mystery PC Speaks 1/8 mono and confused

[NTCusername]

hey y'all...this is such a low tech question I hope it will at least put you in a good mood. I have scrounged these virgin small Polk Audio PC speakers from my stack of miscellaneous gear...they are a white/beige plastic tall & narrow and clearly designed to attach to a monitor. I don't know from whence they came - - or more accurately in my small business I bought a bunch of PCs back in the Win98-XP years from Dell or HP. We didn't need/want sound w/ the PCs in the office in those days, so these were never attached. Anyhow...that's just background.... The office moved, PCs got bought/sold...some warranty issues i.e. things went back/forth from PC vendors etc etc....bottom line is I have no idea where their original use was intended....

So now I've this decent Vista PC, dual screen, but without audio and I dust off these unused orphaned speakers (the old PCs/monitors are long gone)... they each have a single 1/8 mono jack. 2 stand alone identical speakers. One jack is red, the other is white. There is no power cord - nor any other jack/plug in either speaker. No power switch, no volume control. There is no model number that I can find. They do say polk audio embedded in the front screening. From the symmetrical curve of their body and little attachment pegs it is clear one is intended to hook on the right side of a monitor and the other on the left. But they also stand up table top just fine...

Seems a shame not to use them. They've been in a box unused for 10+ years...Plugging them direct into the current PC doesn't work. (I get a very very low level of sound....).

What do I have? (that maybe is a rhetorical question)... more importantly: What do I need to make them work with current PC? and where would I get it?...was going to head over to Radio Shack or somewhere but thought I get input from you guys first.... much thanks in advance...

[mmadden28]

Can't say that I'm familiar with them, but I have seen several other speaker types for PCs that also come with a small (very) subwoofer that the main speakers plug into. The sub also acts like an amp/power source for them. Perhaps that is a missing peice.

Or, on some, one speaker plugs into the other and the 'other' then plugs into the PC. You may need a power supply for the speakers in this case.

Don't waste too much money on them. You're likely able to get a much nicer set for less. Usually speakers that come with a monitor or PC are pretty low low low end stuff regardless of who's label is on it.

Welcome to the forum--Did you mean to leave 'username' in 'NTCusername'?

[NTCusername]

yes I have a PCs with both style audio connections that you describe. In this case definitely one does not plug into the other...they are both stand alone.

So it sounds like the subwoofer/power/amp/volume control unit is the missing item? I am perplexed as to how I would have the speakers and not have this item - - - unless perhaps that functionality was embedded in one of the old monitors.

But you are probably right in this day & age one can start from scratch with all new stuff at less cost that trying to find an obscure old part.....

[mmadden28]

You could call Polk CS and see what they can tell you.