how are computer speakers different than car speakers?

[keakar]

i just need 2 small computer speakers that sound good for under $20 (no room on floor or desk for woofer and they need to be 8" tall or less to fit under shelf) but everything i see all look and sound like crap.

so im thinking why not buy a set of 5 or 6" car speakers and find a way to wire them up.

something tells me it aint that easy or everyone would have done it already.

can someone explain in some detail, but not too complicated, how they work differently and if it can be done, what would i need to do?

pleez edumacate me lol

 

[Thermopylae_480]

I believe all you need is an external amp that can be connected to the mini jack output of your computer to drive the speakers. Assuming you are going to use analog out and not digital. You would also need to build appropriate speaker boxes for your speakers.

 

[keakar]

I believe all you need is an external amp that can be connected to the mini jack output of your computer to drive the speakers. Assuming you are going to use analog out and not digital. You would also need to build appropriate speaker boxes for your speakers.

well i have this crap pair of $5 genius sp-s110 speakers i got from newegg http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836110026

would the amp or whatever it has inside it be any good to use?

 

[jonmcc33]

<shakes head>

You also need an enclosure for those speakers too. And no, the amp inside those $5 speakers isn't going to give you what you need for car speakers. Most home/computer speakers are 8 ohms and car speakers are 4 ohms so you might also kill that weak thing.

 

[keakar]

<shakes head>

You also need an enclosure for those speakers too. And no, the amp inside those $5 speakers isn't going to give you what you need for car speakers. Most home/computer speakers are 8 ohms and car speakers are 4 ohms so you might also kill that weak thing.

o well, i'll make door stops out of them then lol

so i guess my search is to find a low cost amp for a set of 6" round car speakers.

where can i get something inexpensive? do i just start looking for small car amps?

 

[commandercup]

why don't you just sell the car speakers and buy computer speakers?

genius!

 

[thebeephaha]

Car speakers don't really do well for in house environments, they are too near field oriented in their sound presentation and they are often low ohm ratings which will screw with most consumer amps. You really would need a proper car speaker amp and a way to power that as they usually need 12v power sources with high amperage. Not to mention you would need a good speaker box to mount them in or they will sound like crap.

Commandercup has the right idea, sell the car speakers and get some proper computer speakers.

 

[Pyeti]

also the magnets on car speakers are often not shielded so the magnetic fields could mess with your set up

 

[Hayder_Master]

the car speakers take power direct not like pc speaker so you need an amplifier to supply power and control the speakers

 

[Mussels]

everyone else has covered the basics, so i will say this: just buy a real PC set. i dont mean cheap crap ones, save up, get a real set. Something from a brandname like altec lansing or logitech that costs you $100+ will be a helluva lot better than anything cheap you find.

Cheap + small = no way in hell will it sound good.

$20 wont even get a decent pair of headphones, i think you're looking for the impossible.

 

[keakar]

everyone else has covered the basics, so i will say this: just buy a real PC set. i dont mean cheap crap ones, save up, get a real set. Something from a brandname like altec lansing or logitech that costs you $100+ will be a helluva lot better than anything cheap you find.

Cheap + small = no way in hell will it sound good.

$20 wont even get a decent pair of headphones, i think you're looking for the impossible.

ok so car speakers are bad idea for the computer, but they sound good in a car

@ commandercup i dont have the speakers yet i was testing the idea to see if i could put something together.

the speakers that i have now are crappy $5 set i got as free gift from newegg but they sound like a set of headphones that your not wearing


my sound budget is limited, very limited, at the very most i could spend would be $40 and that has to include the shipping costs as well.

my needs are a 2 speaker set with decent sound and im not using it for music so it just has to do games and background internet radio music when im web surfing

i was looking at this one, i know its not gonna be great but if i can get good sound thats not distorted then i would be happy. i just want noises to sound like what they are supposed to sound like when im gaming.

take a look and give me your opinion on it: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836121002 it comes to $37.70 with shipping

 

[intel igent]

i've got altec lansing model # VS-2120, not bad but not great either (don't know if you can still find them)

i'm trying to get my rig hooked up to my home audio receiver

edit : maybe something like this http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=25869&vpn=970285-0403&manufacture=Logitech

 

[smig]

low cost car speakers are also low quality.

I think some of the computer speakers are also 4 ohms. this way you can get higher watege at the same output volts.
watt = volt*amp
amp = volt/ohms

watt = volt^2/ohms

but at the same time lower impedance maen lower quality.

I also saw some low quality home thatre systems with 4 homs speakers.

 

[intel igent]

i always thought lower OHMs = less distortion

 

[craigo]

i always thought lower OHMs = less distortion

lower ohms = better efficiency but itll load the amp more.

