You can get sound from a monitor without speakers in multiple ways, including connecting it to speakers or a receiver with built-in audio outputs or using Bluetooth speakers. The type of wired connection you make will depend on which monitor you use.
I’m Donovan, and I’ve spent most of my life working with music and home audio. I’ve built multiple recording studios and home stereo setups over the years and know through first-hand experience how to work with monitors without speakers.
This post will show you how to get sound from a monitor without speakers. I’ll provide you with detailed instructions on several approaches to this issue. I aim to help you enjoy and use your monitor with sound easily and quickly.
Let’s get started.
Key Takeaways
- Not all monitors are equipped with speakers, so knowing how to connect them to a sound source is beneficial.
- Most monitors will have at least one, and likely several, audio outputs that you can use to connect to an external speaker.
- Outputs such as HDMI and 3.5mm are commonly used to connect a monitor without speakers to speakers.
- You can also connect a monitor to Bluetooth speakers to get sound without needing to deal with other audio components.
How to Get Sound From a Monitor Without Speakers
It’s not uncommon for a monitor not to have speakers. But since most of us will want to use the monitor and hear sound at some point, knowing how to get audio connected is essential. You’ll want audio if you want to play games or watch other media.
Connecting a monitor without speakers to some external speakers is the best way to get sound. This requires extra equipment, but it’s really the only way to listen to the audio if your monitor doesn’t have built-in speakers.
But there are multiple ways in which you can connect speakers to a monitor that doesn’t have them. Explore all the options listed here to help you determine which method works best for your situation.
1. Connect Monitor to Speakers with 3.5mm Audio Jack
One of the easiest ways to get sound from a monitor without speakers is to connect the monitor with a 3.5mm audio jack. This standard audio output has been around for a while and is also known as an ⅛-inch output.
To make this happen, you’ll need a monitor that has a 3.5mm output and speakers with a corresponding input. You’ll also need a 3.5mm audio cable to connect the two. If you don’t have this, skip to another method below.
To start, locate both the 3.5mm audio output on your monitor and the 3.5mm input on your speakers. Plug one end of the cable into the monitor output and the other into the input on the speakers.
Turn on your monitor and audio source, and make sure your speakers are powered on with the volume at a reasonable level. Then play audio from your source and adjust the volume on your speakers.
Ensure you have your speakers plugged into a power source and the volume is turned up. You might need to double-check the 3.5mm connections if you don’t hear sound on playback.
2. Connect Monitor to Speakers with Optical or HDMI
You can also use an Optical or HDMI output to connect a monitor without speakers to external speakers. These are more modern connections that will give you superior audio quality and allow you to connect to soundbars and other newer speaker setups.
The process for making this connection is similar to the one described above. You need to ensure you have Optical or HDMI outputs on your monitor and corresponding inputs on your speakers. You’ll also need the proper cables to make the connection.
Plug one end of the Optical or HDMI cable into the output on your monitor and the other into the input on your speakers. Then power on your audio source and monitor and check to ensure that audio is coming from your speakers.
You don’t need to use both Optical and HDMI connections to make this happen. I just bundled these into one because the process for connecting them and getting sound from your monitor is the same for both.
Quick Tip: Both Optical and HDMI cables carry video and audio data. These connections can help you use fewer wires and simplify your home audio setup. HDMI is more commonly used and an option with most monitors and sound systems.
3. Connect Monitor to Speakers with HDMI Audio Extractor
If you have multiple devices you want to plug into a monitor without speakers, such as common gaming consoles like Xbox and PlayStation, using an HDMI audio extractor is a great way to make this happen.
An HDMI audio extractor is a separate piece of equipment you’ll need to get, but they are small and affordable. You can find them at most electronics stores and can easily purchase them online.
The audio extractor will serve as a bridge between your monitor and your speakers. You’ll need to have a monitor with an HDMI output to make this method work.
The first step is to plug your audio source into the input of the audio extractor. This will be a gaming console, TV, or wherever else the audio signal is originating from. Plug the audio source into the HDMI In input on the extractor.
