I have a set of Harman Kardon Champagne speakers connected to my laptop, and I'm unhappy with the volume I get out of it. I know it's not the fault of the speaker kit, because I know this system can play pretty loud for it's size...I've also had my laptop connected to my stereo too with a Y-plug. The only sound output option I know of on my laptop is the headphone jack.
Is there a way of getting more volume to my speaker kit via say....a preamp or a line driver or something?
Any advice would be great and I'd appreciate it!
The speakers don't have a built in amp?
If the speakers aren't externally powered, your problem is definitely the speakers. I have a pair of cheapo Dell-issued H-Ks on my work laptop... I can easily annoy half the office in this wing of the building if I wanted to.
And I like my job. So no. :P
the problem is that you dont have a "line out" jack. which overides the volume control which has limits for the built in speakers and headphones. i dont know if it can be done or not, but you might want to find a way to turn your "headset" jack into a "line out" jack.
Contact your manufacturer to get a fix for this. Same problem with my Toshiba p30, I even bought a new soundcard (well that was for gaming) and it did not change. For me, I had to re arrange/delete some of the files in the system folder that controlled volume levels.
My HK kit has champagne glass shaped satellites with dual 1" mid/tweets, and it has a 5.25" subwoofer in a small enclosure that ports into the floor. The amp is rated at 6 watts RMS for the satellites, and 28 watts RMS for the sub, and this thing has an HK class A amp in it. The sub is actually rated down to 35hz. I've had this kit connected to my parents home PC, and it was stupid loud for it's size...sounded like a home stereo in the computer room. Right now it's connected to my Toshiba Satellite Laptop.
I'm thinking that there IS internal programming that is limiting the soundcards output levels, or whatever else determines this to save the headphone speakers in the laptop, and/or the headphone jack.
I know that there are USB exernal pre-amps...would that be a better avenue then to modify my laptop?
Yea I have a Toshiba Satallite p30 and i'm telling you for sure there is internal files limiting the sound. I had the exact same problem and e-mailed Toshiba support for the fix. You just have to delete some files, which I would tell you what they are but I honestly dont remember which files (there were 2-3) to delete (was back in August).
Wont matter what port you use, still have to delete those files. I tried everything lol nothing worked besides contacting Toshiba for a fix, or a "patch" as they would say.
Some have said that getting a 3rd party sound card has worked, but for me I still had to delete the files. You could try a 3rd party SC, but they are expensive. Mine ran me 250.
umm how about double clicking the speaker next to your clock and cranking the volume? both master and wave. also try to change it from driect sound to wave out some cards play at low levels in direct sound.