USB Powering Multiple Speakers...?!?

[MEXICOWANDERER]

A laptop with audio 3.5 mm and USB port for one of those USB audio gizmos.

Great.

But I have three speakers that I could power and they are made for computer use so they all have built-in amplifiers. They were a gift and a pair are JBL. Not junk.

They all have stereo type 3.5 mm plugs.

And I am hard-of-hearing with no neighbors so save loudness rants.

The laptop also has the VLC orange traffic cone gizmo which really improved the sound - equalizer wise.

Is this "do-able" or a pipe dream?

Thanks In Advance.

[happycamper002]

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
Super.

Is my terminology for the things I need correct?

I want to search eBay and Amazon correctly for a "3.5 mm manifold distribution connector"?

3.5mm multi hub stereo splitter.
Comes with short dongle. Many configurations to suit you.

If this will make you feel better: I wear hearing aid. I've lost ~5 percent of my hearing since my exposure to heavy equipment in steel mills, cement aggregate crushers and ship building hull fabrication.

My last eardrum busting job was project inspector for landing pads taxi lights for Hercules Cargo plane in South East Asia. (Thailand)

[MrWizard]

Mex
i'm no hearing specialist
but maybe the buzz and pain have something to do with jaw and skull bone structure

with any head phone you are not just hearing, you ARE feeling the sound

[larry_cad]

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:

I hate getting old.

Beats the alternative!

😉

[MEXICOWANDERER]

It's my stupid hearing. Lucky for me in the stick & brick, no neighbors, and concrete walls. In Quicksilver, isolated parking.

I have no idea if those ugly behind the ear mastoid bone hearing aids are going to help me listen to Mozart or turn everything into a Lilly Tomlin characture of telephone receiver grade audio. Good hearing aids cost more than 5 years of my pension.

But for some stupid reason, even the KOSS over the earphones make my inner ears buzz and hurt (slight dizziness too) after an hour of listening.

Why don't room speakers in open air hurt my inner ears as much? It isn't a question of volume. I seem to hear "clearer" with regular speakers. And that does not make sense.

I hate getting old.

[MrWizard]

Before you buy anything
Plug those JBL speakers in to 120v and the laptop
My off brand 'Inland Pro Sound 2000' amplified PC speakers, have more than enough volume, for watching movies
Rated at 100w PMPO , which is really much less
They are quite loud
Your JBL speakers, should easily be equal to or greater in volume and quality

[MEXICOWANDERER]

Super.

Is my terminology for the things I need correct?

I want to search eBay and Amazon correctly for a "3.5 mm manifold distribution connector"?

[happycamper002]

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
Good info. All three speakers use 3.5mm stereo plugs. Two JBL's have plugs for 120 volt receptacles. The single unit measures about 3" x 6" x 2" and (I guess) uses the USB connector for power. Meaning the red speaker has both a USB connection and a 3.5 mm jack.

Three 3.5mm plugs and one laptop jack. The main question is whether the laptop (headphone) amp could handle both 3.5mm JBL speakers. The 120vac 2-prong plug has to be for the speaker amplifiers.

So then the laptop can run the 3.5 mm jack and the USB simultaneously?



Since you are using the audio output from the 3.5mm,(which is what you're doing anyway) you won't need the USB to provide power to these huge speakers. The speakers are amplified with their own power from their 120 volt cord. So just forget the USB.



I would then need a "Y" or the jack. And suitable extensions for everything. (?)



Absolutely . . . with stuff that I mentioned, you will need to make some kind of distribution strip or a customized connection points with matching 3.5mm ports (or RCA connectors) so you can plug in your speakers.
This would also be the connection point to provide power to each individual speakers.
I sense that your dilemma is what the USB's role would play after all is said and done. You wouldn't need the USB-supplied power, so just put a plug or tape over it. The power coming out of it is puny to what you are trying to accomplish.




Ha! I found a 10" Polk amplified subwoofer that could replace the red box speaker. Guesswork tells me connection of the laptop to the Polk subwoofer also needs to be confirmed. How forgiving are subwoofer amp inputs?