Then you need to connect the HDMI output on the extractor to your monitor and the audio outputs on the extractor to your speakers. You’ll need to use speakers that have the proper audio connection cables to connect here.
Once you have all of these connections made, you can turn everything on, adjust the volume on your speakers, and enjoy your audio. If needed, plug in the audio extractor to a power source.
4. Connect Monitor to Speakers with RCA
You can also use an RCA connection to connect a monitor without speakers. RCA cables aren’t always as commonly used these days, but they are still found on many monitors and other devices.
If your monitor has red and white circular audio outputs, these are RCA outputs. Plug an RCA cable into the corresponding outputs and then the other end into your speakers.
You must match the white cable with the white output and the red cable with the red output. This separates that signal into a left and right stereo field. Match the cables with your speakers as well.
Once those cables are plugged in, you should be all good to go. Remember that you’ll still need to connect your audio source to the monitor. RCA cables only carry audio and not video, so you need to establish a video connection through other means.
5. Connect Monitor to Wireless Speakers
You can also use wireless speakers to get sound from a monitor without speakers. This is a very easy way to make this happen and can be a simple solution for anyone who doesn’t have much audio experience.
Most wireless speakers use Bluetooth connections, so you just need to pair your wireless speaker and your monitor together to get sound from the speaker.
Follow the instructions on your Bluetooth speaker to connect to your monitor. You’ll need to press a pairing button and then choose your monitor as the source signal. This button can be located in different places on various speaker models.
You’ll need to have a monitor that is Bluetooth-enabled to make this happen. But you also might be able to pair the speaker with your laptop and transmit audio to the speaker and video to the monitor that way.
Monitor Has No Audio Jack
If your monitor has no audio output jack, you’ll need to use a wireless speaker to get sound out of it. Most monitors have at least some sort of output, and even if it’s not marked audio, you can still connect it to a speaker via HDMI, optical, or 3.5mm outputs.
If you don’t see any outputs at all and the monitor doesn’t have Bluetooth capabilities, you’ll need to use a separate audio source to hear sound.
For example, you can connect your laptop as the audio and video source for your external monitor. The video signal will show on the larger monitor, but you can connect speakers (wired or wireless) to your laptop.
Some gaming consoles also allow you to pull an audio signal directly from the console rather than the monitor, which can help you work around not having an audio jack on your monitor.
FAQs
Here are a few short answers to some of the most commonly asked questions about how to get sound from a monitor without speakers.
How do I get sound on my monitor without sound?
If your monitor does not have built-in speakers, you’ll need to connect it to speakers somehow. You can do this through several different wired connections, including HDMI, optical, and RCA. You can also connect the monitor to wireless speakers.
How do I get sound from my HDMI monitor?
You can connect an HMDI audio expander to the HDMI output on your monitor to help you get sound from it. Once the monitor is connected to the expander, you can connect speakers to the expander to listen to whatever signal is coming from your monitor.
Can sound come out of a monitor?
Sound will only come out of a monitor with built-in speakers. Not all monitors come with these, so you need to connect the monitor to speakers somehow to listen to sound. The monitor will have an audio output that you can use to connect to speakers or other listening devices.
How do I play sound through an external monitor?
If your external monitor has built-in speakers, then you just need to connect it to your audio source, and you should hear sound. If it doesn’t have speakers, you’ll need to connect the monitor or your audio source to speakers to hear it.
Does HDMI carry sound?
Although HDMI cables are known for providing outstanding video quality, they can also carry sound. This means that HDMI cables are a good option when you want to simplify things and avoid using multiple cables and connections.
Final Thoughts
Even if your monitor has no speakers, you can still get sound from it by connecting it to speakers through various audio connections like HDMI, optical, RCA, or Bluetooth. Just know you won’t get sound from the monitor itself.
Using an HDMI audio extractor is a great way to connect various gaming consoles and is a good solution if you are wondering how to get sound from a monitor with no speakers to an Xbox One or PS5.
Have you ever used a monitor without speakers? How did you set up your audio to get sound from it? Let me know in the comments below.
