Stereo speakers/computer

M

maz

New member
what do I need to hook up my speakers from my stereo to my sound card (that only has one speaker output?),you know those ones
that look like plugs?Damnit I dont know what they are called, Im an idiot.
thanx.
 
I would guess than you need to take a line from the line out on the soundcard (1/8 inch jack) to a line in one your hi-fi amp (dual phono plugs probably). You can get wire that will do this from your local electrical shop.

Is this what you meant?

matt
 
Think.

Your soundcard's line out is a 1/8" stereo plug which fits a 1/8" stereo jack. Therefore, one end of the cable must have a 1/8" stereo jack on it.

Your stereo probably has an Aux input (or similar). This input is probably stereo RCA which means that the other end of your cable will have to be stereo RCA (e.g. two RCA plugs). I'm guessing that Cakey was refering to RCA when he said "phono" as well.

After verifying that your stereo accepts this kind of input, go down to radio shack and buy a 1/8" to RCA stereo cable. The cable quality probably doesn't matter much in this case.

If you were thinking of plugging your speakers directly into the soundcard then no, you can't do it. Either you won't get enough signal to the speakers, and/or you'll blow your soundcard.

Slackmaster 2000
 
Aha! As I suspected! RCA is american for phono plug.

Does this mean that no Americans will know what I'm talking about when I say phono? Or will they even think I mean something else?!


Er.

matt
 
Nah Cakey, I got what you meant - they were often called phono plugs here as well, but fewer and fewer know what that means these days. :)
 
I always thought that phono jacks and RCA jacks were different things. I guess I was misinformed again.

I thought the jacks we refer to as 1/4" and 1/8" were phono jacks and the cables with red and white connectors on each end were RCA.

No?
 
Yeah I think you guys are right! When I think "phono" I think 1/4". When I think RCA I think....RCA :) ... a lot of "non-audio" people call RCA cables "stereo jacks" too I guess.

This is sort of interesting. Is this a case of americans butchering the language as usuall, or not? I seem to rememeber seeing pictures of switchboard operators of the past using patch cables with 1/4" plugs on them. Telephone....PHONO ? Could this be where it came from? However, RCA plugs have been traditionally used to connect PHONOgraphs to receivers. ???? Hmmm....

Slackmaster 2000
 
Phono jacks are 1/4", and the term was used pretty widely (UK, USA and Oz) for a while. I've got manuals for ancient stereo gear that has phono jacks and a piccy of a 1/4" (and these are British manuals). I guess the Brits still call most audio jacks phono - just like a few lovely English people I know still call loudspeakers 'tannoys' (OK, so these people pre-date at least one, and sometimes both world wars, but you get the drift)

- gaffa

PS. Actually Cakey, haven't we had this discussion in another thread somewhere? - I seem to recall it....dunno
 
Talk about cable end confusion. I went in to a MAR VAC (great store BTW) and was looking for very short TRS cables/jacks. I told the guy this was physically the same as 1/4"
stereo phone plugs/jacks and he pointed me to the RJ-xx cable section!
 
Yes, I remember mentioning this before.

Anyway, in the UK (normally!) the things we use to connect out hifis together we call phono plugs, which I always assumed was from PHONOgraph - british amps still label the turntable selector/input as phono. They are unbalanced cylinder connectors with a phallic central connector.

We _also_ have type a and type b jacks. Type a are 1/4 inch guitar type leads, and what most people use for general audio - they can be balance or unbalanced (mono or stereo).

Type b jacks are _also_ 1/4 inch but have a slightly connical shape ie the point is narrower. These are also called broadcast or post-office jack as the were originally use in telephone exchanges (run by the post office). These are more expensive than type a and are used in pro-studios in patchbays as they are supposedly more reliable. I think they are always balanced. Not sure though, don't use'em meself.

Then , of course, there is the 1/8 inch minijack! Sing its praises, oh wonderous object.

Does this clarify anything or am I just rambling (again)?

matt
 
Yeah Cakey2, now you're rambling :D

Did I happen to mention BNC? Banana? F-Type? PL-259? Satellite? This could go on for days, and when we're all old and grey, from our rocking cahirs on the verandah, we can all reminisce(sp?) about the 'great plug thread of 2000'.

- gaffa

(222 posts - does that make me a third of the devil?)

[This message has been edited by gaffa (edited 05-04-2000).]
 
Ya, but no matter what you wanna call them,
the British sure love to eat Marmite. Probably one of the sickest smelling/tasting things known to man.
Can you believe they put it on toast instead of Peanut Butter?

bouche
 
I think if you beat a dead horse enough, it just might carry that straw...

At Radio Shack, at least, 1/4" Jacks are also refered to as PHONE jacks because they were originally implemented at telephone exchanges. RCA are called PHONO for phonograph.

I hope my contribution has saved at least one life.
 
Aren't RCA an old hi-fi manufacturer or something?

I hate Marmite and much prefer peanut butter.

So there.

matt
 
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