USB Pluggable speakers for Macbook Pro 13" Late 2011?

Question

What are some good USB plugged-in/pluggable speakers for Macbook Pro 13" Late 2011?

My MacBook Pro late 2011 has its headphone jackets broken due to a stuck headphone jack, and my warranty's out. Also in the sound pane the sound output device listed is "Digital Out"

So as my headphone jack is out, and as I don't have a compatible "Digital Out" device, I'd like to know if there are any USB Pluggable speakers available which function by getting plugged into the USB port instead of being plugged into the headphone socket.

Most likely the analog/digital selector switch in your audio out port (aka headphone jack) is stuck. You may be able to free it by plugging and unplugging a set of headphones repeatedly. You might also try a small amount of electrical contact cleaner applied via headphone plug, toothpick or defuzzed cotton swab. See also The headphone jack on my MacBook Pro just stopped working… — jaberg, Jul 23 '13 at 14:48

score 1 · Answer 1 · answered Jul 23 '13 at 21:53

I can recommend the 'SoundSticks I' from Harman Kardon, a very good 3-way Sound System. The first Generation had an USB-Interface, the later Models had the usual Headphone Jacks. You can get it from E-Bay, usually for less than 80$.

One important thing: You cannot use them on a USB-Hub, you have to connect them directly to you machine.

score 0 · Answer 2 · answered May 09 '16 at 03:03

Although wireless speakers are far more popular these days, there's a good selection of USB computer speakers for your MacBook. Note there are 2 types of USB speakers: Digital with a single USB connection - and Analog which have w2 wires that are powered by USB but still use the 1/8" analog headphone/audio jack.

So, your ailing headphone jack means you need to shop carefully to find 1-Cable all Digital speakers that deliver both stereo audio and power over just a USB connection. You can find a good selection of these at this USB speaker site

Some are compact and oblong 1 piece speakers designed for MacBook travel. On your desktop, 2-piece USB computer speakers are a better choice for wider stereo separation and ambience - and tend to have larger drivers for wider frequency response and more bass.

USB Pluggable speakers for Macbook Pro 13" Late 2011?

2 Answers2