Q4OS Forum

Taige

Member

Registered: 2025-08-19

Posts: 39

Single-cable soundbar for computers

I saw that there are two types of computer soundbars, those with the 3.5mm jack and the usb cable and then there are those that have only the usb cable and without an internal power intended as a battery.
I suppose that one usb cable serves both as power and audio data transmission.
I didn't understand what kind of usb though, if it's possible to connect them on a usb 2.0 or 3.0 port.
Do you know anything about it?

theasmitkid

Member

From: NCT of Delhi

Registered: 2025-01-26

Posts: 348

Re: Single-cable soundbar for computers

I made a speaker a while ago and it used the 3.5mm jack for audio transmission and the usb for power, since just 3.5mm can't provide enough power for the bulky modules.

Let's just imagine the soundbar you saw supports audio transmission over usb, most speakers would use ~0.512mbps and highest in 2025 is around 45mbps.
USB 1.1 has speed of 12mbps, and USB 2.0 has ceiling of 480mbps.. which is more than enough. And if you plug in a usb 2.0 device in a usb 3.0 port, it'd work as normal since usb is backward compatible.

So most likely the usb is for powering the soundbar, and it has a wifi/bluetooth interface for audio.. but if the usb is for audio as well, then it should work perfectly fine with any version of usb. And you can always check the product manual for more info

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Coding & Robotics Enthusiast | Brave & Spck Editor @ Lenovo Tab 4 8 · Android 8.1 · 2GB · 16GB

Taige

Member

Registered: 2025-08-19

Posts: 39

Re: Single-cable soundbar for computers

I made a speaker a while ago and it used the 3.5mm jack for audio transmission and the usb for power, since just 3.5mm can't provide enough power for the bulky modules.

Let's just imagine the soundbar you saw supports audio transmission over usb, most speakers would use ~0.512mbps and highest in 2025 is around 45mbps.
USB 1.1 has speed of 12mbps, and USB 2.0 has ceiling of 480mbps.. which is more than enough. And if you plug in a usb 2.0 device in a usb 3.0 port, it'd work as normal since usb is backward compatible.

So most likely the usb is for powering the soundbar, and it has a wifi/bluetooth interface for audio.. but if the usb is for audio as well, then it should work perfectly fine with any version of usb. And you can always check the product manual for more info

This soundbar is one of the models I found, but there are others: Soundbar Usb Type C

theasmitkid

Member

From: NCT of Delhi

Registered: 2025-01-26

Posts: 348

Re: Single-cable soundbar for computers

This one uses same USB for powering as well as audio, and runs on USB2.0, according to manual for a similar product from this brand

The USB speaker is equipped with an audio decoding chip, no additional driver is required.

seems like a generic drop-shipped product from china (same as most of the other products on your search page) so not really sure how good their "plug-n-play chip" is

Last edited by theasmitkid (2025-12-17 19:56)

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Coding & Robotics Enthusiast | Brave & Spck Editor @ Lenovo Tab 4 8 · Android 8.1 · 2GB · 16GB

Taige

Member

Registered: 2025-08-19

Posts: 39

Re: Single-cable soundbar for computers

This one uses same USB for powering as well as audio, and runs on USB2.0, according to manual for a similar product from this brand

The USB speaker is equipped with an audio decoding chip, no additional driver is required.

seems like a generic drop-shipped product from china (same as most of the other products on your search page) so not really sure how good their "plug-n-play chip" is

Yes, it's a chinese product, most of these speakers come from there.
Also, I don't know how reliable positive reviews can be.

theasmitkid

Member

From: NCT of Delhi

Registered: 2025-01-26

Posts: 348

Re: Single-cable soundbar for computers

I wouldn't be surprised to see completely AI generated and paid reviews on these products. We have Asia's biggest electronics market nearby where crappy off brands sometimes work better than the original products, you could try and visit a nearby market where you could test out stuff before buying.. otherwise if you really want to buy online then i doubt there would be a reliable product around that price range. Do check out Brands like Creative, Razor, Logitech, Sony, and Samsung, (I use boAt's audio peripheral which work pretty good while being affordable). If you don't have these brands in italy then check for reviews which contain and picture/video, which are mostly genuine.

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Coding & Robotics Enthusiast | Brave & Spck Editor @ Lenovo Tab 4 8 · Android 8.1 · 2GB · 16GB

Taige

Member

Registered: 2025-08-19

Posts: 39

Re: Single-cable soundbar for computers

I wouldn't be surprised to see completely AI generated and paid reviews on these products. We have Asia's biggest electronics market nearby where crappy off brands sometimes work better than the original products, you could try and visit a nearby market where you could test out stuff before buying.. otherwise if you really want to buy online then i doubt there would be a reliable product around that price range. Do check out Brands like Creative, Razor, Logitech, Sony, and Samsung, (I use boAt's audio peripheral which work pretty good while being affordable). If you don't have these brands in italy then check for reviews which contain and picture/video, which are mostly genuine.

I did some more research and found a brand that apparently makes very good quality speakers.
The brand name is Edifier.

These 3 soundbars are from Edifier and connect with a single USB cable.

In the details this is specified:
Plug-and-Play
The attached USB cable transmits both power and audio signals from your computer to the speaker. Simply plug the USB connector into your computer and start playing.

Obviously the cost of these soundbars is higher.

- Edifier QS30 https://www.edifier.com/global/p/computer-speakers/qs30
- Edifier MG250 https://www.edifier.com/global/p/comput … kers/mg250
- Edifier MG300 https://www.edifier.com/global/p/comput … kers/mg300

theasmitkid

Member

From: NCT of Delhi

Registered: 2025-01-26

Posts: 348

Re: Single-cable soundbar for computers

Edifier seems to be a reliable and budget friendly brand~ They support both usb as well as bluetooth. Probably more expensive than those drop-shipped products, but definitely better quality

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Coding & Robotics Enthusiast | Brave & Spck Editor @ Lenovo Tab 4 8 · Android 8.1 · 2GB · 16GB

Taige

Member

Registered: 2025-08-19

Posts: 39

Re: Single-cable soundbar for computers

I don't know if anyone cares, but I found a soundbar from Creative, model name Sound Blaster GS3.
It costs less and allows to be used with only the Usb cable, but I don't know if it's a quality product.