Thursday, January 25, 2024

This May Sound Weird

My wife's laptop has an 2.5mm audio output.  Excuse me, it had one.  It no longer works and the built-in ones are not adequate to Tai-Chi DVD.  We could take it into Geek Squad for repair but it would be out of service in the middle of the semester so I need another solution.

The obvious one is Bluetooth speaker.  But all of them seem to be battery only.  It would be fine even preferable if they were AC powered.  But what magic string in Amazon gets such a beast?  "Bluetooth speakers AC" returns a swarm but all seem to be battery powered.

5 comments:

  1. TV Sound bar. It is corded and Bluetooth. The cheapest I saw in Amazon runs just $30 and you can go crazy after that

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  2. If you have a set of bookshelf speakers, there are a number of small bluetooth amplifiers that might work (like https://www.parts-express.com/Lepai-LP-2020BT-Bluetooth-Hi-Fi-Audio-Mini-Class-D-Stereo-Amplifier-FM-Media-with-Power-Sup-310-3020 )

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  3. Problems like that are not worth fixing. You can get a speaker that plugs into the usb port. Or better yet, just get a $10 usb audio adapter, and use the speaker you have.

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  4. a: It was likely 3.5mm, rather than 2.5mm.
    b: try blowing 'canned air' or compressed air into the jack to clean it .(avoid the canned stuff with "bitterant". . .)
    c: If it's to feed an existing sound-system or powered speakers, I've been using this Logitech bluetooth adapter for many systems without any trouble: https://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Bluetooth-Audio-Adapter-Streaming/dp/B00IQBSW28 -- there are cheaper generic equivalents.
    d: if one sometimes needs headphones and sometimes speakers and has a free USB port, then the Behringer U-Control UCA202 or CUA222 is a $30 option.
    e: USB and USB-C headset jacks are a thing, and pretty cheap. Usually require no setup or drivers, just choosing the right sound output once they are plugged in.

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  5. Most USB speakers are battery powered, but they have a USB cable port for charging. If you use a wall AC -> USB adapter, then a USB cable to the bluetooth speaker, that would work.

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