Computer speaker
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Computer speakers, or multimedia speakers, are external speakers and are usually equipped with a male 1/8 inch stereo jack plug (usually color-coded lime green per the PC 99 standard) for computer sound cards. However, some have an RCA connector, and some people connect the output of their computer sound cards to a conentional stereo system. There are also USB speakers which are powered from the 5 volts at a few milliamsp provided by the USB port, per the standard. Computer speakers are usually a simplified stereo system without a radio or other media sources built in.
Computer speakers range widely in quality and in price. Typically, the computer speakers packaged with computer systems are both small and simple. There are also advanced forms of computer speakers that have graphic equalization features (bass, treble, etc.) and sometimes built-in amplifiers.
It is common to connect active/powered computer speakers to a power strip. The power outlet should, as always, preferably be grounded for safety.
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[edit] Common options
Speaker options vary by manufacturer, but typically may include any or all of the following in addition to the standard features:
- An LED, typically green, that acts as a power indicator.
- A 1/8" or even 1/4" headphone jack.
- Dials or buttons for volume, bass, and treble.
- A wired or wireless remote control for volume and power control
[edit] Major computer speaker companies
- Altec Lansing
- Bose
- Creative Labs
- Cyber Acoustics
- Dell
- Edifier
- GE
- Harman Kardon
- Hewlett-Packard
- JBL
- Klipsch
- Logitech
