Small speaker for a musical keyboard that does not have one

[Whiffle]

Hi there.

I am thinking of taking up piano and have got hold of a keyboard that does not have any inbuilt speakers.

It does, however, have a headphone output, stereo phono outputs and midi connections.

If I buy a small unpowered speaker, will there be enough power to run it? I only want to use if for a bit of practice (when headphone make the old ears a bit sweaty) so it does not need to be very loud.

Also, would it be better to connect the speaker to the headphone output or the stereo outputs?

Thanks

 

[robfosters]

Hi there.

I am thinking of taking up piano and have got hold of a keyboard that does not have any inbuilt speakers.

It does, however, have a headphone output, stereo phono outputs and midi connections.

If I buy a small unpowered speaker, will there be enough power to run it? I only want to use if for a bit of practice (when headphone make the old ears a bit sweaty) so it does not need to be very loud.

Also, would it be better to connect the speaker to the headphone output or the stereo outputs?

Thanks

You’ll need an active speaker and preferably a pair for stereo sound.
Something like these Presonus speakers would be perfect.

Presonus Eris E3.5 favorable buying at our shop

The Presonus Eris E3.5 are multimedia active monitors with a 3.5" Kevlar woofer, silk dome tweeter and 100dB maximum SPL.

www.dv247.com

 

[radderfire]

You could use the 3.5mm headphone socket to powered speakers, like Creative Labs Gigaworks T20, as explained in the video on this page:

GigaWorks T20 Series II

This two-way speaker design comes with BasXPort technology for excellent full range audio with rich extended bass.

uk.creative.com

Creative Labs would also be a good brand to think about.

To use the stereo outputs, you would need a Hi-Fi type set-up, with an amp and speakers, so this gets more expensive.

 

[Whiffle]

Thanks guys.

Just to fill in a gap in understanding - am I correct in thinking that headphone outputs have a little bit of amp power (just enough to run headphones), whereas regular 1/4" outputs have no real power and rely on active speakers for the output?

 

[robfosters]

You could use the 3.5mm headphone socket to powered speakers, like Creative Labs Gigaworks T20, as explained in the video on this page:

GigaWorks T20 Series II

This two-way speaker design comes with BasXPort technology for excellent full range audio with rich extended bass.

uk.creative.com

Creative Labs would also be a good brand to think about.

To use the stereo outputs, you would need a Hi-Fi type set-up, with an amp and speakers, so this gets more expensive.

Active speakers have a built in amp

 

[radderfire]

Thanks guys.

Just to fill in a gap in understanding - am I correct in thinking that headphone outputs have a little bit of amp power (just enough to run headphones), whereas regular 1/4" outputs have no real power and rely on active speakers for the output?

This article goes into detail for turntables and a keyboard output would be similar:

Ultimate Guide to Turntables and Record Player Setup

High Performance Home Theater Surround Sound Speaker Systems by Fluance. Offering Free Shipping, Lifetime Warranty & 30 Day in Home Trial

blog.fluance.com

The output types from your keyboard are both low level, so amplification has to be done, either by an amp in the speakers (active speakers), or by an amp + passive speakers combination. There is some signal on your outputs, but it will either be very low volume or won't be able to drive the speakers at all.

 

[Whiffle]

Really helpful - thanks very much.

One other thing I have noticed is that the L/R outputs have a separate output dial. If I connect an active speaker, what output would I have to use on the keyboard before then being able to control volume on the speaker itself.

I have often wondered the same, when I used to use a Raspberry Pi with Libreelec. I had separate volume controls for both the Pi and the connected TV and I could never work out which to use.