powered pc speakers wth a mic input

[mbengs1]

Do you know powered PC speakers that have a mic input and a volume control? I used to use this kind of speaker with my guitar. Just my rp100 into the pc speakers and it sounded good. But i don't know where to find it. I wanna buy something like that again. it sounded good enough to jam with for fun. that was the cheapest guitar setup i've ever seen. please post some links if you know it.

[WRGKMC]

ALL PC Speakers are line level inputs, not mic level. (they have a power amp inside to drive the speakers) The pedals acts as a preamp to drive the PC speakers built in power amp.

 

Your pedal is switchable between Instrument level and Line level outputs. Line level is used to record or drive a power amp and instrument level is a lower level output designed to feed a guitar amp.

 

The pedal isn't designed to drive a mic level input.

 

You'd set the pedal for line level like you do for recording then plug into any set of PC speakers.

 

It doesn't matter if the speakers have a volume knob or not. The volume knob simply attenuates the line level input (like your pedals master volume attenuates its output).

 

 

You should study up on your signal types so you don't make stupid mistakes connecting gear together.

 

In the audio world, there are 5 signal levels that we deal with: mic, instrument, line Headphone and Speaker.

Mic level is the lowest, or weakest, level signal of the four and requires a preamplifier to bring it up to Line level. It can vary from 1.5 to 70 millivolts and requires dual stage preamplification to bring it up to line level.

Instrument level signals live between mic and line level signals and have the most variation. You typically see this kind of signal come from an electric guitar or bass. A preamplifier usually has one extra stage to bring the signal up to line level.

Line level signals are 1000 times stronger then mic signals and are the highest level signals before amplification. This is the type of signal that typically flows through your recording system after the preamplifier stage and before the amplifier that powers your speakers. There are two types: Consumer and Professional.

• Consumer line level is rated around -10dBV and is what you’ll find in products like a CD player.
  
• Professional line level is rated around +4 dBu and can be found in equipment like mixing desks, preamplifiers, and signal processing equipment.
  

Note: Be careful not to send a line level signal to a preamplifier expecting a mic or instrument level signal.

 

Headphone Levels are usually less then 1 watt designed to drive headphones only. The signal may come from an attenuated speaker signal as in Hi Fi gear or has its own amplifier taken from the preamp. There are some exceptions. Some headphone outputs double as a line level output. Portable keyboards, Laptops and other devices may use a multipurpose output for both line and headphones.

 

You should ALWAYS check the equipment manual to see if the headphone jack is multipurpose before connecting it to a line level device to avoid damaging gear. Regular headphone outs are to strong and have too much noise to drive a line level device.

 

Speaker level signals are post power amp amplification. After a line level signal enters a power amplifier, it exits to the speakers at speaker level. These signals are much higher in voltage than line level and require speaker cables for safe signal transfer.

Note:You should never plug a speaker level signal into a source expecting anything less than a speaker level signal. The exception would require a special DI box which steps the voltage/current down to safe levels.

 

[Mr.Grumpy]

PC speakers either have an input cord with a 3.5 mm stereo plug on the end, or they have a 3.5mm stereo input jack. Just use the headphone output on the RP-100 to connect to the speaker input. You don't need special speakers with a mic input especially if you use a processor like the RP-100 in front of it. You might need a 3.5mm to 3.5 mm connector cable, but that's all.

 

There are still many, many different brands and models of PC speakers in all price ranges, from $20 (US) to over $200.

 

[WRGKMC]

No. He simply needs a 1/4" TRS to 1/8" adaptor, plug into its normal output and select line level.

 

The impedance and signal level from a headphone output is not designed fro driving a power amp. Not only is the noise floor too high, he'd risk distorting the signal and possibly damaging the pedal. The pedal has a high gain output to begin with. Its unlikely you can attenuate it down using the master volume only and if you did it would be nothing but hiss.

 

You'd need to use a headphone to line level adaptor and seeing that is much more difficult to find and costs more a simple 1/4 to 1/8" adaptor which cost a buck is by far the best choice. I suspect he already has it since he's driven computer monitors before.

[Mr.Grumpy]

I've sent headphone outputs into stereo system inputs, PC speaker systems and recording interfaces with zero problems. No hiss or distortion. There's no problem with a low-impedance output device (headphone amplifier) driving a higher-impedance input device as long as the signal level isn't too high.

 

Oh, Lookie here!

Some headphone outputs double as a line level output. Portable keyboards, Laptops and other devices may use a multipurpose output for both line and headphones.

 

 

A simple setup of:

 

Guitar --> RP-100---(headphone cable) -->PC speakers

 

Will work fine. I'm pretty sure PC speakers expect a line level signal similar to a stereo systems input. The RP-100 is not going to blow out a set of powered PC speakers.

 

 

[DeepEnd]

How much do you want to spend? You might want to look into a regular powered speaker or a portable PA.

[mbengs1]

How much do you want to spend? You might want to look into a regular powered speaker or a portable PA.

 

​I hope to get it for around $20-30. doesn't need to be loud.