What do I need to play my computer through a floor speaker?

Question

I can already hear the computer through headphones, but would like to be connected to the floor powered speaker that I use as a monitor.

Answer 1

You will need an amplifier. Your computer doesn't make a strong enough signal to drive the big floor speaker to any decent volume, so you will need a small external amplifier. Radio Shack should have something that would work, or you could try one of the big retailers such as Circuit City or Best Buy.

Below is a link to a Sherwood receiver from Radio Shack at a price of $90. That's the cheapest price I could find for an audio amplifier at Radio Shack. You might also try looking for a small amplifier (at least 10 watts) at a yard sale or flea market. You should be able to find something decent for $25 or so.

Good luck!

Answer 2

You should have an audio output jack on the sound card. I have mine plugged into an external powered speaker system and you can do the same. Mine is controlled by a graphic equalizer in the computer that is attached to the sound card and has a volume control knob on the front of the computer case, along with the graphic qualizer sliders. You need an eternally powered speaker system in oder to have enough to power a subwoofer if you want one. It's not exactly a big deal.