How To Connect Speakers To Your Computer
I always have to have music playing whether I am working on the computer or just messing around. Plus, whenever I play games being able to have sound really enhances the experience. When I was picking out speakers for my computer I spent a good amount of time researching. I eventually ended up getting Logitech Z-5300 system a few years back and it has served me well.
So if you have some speakers sitting around your house, blow off the dust and lets get them setup. As a quick FYI, I realize that you may not have my exact speaker system but connecting speakers to any computer is just a general task. They only thing that might change is wiring color and the amount of options that your system provides.
Setting up speaker placement
If you have a surround sound system with more then just 2 speakers it would be wise to lay them out ahead of time. You may find that you have to move certain things so that the wire coming from the speakers can connect to your system.
Connecting wires to your speakers
The above 2 images are the back of the amplifier that is connected to my speaker’s subwoofer. The top image is where the surround sound speakers connect to the amplifier itself. The bottom image is where the wiring connects from the amplifier to the computer. The green, black and orange ports are what we are concerned with in the bottom image.
My speakers came with the appropriate wires and this is what they look like halfway plugged into the amplifier. This is only to show you the color coordination! When setting up your speakers make sure you push the plugs all the way into the ports.
Connecting the speakers to your computer
If you look at the back of the computer case you may see something similar to the above 2 images. The image on the left is known as the I/O panel and is where you connect your mouse, printer, keyboard and other devices to your computer. The image on the right is located directly below the I/O panel and is showing you the sound card that is installed in the computer.
Notice the pink, green, blue, orange, black and gray circles in each image? These are connections for audio devices such as speakers, microphones, head phones and so on. Most computers newer then 3 years old will contain the 6 different colors. If your computer is older it may only contain 3 ports for audio and they could be one solid color or different colors.
If you enlarge the picture by clicking on it you may be able to notice icons located next to each colored circle. They are hard to distinguish in the picture but they are different and there is a good chance that your computer has icons next to each audio port as well. Typically the pink audio port is designated for a microphone while the other colored ports are designated for speakers and other devices.
All that I had to do to connect the speakers to my computer was plug the wires coming out of my amplifier in the corresponding colored audio ports on the back of my computer. As stated earlier I have not plugged in the wires all the way in order to show you the color matching. Make sure you plug the wires in all the way when connecting your speakers to your computer.
If you do not have a sound card to connect your speakers to your computer as in the above image you should be able to connect them into the audio ports on the I/O panel as I suggested earlier. Your speaker system may only contain one wire as well to connect to your computer. Should you only have one wire to connect to your computer you can try 2 things.
The first is just starting up a CD or movie on your computer and leave the sound on but low and try plugging the cord into each of the 3 ports. The second method is to consult your owner’s manual if one came with your computer. You can generally find a small booklet explaining what the ports are on the I/O panel and where speakers should be connected.
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