers are not installed
To check the first point, you need to click on the speaker icon in the tray, to the right of the taskbar, and set the mixer to the desired volume level. Active speakers have power switches and their own volume controls. You need to turn on the devices and set all controls to the middle position, check that the input and output connectors are connected correctly. If sound does not appear, you need to open Device Manager and check the sound card drivers. If necessary, they should be reinstalled.
Laying wires
Fixing the power cables and supplying audio signals becomes the initial plank during the adjustments made. Before starting installation, you should decide on the initial location for setting up the amplifier: according to the standard rule, the cable should be laid under 300 mm (including the spare part), and the laying itself should be left under the interior trim. At the same time, the wire can be connected to the battery terminals or to the power cable of standard electrical wiring (as an additional option).
A protective fuse must be fixed in the circuit: the installation point must guarantee free access for careful examination or replacement. If, when trying to connect a capacitor, the gasket needs to be directed through the body partition, then it should be routed to non-standard channels. If they are missing, it is recommended to create holes protected with special plastic clips.
Subwoofer wires should not come into direct contact with sharp metal edges, be pinched by sheathing, or be located in areas susceptible to condensation damage.
Grounding
Correctly connecting the ground or negative power wire can be done in parallel with the positive wire setting. To install the cable in question, it is recommended to use special bolts that are in the car (on the body).
The edge of the wire must be supplemented with a special terminal, which is secured as tightly as possible with a nut.
How to connect a subwoofer to a laptop without an amplifier
In modern devices there are fewer and fewer connecting wires. Innovative technologies make it possible to connect various devices using wireless technologies. You can connect the sub to your computer wirelessly via Bluetooth. Laptops have standard drivers from Microsoft installed. Usually there are no problems with them, but before connecting you need to make sure that the drivers have not failed. To do this, you need to open the “Device Manager” on your laptop, find the Bluetooth radio module icon and perform the update procedure. Next, you need to turn on the radio broadcast module on the laptop and wireless speaker system. To do this, press two keys simultaneously. On laptops this is the Fn key marked with the Bluetooth icon. This could be F3 or some other key. If there is no such key, then you can enable wireless broadcasting through the “Options” menu and the “Devices” section. Speaker systems have a special button to turn on the wireless mode.
Thus, you can easily connect your home subwoofer to your computer. Poor sound quality is caused by large distances between devices or high-frequency interference from other devices in the home. They have a particularly negative effect on sound transmission via Bluetooth Wi-Fi routers. Switching the channel from 40 MHz to 20 MHz can help eliminate this defect.
Connecting wireless Bluetooth speakers
Step 1. Make sure that the laptop is equipped with a Bluetooth radio module, which can be used to connect wireless speakers. To do this, press the “Win + R” keys, type “devmgmt.msc” in the line and click “OK”.
If you see a category called “Bluetooth Radios” in the Device Manager tree, click on it to expand the list of devices. If there are any devices in the list, then Bluetooth is installed on the laptop.
Step 2: Make sure Bluetooth is turned on. To do this, look in the tray (bottom right) for the presence of a blue icon.
If the icon is missing, you will need to enable it.
- Press the button with the image of a wireless connection in the form of a Bluetooth or antenna icon on the laptop. Usually this is one of the “F1–F12” buttons (depending on the laptop model), pressed together with the “Fn” button.
Step 3: Find a suitable location to place the Bluetooth speakers (speaker).
When installing speakers you need to consider:
- the speakers must be connected to a nearby power source;
- To easily turn the speakers on and off, place them in an easily accessible place;
- the presence of a wall between the laptop and the speakers is not necessary, but may reduce the sound quality;
- Consult your speakers' manual to find out how close they should be to your laptop.
Step 4: Turn on the speaker, making it discoverable. Whether the speakers are turned on depends on the speaker model. They often have a button that must be held down for a few seconds to put the device into "discovery" mode.
Step 5. To connect the laptop to the Bluetooth speakers, press “Win + R”, type “control printers” and click “OK”.
Step 6. In the window that opens, select “Add a device.”
Step 7. The search for devices will begin. When the speakers appear, select them with a mouse click and click Next to pair the devices.
Setting up a laptop to play audio via Bluetooth
Step 1. Press the “Win+R” keys, type “control” and click “OK”.
Step 2. In the “Control Panel”, select “Large icons” at the top right and click on the “Sound” icon.
Step 3. Click on the “Playback” tab, click on “Bluetooth Speakers” and click on the “Default” button. Click "OK".
Sound should start playing through the new Bluetooth speakers.
Step 4: Left-click on the sound icon in the tray. Adjust the volume in the controls to 75%. When different sliders appear, use the slider labeled “Applications”.
Step 5: Minimize the volume on your Bluetooth speaker. If your speaker has a hardware knob, turn it all the way to the left to turn off the volume.
If there is no hardware volume setting on the speaker, click the “Sound” icon in the tray and move the volume level down (to the left).
Step 6: Test the sound by playing a song, video, or audio file.
Step 7: Slowly increase the volume on the Bluetooth speaker until it is loud enough for comfortable listening.
This completes the setup of Bluetooth speakers on the laptop.
Video - How to connect a wireless speaker to a laptop
The speakers built into your laptop don’t produce as much bass as you want? Then you definitely need acoustics with a subwoofer. The article explains how to choose one and how to connect it to a laptop.
How to connect a subwoofer to a computer via USB
Unlike laptops, stationary PCs do not have a built-in radio channel module, so in order to connect the subwoofer to the computer you will need a special module. The module is small in size. To connect the subwoofer to your computer via USB, just insert the device into the port. Windows OS independently finds the required driver on the network and installs it. If this does not work, you need to open the module manufacturer’s website and download the software from there.
You can connect a Logitech subwoofer to your computer, which is included in the 2.1 sound equipment package. The set consists of two speakers and a subwoofer. The Z 333 model connects via cable, and the Z 337 model is equipped with a Bluetooth module for wireless connection. At home, it’s easy to connect an EGG subwoofer (EDGE) to your computer. This active sound system with a built-in amplifier is connected to the sound card output dedicated to the low-frequency channel.
