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Ryan
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Joined: 08 Sep 2005
Posts: 13
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 Posted: Sat Sep 10, 2005 7:09 pm Post subject: Hookup to my Home Surround Sound |
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| I'd like to use my itunes library through my stereo, for parties and so on...... How do I go about doing this, sorry I am a newbie to the mac world , I would appreciate some techi help. Thanx guys!!!! |
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Susurrus
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Joined: 05 May 2005
Posts: 1303
Location: Providence, Rhode Island
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| Posted: Sat Sep 10, 2005 8:39 pm Post subject: |
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Well, if your stereo has a 1/8" stereo jack, basically a headphones jack input, then you can just get a male-to-male 1/8" stereo cable to hook it up to the stereo. If you want better quality look to the M-Audio Sonica Theater to provide digital out over coax or the M-Audio Transit to provide digital out over toslink
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slickrick
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Joined: 09 Jun 2005
Posts: 441
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| Posted: Sun Sep 11, 2005 12:16 am Post subject: |
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| You should consider getting an Airport Express if the stereo is in another room. You can stream music with AirTunes to the receiver from your Mac mini if it has AE. I'm looking to do this myself. |
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homerjatmoes
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Joined: 12 Jul 2005
Posts: 323
Location: Elmira, NY
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| Posted: Mon Sep 12, 2005 9:41 am Post subject: |
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| slickrick wrote: | | You should consider getting an Airport Express if the stereo is in another room. You can stream music with AirTunes to the receiver from your Mac mini if it has AE. I'm looking to do this myself. |
I second the Airport Express, it's what I use. It has optical out or standard line out to connect to your stereo, a USB print server, and can be used as a router.
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greg
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| Posted: Mon Sep 12, 2005 11:17 am Post subject: |
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You could also look into a USB-FM Transmitter. Relatively inexpensive solution.
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homerjatmoes
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Joined: 12 Jul 2005
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Location: Elmira, NY
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| Posted: Mon Sep 12, 2005 11:51 am Post subject: |
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| slickrick wrote: | | You can stream music with AirTunes to the receiver from your Mac mini if it has AE. I'm looking to do this myself. |
It also works with wired computers. My PC and mini are not wireless and I can stream to them. The Airport Express can also be connected and streamed to through an ethernet cable but you lose router functionality.
Currently I stream from my wired mini to the Airport Express which is connected wirelessly to my network. It is a very versatile device.
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Bandit Bill
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Joined: 07 Jun 2005
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Location: Edmonton, AB, Canada
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| Posted: Mon Sep 12, 2005 12:37 pm Post subject: |
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To give you a good answer, we need to know a few things. What inputs does your stereo have? How far is it from your mini? Are cords going to be an issue? What's your budget? How important is sound quality? How often will it be used? Do you have or do you plan on buying an iPod?
anyhow:
If your stereo has RCA inputs (which it should) and you want a low cost solution:
Get a 1/8" (3.5mm) to 2 RCA plugs (Left,Right) adapter.
Plug it into your stereo, just like you would a CD player, tuner, cassette deck etc.
Hint:
Use the input that says aux. (auxillary) as it's the least confusing to identify as your mini, when you're switching between components.
Note: You can run a RCA cable over a great distance. You can buy this cable in a 25' easily. You can also use connectors to extend it as long as needed.
If you want to hook external speakers up to your computer as well. You will need a 1/8" male to (2) 1/8" females "Y" adapter.
Plug the aforementioned "Y" cable into one of the females and your speakers into the other.
Again as mentioned before an Airport Express is the most elegant set-up, but it is also the most expensive. You can do what I said for under $20, and put the rest of the money towards beer.
The FM transmitter is cheap wireless option. This is something you may want to consider if you have an iPod. You'll be able to listen to music anywhere there is a radio. |
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homerjatmoes
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Joined: 12 Jul 2005
Posts: 323
Location: Elmira, NY
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| Posted: Mon Sep 12, 2005 12:52 pm Post subject: |
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| Bandit Bill wrote: | If your stereo has RCA inputs (which it should) and you want a low cost solution:
Get a 1/8" (3.5mm) to 2 RCA plugs (Left,Right) adapter.
Plug it into your stereo, just like you would a CD player, tuner, cassette deck etc.
Hint:
Use the input that says aux. (auxillary) as it's the least confusing to identify as your mini, when you're switching between components.
