Using a pair of external speakers to listen to your favorite music is a great way to dramatically increase the quality and clarity of the sound. Your Apple MacBook simplifies the process of connecting a pair of speakers, giving you the option of using a classic 3.5mm jack audio cable, or opting for a more technologically modern connection such as Bluetooth. This tutorial shows the steps to follow to connect external speakers to your Macbook using the two methods described.
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Bluetooth connection
The most elegant method is to pair a pair of Bluetooth speakers with your laptop. Apple's MacBook is natively equipped with a Bluetooth connection, so using Bluetooth headphones or external speakers is a good option you can consider.
Step 1. Activate the 'Pairing' or 'Discoverable' mode of your loudspeakers
Normally you have to press and hold the 'Power' button on the speakers for about 10 seconds. To know the exact procedure, always refer to the instruction manual supplied with the devices.
Step 2. Access your Mac's 'System Preferences'
You can do this by selecting the Apple logo located in the upper left corner of the screen.
Step 3. Inside the panel that appeared, select the 'Bluetooth' icon found in the 'Hardware' section
Step 4. Select the 'Active' check button to turn on Bluetooth connectivity
Step 5. Press the 'Configure Bluetooth Device' button
The Bluetooth Assistant panel should appear.
Step 6. Select your loudspeakers from the list that appears, then press the 'Continue' button
Step 7. Press the settings button at the bottom of the window
Step 8. As a last step select the item 'Use as audio device'
All done! Have a good listening!
Method 2 of 2: Connection Via 3.5mm Jack
It is the classic method, which has always been in vogue. Using your Mac's headphone jack simplifies the connection process considerably, compared to using the Bluetooth connection. Since it is a wired connection, however, it is limiting for the mobility afforded by the use of a laptop.
Step 1. Make sure the jack for connecting your speakers is a standard model, 3.5mm
If not, you'll need to purchase an adapter to ensure compatibility with your Mac's connection port.
Step 2. Lay out the connecting cable neatly
The audio cables used today are designed to last a long time, but this does not mean that they should be used in a messy way, by bending or tangling them on themselves.
These details make a difference in the sound quality. In a 'throttled' or bent cable the current flow will be less and it will pass with greater difficulty, negatively impacting the final sound quality. It may not be obvious to most listeners, but it's always good to take care of your instruments
Step 3. Use your speakers
After you finish connecting with the Mac, the speakers should sound perfect. If necessary, change the audio settings to optimize the output sound.
