Question About External Speakers

AJ290,

Thank you for using the Dell Community Forum.

The speakers should work on this computer. Below are the audio specs for this system.

The Realtek® ALC665 HD audio implementation physically separates the analog and digital portions of the audio system to achieve superior noise immunity. The digital controller interfaces with system software and provides DirectX® acceleration, while the codec performs sample rate conversion, mixing, and analog processing. The digital controller inside the Intel ICH9M I/O Controller hub communicates with the Realtek™ ALC665 analog codec via a 5-wire bidirectional serial interface known as the HDA link.

The Realtek® ALC665 codec is a 5.1 channel High Definition Audio that provides the hardware and software features listed below.

NOTE:

The Realtek® ALC665 codec will provide 2.1 channel audio support through analog and 5.1 channel audio support through HDMI.  

Hardware Features

Six DAC channels support 16/20/24-bit PCM format for 5.1 sound playback.

All ADCs support independent 44.1k/48k/96k/192kHz sample rate.

Software selectable boost gain (+10/+20/+30 dB) for analog microphone input.

Jack detection function is supported when device is in power down mode (D3).

Intel low power ECR compliant, supports power status control for each analog converter and pin widgets, supports jack detection and wake up event in D3 mode.

1) Will the existing onboard sound card suffice or will this require an upgrade?

The Realtek chip has good specs so you ought to be okay for anything less than audiophile quality.

2) Is adding new speakers a simple matter of plugging them into the jack on the laptop and having them become the default speakers?  Or will the external speakers and laptop speakers be playing simultaneously?

In theory, plugging in the speakers should have the same result as if you were to plug in a set of headphones -- the internal speakers should get cut off. If that fails to happen it means something is wrong.

3) Is there a control that would allow me to switch between speaker systems?

I don't have the definitive answer for that. Take a look at your Realtek control panel and see what you have. If you have headphones now you can test the switching controls.