Note: You can run a RCA cable over a great distance. You can buy this cable in a 25' easily. You can also use connectors to extend it as long as needed.
If you want to hook external speakers up to your computer as well. You will need a 1/8" male to (2) 1/8" females "Y" adapter.
Plug the aforementioned "Y" cable into one of the females and your speakers into the other.
Again as mentioned before an Airport Express is the most elegant set-up, but it is also the most expensive. You can do what I said for under $20, and put the rest of the money towards beer. |
One must also remember that the output of the mini's audio is not line level, it is a headphone jack. You have to be carful not to overdrive the line input of your stereo. You also have to make sure the audio volume isn't too low.
The Airport express or the M-Audio device will output to the stereo as a line level device.
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Bandit Bill
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Joined: 07 Jun 2005
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Location: Edmonton, AB, Canada
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| Posted: Mon Sep 12, 2005 1:02 pm Post subject: |
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Homer J.
It's actually both. Line out and headphone out. How they do that I don't know.
I would not recommend running the amp and the speakers at the same time given my solution. |
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cptpike
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Joined: 14 Aug 2005
Posts: 24
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| Posted: Mon Sep 12, 2005 3:02 pm Post subject: |
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Well, they say it's a line out / headphone. I don't buy it. To me, a true line out is not effected by any internal volume control. IMO, it's like saying the headphone out on an iPod is a line out.
Last edited by cptpike on Fri Sep 16, 2005 3:01 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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panoramical
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Joined: 22 Jul 2005
Posts: 50
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| Posted: Tue Sep 13, 2005 2:17 pm Post subject: |
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| Here's how im doing it. M-Audio Fast Track USB. And have the red and white's out the back of the M-Audio and into your surround sound. Really simply and really cheap. |
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warlock
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Joined: 09 Aug 2005
Posts: 167
Location: manchester, uk
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| Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2005 4:23 pm Post subject: |
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| cptpike wrote: | | Well, they say it's a line out / headphone. I don't buy it. To me, a true line out is not effected by any enternal volume control. IMO, it's like saying the headphone out on an iPod is a line out. |
It's easy to do both..the mac will have an impedance detection circuit i would assume..if it detects headphone impedance it'll adjust the levels for that..if it detects a line level impedance then it'll adjust for that.
Alot of line level digital stuff have adjustable outputs these days...only the really frilly high end cd players for example, would have a fixed and a variable o/p.
But you don't want to drive the output of your mac too hard. The output amp will start clipping and ruin your speakers, I doubt you'll ruin the input stage of your amp if you go into the aux input, that should easily take 2-3 volts through it.
For optimal sound quality drive both your amp and mini at about 60%. If it ain't loud enough buy some more sensitive speakers...sorry for going on but audio's my job...lol.
Take it easy,Warlock 
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cptpike
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Joined: 14 Aug 2005
Posts: 24
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| Posted: Fri Sep 16, 2005 3:03 pm Post subject: |
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| Thanks for the info and brief audio lesson. |
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OGN
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Joined: 20 Jul 2005
Posts: 534
Location: Hawaii
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| Posted: Sat Sep 17, 2005 2:37 am Post subject: |
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| homerjatmoes wrote: | | slickrick wrote: | | You can stream music with AirTunes to the receiver from your Mac mini if it has AE. I'm looking to do this myself. |
It also works with wired computers. My PC and mini are not wireless and I can stream to them. The Airport Express can also be connected and streamed to through an ethernet cable but you lose router functionality.
Currently I stream from my wired mini to the Airport Express which is connected wirelessly to my network. It is a very versatile device. |
And...You can stream iTunes Radio! 
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kdood
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Joined: 18 Sep 2005
Posts: 5
Location: Fairbanks, Alaska
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| Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2005 12:54 pm Post subject: |
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| cptpike wrote: | | Well, they say it's a line out / headphone. I don't buy it. To me, a true line out is not effected by any internal volume control. IMO, it's like saying the headphone out on an iPod is a line out. |
Actuallly, they do call that a line out now. The term seems to be getting thrown around a lot in the 'puter world. Try going into a pro audio environment and calling a headphone out "line" level.
Anyway, AirPort Express is a handy device, but not exactly a multi-room solution, and more importantly, prone to the occasional disconnect. I know how lame dead-air can be at parties, especially if your Mac is at the center of it, so go with cable and splitters connected to the headphone out (line).  |
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