Rear Speaker Aux Cable Length
My MSI MAG Z790 motherboard supports rear channel speakers.
If I were to mount a pair of speakers behind me, that would require approximately 15 feet (4.5 meters) of speaker wire from my PC to the speakers. Do I have to worry about the AUX port’s power output if I were to use 18 or 16 gauge speaker wire?
12 replies
Nope! Should be fine.
Probably not. What is the impedance of the speakers?
They're just some cheap speakers I found on Amazon: Theater Solutions TS30B
According to the product description: "frequency response is 140Hz-20 kHz with 89dB at 8ohm"
Those are passive speakers that won't work without an amplifier. You need some PC speakers with an aux input
You can't go from 1/8" to speaker wire
8Ω is pretty low impedance. By comparison, the Sony MDR7506 is 63Ω, and they work just fine with the amp built into my mobo at only 10%.
Are you sure?
I'm pretty confident but not 100% sure, I'm on my phone and only skimmed the manual.
Impedance isn't the issue here, headphones are completely different - their tiny speakers need significantly less power to drive them. I don't think the motherboard is capable of moving the cones in the speakers OP linked
The giveaway here is the inputs - your headphones have an aux (or 1/4"?) input and these speakers have speaker wire inputs
I mean, you can always solder a 1/8" stereo connector onto those wires, but the point about wattage isn't something to be ignored, and I forgot that.
Thanks!
I did some wacky cable conversions when I worked in the field but it was usually just to extend line level
Analog audio is fun lol
Can’t believe I forgot to include that tidbit, that they’re passive speakers.
Isn’t the motherboard itself the amplifier?
Unfortunately not, the motherboard only has a preamp. Those ports output a line level signal and the speakers are expecting speaker level which is post-amplification which is a MUCH stronger so it will be extremely quiet - if not completely silent
You can buy a cheap 2ch amp but I think you'd be better off with different speakers. It wouldn't be a bad idea to get a second set of whatever you're using for the front speakers to match the sound profile
Thanks for the advice. I got a cheap amp, got it all set up, and it works a charm!
Nice!! Enjoy your surround sound