[shonor6]

Hi. I just bought the BX5 D2's, but I can see that they haven't supplied any cables other than the power cordes. So how do I connect them to the a 3.5 headphone jack on my laptop? The manual isn't very "newbie friendly", talking about "balanced" and "unbalanced" connections, etc'. So which cables should I buy, and how should I connect them? Each speakers has one "XLR" and one "TRS" input.
 
Thanks.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

If it has no RCA or phono, ie "unbalanced" inputs, you can't use just your laptop with them. Buy something like an M-Audio USB interface - essentially a USB DAC-ADC (ie, input-analog to digital/output-digital to analog converter) that has XLR outputs, these tend to be cheaper than USB input DACs with balanced outputs marketed as Hi-Fi equipment. They will look more like a control panel than a classy aluminum fascia on your desk but just think of the savings - HiFi stuff don't have entry-level units with balanced connections.
 
I saw the other thread - you can just return them and get the Audioengine A5. The whole point with Audioengine is that they make passive speakers that are a no-brainer for mainstream users - ie, you don't really need to be a recording professional or Hi-Fi enthusiast to use* or enjoy** them.
 
 
*RCA and 3.5mm phono inputs)
**"dark" sound means you won't put up with a studio monitor revealing each and every sharp note played back from a few feet from your head

 

[NAWilson9]

You need a 3.5mm stereo to 2x 1/4" mono cable/adapter. Not sure if I described that right but this is what you need.
 

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Quote:

You need a 3.5mm stereo to 2x 1/4" mono cable/adapter. Not sure if I described that right but this is what you need.
 

 
@shonor6,
 
Yes, you need something like this - check if the BX5 has one on each speaker and make sure they are labelled as "unbalanced" in the manual - chances are some manufacturers might have used stereo TRS sockets in each speaker, therefore  might still be balanced.

 

[NAWilson9]

Quote:

 
@shonor6,
 
Yes, you need something like this - check if the BX5 has one on each speaker and make sure they are labelled as "unbalanced" in the manual - chances are some manufacturers might have used stereo TRS sockets in each speaker, therefore  might still be balanced.

I have the BX5D2's and the cable I linked to. I know it will work. They have 1/4" unbalanced or balanced XLR's.

 

[ognjen1983]

I too have the same speakers. Although I am trying to connect them differently with no luck.
 
I have a PCI ESI Juli@ sound card and RSA cables going out. On the other end of cables is RCA as well. As these speakers don't have RCA in but rather TRS or XLR, I have tried using RCA to TRS adaptor to solve the problem but am not getting any sound out of them. Checked that I have plugged in the RCA correctly into my sound card's LINE OUT R and LINE OUT L ports as well.
 
Am I doing something wrong?

 

[ProtegeManiac]

If the TRS are labelled Balanced (instead of Unbalanced) then that might be the problem - RCA are unbalanced.