 

[Mussels]

lower ohms = better efficiency but itll load the amp more.

cant put it simpler than that.

To be honest, you arent going to get anything great in that budget range.

Have a look at logitech - they've got a lot of cheap models around and DONT be conned into thinking ones with a sub are better - if you can get $20 worth of 2.0 speakers, it'll have better quality audio than a $10 pair of speakers with a $10 sub. Those cheap subs are basically there for looks, and dont do crap.

 

[commandercup]

if shipping is a problem, buy locally?

 

[jonmcc33]

Car speakers don't really do well for in house environments, they are too near field oriented in their sound presentation and they are often low ohm ratings which will screw with most consumer amps. You really would need a proper car speaker amp and a way to power that as they usually need 12v power sources with high amperage. Not to mention you would need a good speaker box to mount them in or they will sound like crap.

Commandercup has the right idea, sell the car speakers and get some proper computer speakers.

Depends on the amplifier. My Onkyo TX-SR600 can handle 6 ohm speakers.

also the magnets on car speakers are often not shielded so the magnetic fields could mess with your set up

Excellent point! But moot with an LCD. Small car speakers (5.25-6.5 inch) will not cause anything to damage your PC. I had Infinity Studio Monitor SM-165 bookshelf speakers next to my computer one time. Even asked Infinity if that was okay and they said it was.

 

[keakar]

To be honest, you arent going to get anything great in that budget range.

Have a look at logitech - they've got a lot of cheap models around and DONT be conned into thinking ones with a sub are better - if you can get $20 worth of 2.0 speakers, it'll have better quality audio than a $10 pair of speakers with a $10 sub. Those cheap subs are basically there for looks, and dont do crap.

well what do you think of this one?

Logitech X-140 5 watts 2.0 Speaker - it comes to $37.70 with shipping

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836121002

 

[jonmcc33]

well what do you think of this one?

Logitech X-140 5 watts 2.0 Speaker - it comes to $37.70 with shipping

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836121002

Decent but don't expect much.

This should remain within your price range and will sound MUCH better: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836101074

 

[Oliver_FF]

I hate to be the weird one amongst us, but i've actually built my own sound system using car speakers and the such...

I've got a 12v power supply unit supplying power to a preamp with tone controls and a 25w RMS solid state power amp. The preamp is connected to my mobo via an exceptionally long extension cable that runs the length of my room

It all connects up to various speakers i've got sat around, some 8ohm and 4ohm - it's just a case of matching the impedance (lucky for me the amp i built will handle anything between 2ohms and 8ohms)

It's actually pretty deafening haha, crank it up to 50% and load some Need for Speed, bring the bass up and it feels like your actually sat in the car your driving - the 100w speaker the electronics are sat on feeds a ludicrous amount of bass

 

[jonmcc33]

There's no doubt that car speakers are quality enough for the home. They are actually designed to take on the extremes of being inside a car (temperature, humidity, etc) that home speakers never go through. A lot of home speakers now use the same technology and material that car speakers have.

But in the OP's case in what he has and is asking, it's not an option for him.

 

[keakar]

There's no doubt that car speakers are quality enough for the home. They are actually designed to take on the extremes of being inside a car (temperature, humidity, etc) that home speakers never go through. A lot of home speakers now use the same technology and material that car speakers have.

But in the OP's case in what he has and is asking, it's not an option for him.

ya, im starting with absolutely nothing and working on $40 budget max.

looks like you have some nice sound there though.

@ jonmcc33 - they dont look bad and they are priced ok, but after reading the reviews im not sold on them. the reviews say they dont sound that good and are light weight & tip over easy.

maybe im wrong but from what i've seen i have gotten the impression that i should absolutely avoid small light weight speakers because they will always sound like small headphone speakers.

im going to start a new post to pick from the three best choices i found

 

[Pinchy]

What do we mean by "decent" sound?


I have recently purchased a set of $29 logitech R-20's for a friend and they do the job. He plays music and does some light gaming and couldnt be more satisfied.

 

[Mussels]

IMO decent sound would be not tinny as somebody described it, the bass should not sound like thumping on a balloon. it should not sound like cheap headphones playing when your not wearing them.

something with good voices and game sounds like explosions, talking, gunfire, at normal volumes (no loader than an average tv is played)

i dont listen to music from my computer so i wont be "crankin it up" so to speak

the problem is, what you're asking for sounds too much. what you speak of there, sounds more like what the speakers i have can do, not something for $20. you wont get bass, or quality audio without first spending some cash.

Since you're on a budget, grab the best brandname speakers you can get, and if you dont like it, save up for better.