tom1946 Posted July 4, 2018 Share Posted July 4, 2018 (edited) As title, I bought a pair of passive speakers that were on offer and as they only have the black and red connectors on the back I'm not sure how to wire them up so they'll work on my mac. Mac only has a 3.5mil stereo jack input. Anybody got any thoughts please? Thanks. Just noticed that the speakers each have 2 x quarter jack inputs too. Edited July 4, 2018 by tom1946 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted July 4, 2018 Share Posted July 4, 2018 You will need a seperate amp to drive them. Mac->amp->speaker. Older hifi seperate amps are cheap as chips on ebay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom1946 Posted July 4, 2018 Author Share Posted July 4, 2018 Thanks Owen, how would I connect the mac to the amp cable wise? I just realised that I have a 20 year old Denon amp upstairs.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevie Posted July 4, 2018 Share Posted July 4, 2018 From your computer to the amp - a signal cable with a mini jack on one end and 2 x phono plugs on the other. The black and red sockets on your speakers are for banana plugs, but you can also use bare wires. So, standard speaker cable between the amp output and the speakers. Bare wire at both ends I'd guess (without seeing the Denon). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted July 4, 2018 Share Posted July 4, 2018 What are the speakers for? Just a better/louder reproduction of audio from iTunes/Spotify/YouTube etc.? Or as part of a home recording set up? In the case of the first stevie has already answered you question. In the case of the second you should really be looking at an audio interface with better D/A convertors between the Mac and the amp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom1946 Posted July 4, 2018 Author Share Posted July 4, 2018 Thanks guys, which sockets do the phono's go to on the amp? I know how the speakers connect. cheers. (It's just for better sound for toons really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_5 Posted July 4, 2018 Share Posted July 4, 2018 Try the auxiliary input Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ped Posted July 4, 2018 Share Posted July 4, 2018 Another option is to get a bluetooth mini hifi so you can cut down on wires and keep a headphone socket on the computer. I got an own brand 'Sandstrom' one from Currys and it's great - can't complain at all. This is also useful as you can tell system notifications like email sounds and so on to play from the computer speaker and not through the hifi, so you don't get super loud text alerts at 3am, which can make you jump let me tell you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted July 4, 2018 Share Posted July 4, 2018 Bluetooth is fine if all you want to do is get the audio out of computer to better speakers than the built-in ones, but if you require synchronisation to video displaying on the monitor or you are going to be playing an instrument also routed through the computer along with a track then the latency is simply too high. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ped Posted July 4, 2018 Share Posted July 4, 2018 Just now, BigRedX said: Bluetooth is fine if all you want to do is get the audio out of computer to better speakers than the built-in ones, but if you require synchronisation to video displaying on the monitor or you are going to be playing an instrument also routed through the computer along with a track then the latency is simply too high. It will sync with video on the monitor (for example playing a YouTube video or a game) but agree with anything more specific. But I believe the OP said that wasn’t the case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted July 4, 2018 Share Posted July 4, 2018 I think latency probably depends on the Bluetooth device that you transmitting to. I've had to ditch a pair of Bluetooth headphone for watching video on my Mac because there was a noticeable delay between the images on screen and the sound from the headphones. Also with a Bluetooth mini-hifi you are dependant on the quality of the D/A conversion in the hifi. Personally I'm not convinced by unnecessary wireless connections. In my house at any one time I can see 15-20 different wifi networks not including my own and any that have their SSIDs hidden. All those routers and the devices connected to them are fighting for bandwidth and dominance, and invariably there are problems with dropouts and some devices losing their wireless connection. And depending on the Mac the OP may have more options than just the headphones out socket. Most Macs also have a digital audio output as well as the analogue one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ped Posted July 4, 2018 Share Posted July 4, 2018 Ah ok well it’s fine with all my Bluetooth things (headphones, Hifi, mini speaker) Just think it might suit the OP as best quality isn’t the factor here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom1946 Posted July 4, 2018 Author Share Posted July 4, 2018 Thanks Ped and everyone else, I think the way to go for me is my Denon amp connected to my Mac and thus on to the speakers. As a footnote to this, I unpacked these speakers . https://www.gear4music.com/PA-DJ-and-Lighting/QTX-QT6-65-Passive-PA-Speakers-Pair/2C3R And found they didn't work so I contacted GFM and told them so I'm getting refunded and they said not worth collecting them so keep them and see if you can fix them! So I took the grilles off and took the driver out and lo and behold, the wires were all there, just not connected to the driver unit. So I connected them and voila! Thanks very much for your help. It's people like you who are prepared to dive in and help that make Basschat the great place that it is. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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