Extension speakers

  • Thread starter Thread starter JimL
  • Start date Start date
J

JimL

XP Pro SP3, Thinkpad T42. A pair of LabTec LCS 150 extension speakers.

I was getting total dropouts of sound while watching a video. At first I
thought it was a bad internet connection, but I discovered that by cutting
the volume below half, barely enough to listen to something, the cutouts
stopped.

Is this a common effect when using extention speakers? An issue with this
model of speaker? An issue with LabTec? Do I just have some speakers with
bad guts and a few bucks will cure the dropouts?

Thanks
 
JimL said:
XP Pro SP3, Thinkpad T42. A pair of LabTec LCS 150 extension speakers.

I was getting total dropouts of sound while watching a video. At first I
thought it was a bad internet connection, but I discovered that by cutting
the volume below half, barely enough to listen to something, the cutouts
stopped.

Is this a common effect when using extention speakers? An issue with this
model of speaker? An issue with LabTec? Do I just have some speakers
with bad guts and a few bucks will cure the dropouts?

Thanks
Click to expand...



Jim

First clear the extension speakers by plugging them into a MP3 player or
Cassette player.
If they play ok at louder volumes then they are more than likely OK.

If this effect only appears when playing a Video then I would suspect it's a
software/resources issue.

How much RAM have you got?
Are their many processes running in the background robbing CPU cycles?
Is the Video H.264, or from a TV USB adaptor?

Paul.
 
PeeCee said:
Jim

First clear the extension speakers by plugging them into a MP3 player or
Cassette player.
If they play ok at louder volumes then they are more than likely OK.

If this effect only appears when playing a Video then I would suspect it's
a software/resources issue.
Click to expand...

I think I need to clarify something. When I spoke of turning the volume
down I meant on the speakers themselves. Could this admit of a software
issue?
How much RAM have you got?
Click to expand...

1 gb.
Are their many processes running in the background robbing CPU cycles?
Is the Video H.264, or from a TV USB adaptor?
Click to expand...

Know nothing about H.264. I'm getting the signal by Firefox from the cable
modem. Stream stays ahead of play.

I think this is a speaker issue, so here's a question. Are there any
clearly superior computer speakers on the market?

Thanks.
 
kony said:
As others have mentioned you need a constant, to check the
speakers with another input device.

Beyond that I briefly looked at the LCS 150 specs, they
appear to be mere 1.4 watt speakers which would explain why
they can't handle high volume output, and it also appears
that they are passively powered, that they have an AC wall
adapter input jack but may not come with that adapter
meaning a headphone jack or otherwise lower than line-level
output in a typical computer is insufficient to drive them.

If you are using an AC adapter it is possible that adapter
is of insufficient capacity (current) and being unregulated,
when the load (amp chip) is higher it causes a drop in input
voltage below the minimum required for the amp chip to work.
That threshold would be very low on a speaker set like this
which seems to use a mere 6V adapter.

To check if this is the problem you could use the computer
to input a continuous tone (lower frequency bass being more
effective) at high volume, and use a multimeter to measure
the voltage at the amp chip input pins or actually anywhere
on the PCB should suffice.

Ultimately the most likely resolution is buying speakers
designed to be more capable of high volume. Avoid the
generic ones rated for PMPO peak output and rather a
continuous wattage rating. For stereo computer speakers
without a subwoofer they are generally rated up to roughly
14W, but even a 5W pair would be far better than 1.4W. You
can get a rough idea of total output power capability by
looking at the rating of the included power supply, what I
would call a minimally acceptible speaker set would use at
least a 12V, 500mA AC adapter unless you only need very low
volume.
Click to expand...


Good show.

High speed after dial-up gets you into a lot of new things. Google just
taught me the phrase "multimedia speakers." Know anyone streaming
multimedia by dial-up?

Thanks
 
JimL said:
I think I need to clarify something. When I spoke of turning the volume
down I meant on the speakers themselves. Could this admit of a software
issue?


1 gb.


Know nothing about H.264. I'm getting the signal by Firefox from the
cable modem. Stream stays ahead of play.

I think this is a speaker issue, so here's a question. Are there any
clearly superior computer speakers on the market?

Thanks.
Click to expand...



Jim

I see Kony may have pointed to the reason for your problems with the
speakers.
Your reply to Kony didn't make it clear if your speakers had batteries or AC
adapter.
If the speakers are 'unpowered' ie no amplification then that would be
consistent with your sysmptoms.

As for brand names, it basically comes down to you gets what you pay for.
and
You have to audition the speakers to find one's that sound OK to you.

Best
Paul.
 
kony said:
On Thu, 13 Aug 2009 21:09:26 -0400, "JimL"

Used to be I hand-coded HTML to make very small pages
Click to expand...

Ah, good old libraries. Maybe Alexander the Great was onto something when
went around burning libraries?

I wonder if Valana was activating libraries when she traced circuit panels
on the Enterprise.
 
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