jbl pebbles speakers not working with dell / windows 7?

[CatsinQ]

Hi, I have just purchased the JBL Pebbles and can't get them to work, and it's supposed to be the easiest thing in the world. I have an older Dell Precision and use Windows 7.

I've got the Pebbles plugged in properly but no sound comes out. In fact, when I plug in just the usb and not the audio jack, the built in computer speaker stops working.

If I plug my old speakers into the same port, everything is fine. (Except they are lousy speakers, hence the switch.) Does anyone know if they are supposed to automatically download a driver or something? I can't figure out what could be preventing them from working. Thanks!! -

 

[hairystuff]

I know this sounds silly but have you checked the volume settings/control, it's a common mistake with alot of audio hardware.

 

[CatsinQ]

I know this sounds silly but have you checked the volume settings/control, it's a common mistake with alot of audio hardware.

I've got everything set at the max - if it starts working I'm going to be blown through the roof.

 

[hairystuff]

Haha yeah that would be deafening. If you don't get an output with just the USB, try the audio jack and go into:

control panel
change view by to: small icons
click the sound icon in the control panel
on the playback tab try the one of the other outputs listed there then apply
(if you have and option for set default do that click apply then click ok.)

see if that helps.

 

[CatsinQ]

Haha yeah that would be deafening. If you don't get an output with just the USB, try the audio jack and go into:

control panel
change view by to: small icons
click the sound icon in the control panel
on the playback tab try the one of the other outputs listed there then apply
(if you have and option for set default do that click apply then click ok.)

see if that helps.

Tried it, and the "apply" button never "lights up" - don't have the option to click it. However, the JBL speakers are listed as the default. If I unplug the JBL's sound immediately comes from the computer itself, if I then plug in my old speakers they take over and play immediately. There is nothing wrong with the JBL's - the company was kind enough to send me a second set - so these are actually the second set that I can't get to work.

Does the fact that the computer sound disappears if I simply plug in the Pebbles' usb provide any clues? This does NOT happen with my other speakers.

 

[hairystuff]

Seeing as these are replacements so theres less likely a fault with the speaker hardware have you tried them on another computer or a different usb port

 

[hairystuff]

Also have you pushed the volume button as they act as the Power/Standby switch

 

[hairystuff]

It could be your usb ports do not supply enough power, so as the video says you may have to connect it to a mains usb charger for extra power then use the aux cable:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=lv719b_3UcY#t=119

 

[CatsinQ]

Seeing as these are replacements so theres less likely a fault with the speaker hardware have you tried them on another computer or a different usb port

i contacted JBL and they told me I had to update the Dell audio driver. Unfortunately I can't, because this OS (Windows 7) is apparently not a supported OS for the Dell Precision laptop that I have (I bought it refurbished, and it had been switched from XP to W7.) So it seems like I'm SOL, unless (a) you know how I can update the driver elsewhere besides the Dell website, (b) you know a way to circumvent the driver issue, or (c) this has nothing to do with the audio driver and you have a whole separate approach.

I hope that one of those is a possibility!

 

[hairystuff]

As long as you have windows update enabled you should have the latest drivers for the USB audio device and therefore the speakers should work on your device, the speakers you have will even work on a WinXP machine because the USB audio device profile is standard from the XP era onwards, I would look into trying an external USB supply and using the aux input on the speakers as a method for running them as I think the ports on the laptop are not delivering enough power as stated in the Youtube link I provided.