The sub-woofer is for the most part a bonus. It is mostly noticeable if you a have a home theater amplifier which has a 4-channel outputs.
Left channel, right channel, center channel and rear channel.
The sub-woofer is usually tied in to the left channel. It doesn't modulate as much as the right channel. In some 5.1 systems, the sub-woofer has a separate channel.



This is a traveling circus via toad. So the subwoofer is a major space consumer.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

Good info. All three speakers use 3.5mm stereo plugs. Two JBL's have plugs for 120 volt receptacles. The single unit measures about 3" x 6" x 2" and (I guess) uses the USB connector for power. Meaning the red speaker has both a USB connection and a 3.5 mm jack.

Three 3.5mm plugs and one laptop jack. The main question is whether the laptop (headphone) amp could handle both 3.5mm JBL speakers. The 120vac 2-prong plug has to be for the speaker amplifiers.

So then the laptop can run the 3.5 mm jack and the USB simultaneously?

I would then need a "Y" or the jack. And suitable extensions for everything. (?)

Ha! I found a 10" Polk amplified subwoofer that could replace the red box speaker. Guesswork tells me connection of the laptop to the Polk subwoofer also needs to be confirmed. How forgiving are subwoofer amp inputs?

This is a traveling circus via toad. So the subwoofer is a major space consumer.

[happycamper002]

The 3.5mm port that is for headphone or external speaker/s can be harnessed to drive your JBL speakers. The power is not enough to drive the voice coil however.
To enhance the wattage output of this 3.5mm port you can install a pre-amp right at the output of the 3.5mm.

Your amplified JBL speakers can work with the pre-amp to even extend the volume range of your laptop.
Three pre-amp models are available at ALL Electronics. Since you already have the amplified JBLs you can try the 4 watt first, if you need more to knock your socks off (lol) go to the 20 watt model. Good stuff made by Velleman in Germany.

Another plus: you said that you have three...you can tap the third speaker to the L channel and you got yourself a pseudo surround sound set up. Mount it behind your head board or your favorite chair.

The model numbers escape me right now but you can browse their website. They sell like hotcakes so one catalog number may not be in stock at a given time. Requires assembly and a bit of some electronic savvy (which shouldn't be a problem)and comes with schematic diagram. Price range is $5 to $25.
DW loves this stuff, it's like being in movie theater watching Netflix in the study-- audio signal from her Samsung tablet.

[theoldwizard1]

I have a pair of USB powered speakers. Better sound than what comes out of most laptops. Good for a couple of people watching a movie, but that is it.

[mike-s]

Is what doable?

Powering your existing speakers from USB? Maybe, maybe not, there's not enough info. Do any of them run on 5V (look at the soap-on-a-rope power adapter. If any are 5 VDC and <500 mA, probably (may depend on laptop). If any are 12 VDC, you should be able to cable them into a standard 12 VDC cigar lighter outlet ("DC Outlet" in modern, politically correct, terms).

If any speaker, a lot of the rechargeable Bluetooth speakers available recharge via USB, will run while USB powered, and also have 3.5 mm jacks. If the laptop has Bluetooth, you could even avoid the cable - those small speakers don't have enough fidelity for it to make a difference in sound.

Or, as the title implies, do you want to power all ("multiple") speakers from USB? A single USB port, nope.

Be clear in what you're asking.

[MrWizard]

PC USB output is normally limited to 500ma spec
That means 2.5w
There is no power on the 3.5 mm sterro Jack
If the jbl speakers are externaly powered from another source ( not pc ) you can certainly use the audio signal to drive them, to get more sound

I have a pair of pc speakers with built in amp, that are powered by a wall wort
That i sometimes use

Side note, my first job in California was at JBL, in Northridge Ca, in their then brand new facility
Funny thing i drove by there this morning, they are doing more construction at what is now the Harmon Karden xxxx Campus

Ok sorry, back on topic carry on