Speaker wire cable to 3.5mm

[AppleDApp]

Is there any way to connect speakers that use traditional copper speaker wires to a 3.5mm jack?

I want to connect two circa 180 Bose bookshelf speakers to an airport express for streaming purposes without the use of an amp or receiver.

maybe an adaptor exists.

 

[simsaladimbamba]

The AirPort Express is not powerful enough to drive those passive speakers. You need an amp to power those speakers.

 

[AppleDApp]

ok thanks for the info. Any ideas for a small inexpensive amp?

Edit Would an amp from Nuforce do the trick?

 

[VideoBeagle]

Just to answer the original quesiton on the adapter...I was recently looking for the very thing you were. I couldn't find any pre-built, so I ended up buying jacks at an electronics store (Radio Shack has them) to make my own adapters.

(I wound up not needing them and my project wasn't the same as what you're trying to do)

I can't speak about the airport express, but the nuForce looks like it should do the trick if the APX works as I would think it does. Depending on your needs and budget, something new and super digital down to a used receiver from goodwill could work.

 

[AppleDApp]

So I bought a used amp connected that to the speakers now have a 3.5mm cable directly connected to the laptop. Would it be possible to instead connect the 3.5mm cable to the APX so that I can stream my music from itunes to the receiver?

 

[VideoBeagle]

To make sure I understand (and keeping in mind what I said above about not really being familiar with the APX) You currently go:

Laptop -> cable -> Amp -> speakers

and you'd like to go

Laptop ~> APX-> Amp -> speakers

From what I understand about the APX, that should work.

 

[AppleDApp]

To make sure I understand (and keeping in mind what I said above about not really being familiar with the APX) You currently go:

Laptop -> cable -> Amp -> speakers

and you'd like to go

Laptop ~> APX-> Amp -> speakers

From what I understand about the APX, that should work.

Yes I will be stream wirelessly to the APX. Which I believe is what you meant by the ~.

 

[VideoBeagle]

Yes I will be stream wirelessly to the APX. Which I believe is what you meant by the ~.

It was...I thought that was quite clever of me

 

[AppleDApp]

It was...I thought that was quite clever of me

It was great I'll have to try it out.

 

[ChrisA]

Is there any way to connect speakers that use traditional copper speaker wires to a 3.5mm jack?

I want to connect two circa 180 Bose bookshelf speakers to an airport express for streaming purposes without the use of an amp or receiver.

maybe an adaptor exists.

If you have a airport express it's output jack is the same as on the back of your Mac. It is "line level".

You need an amplifier to drive a passive speaker. Almost any amplifier will do and a very simple one is best. I use an Audio Source AMP-100 to drive a pair of Polk Audio speakers connected to my Yamaha keyboard. The amp is more than powerful enough and sounds good and is not expensive. Also this amp is a good building block for a larger system and you can always use it later for just about anything.

http://www.amazon.com/AudioSource-AMP-100-Stereo-Power-Amplifier/dp/B00026BQJ6

THe amp takes RCA inputs so you need 3.5mm stereo to RCA cable. These are easy to find and not expensive. Sweetwater is a good place to buy the cable because they sell these with no shipping cost. But I bet Amazon has them as well. OK I just checked type "3.5mm rca split" into Amazon's search box and you get about 50 to choose from.