Computer audio into stereo

[BPJOOP93]

I would like to know if its possible to run some kind of a wire/cable from my pc to my stereo receiver so i can get more volume and better sound.

I dont want to buy another set of pc speakers if i dont have to.
any insight or advice wanted.

 

[porcupine73]

I do this, with a 1/8" stereo plug to RCA plug adapter to one of the VCR inputs on my receiver. But my receiver is a Technics I bought in 1992; the newer equipment tends to have a lot of newfangled types of plugs on them.

 

[NitroPress]

Most stereos should have a pair of RCA inputs - use the AUX inputs, not PHONO if the system has those. (Phono inputs have a specialized, sensitive preamp on them that will mess up line-input signals like the computer.)

If your stereo is new enough, it might have a 1/8" jack input for MP3 players etc. You can use a cable with 1/8" male stereo plugs on each end to jack the computer in there. Once you figure out what input you're using. RatShack should have an inexpensive cable to bridge the gap.

 

[fordcragar]

I have a set of PC speakers that have an amplifier in them; which is hooked to my PC. They are pretty loud, how loud are you trying to get?

 

[jeffmoss26]

RCA to 1/8 stereo should do the trick.

 

[DrB2319]

Not directly related to the original post, but in today's world with music and computers etc there are only two words needed....Sonos and Spotify.

 

[zcinpa]

any of the above options work - what kind of stereo/receiver do you have in the garage? what kind of connections? I do this all the time - I cleared off a spot on top of my mini fridge to put my laptop on, the wire is ziptied to my work bench, speakers on the wall, just drop the laptop, plug in, jam away.
What everyone uses for music online could probably fill another separate thread...
sonos, spotify, grooveshark, slacker, pandora, google music, rhapsody...

 

[Firefyter-Emt]

You could split the 1/8" aux off your computer, run one set to your computer speakers, and just use a set of amp speakers in the shop. A cheap set with a sub would work great. Then you just need an 1/8" male-female aux extension cable.

It would not be a bad idea to switch off the speakers not in use at the time, but the system works great. I stream almost everything off the net myself. (Well, my company car has a Sirius, and after 28,500 miles the A/M-F/M has still yet to be used!)

One nice site that plays kind of like a radio, is live365. The adds are not all too bad for the free use.

 

[metalmagpie]

I have a small 8-channel mixer which acts as a preamp for a big Mackie power amp. My PC sound card's green hole has a 1/8" stereo plug cord in it which splits to two 1/4" mono plugs which go to one channel of the mixer. There are other PCs in our study and their sound cards similarly feed the same mixer. So we can easily pipe music from any PC to the speakers.

But in general, it's way the easiest to go buy about $50 worth of powered speakers.

 

[Firefyter-Emt]

PS... if you have a wireless router, personaly, I would look at Craigslist for a cheap computer and just toss a computer in the shop with a set of speakers. My next shop will have a computer set up, just to save me looking up stuff on the office computer. small LCD's are cheap, and even an old XP machine can be bought cheap and work aresome if it's just for web browsing and audi streaming.

 

[DrB2319]

any of the above options work - what kind of stereo/receiver do you have in the garage? what kind of connections? I do this all the time - I cleared off a spot on top of my mini fridge to put my laptop on, the wire is ziptied to my work bench, speakers on the wall, just drop the laptop, plug in, jam away.
What everyone uses for music online could probably fill another separate thread...
sonos, spotify, grooveshark, slacker, pandora, google music, rhapsody...

My point was that those services/products are no longer for just "online". If somebody already has a receiver and speakers set up, they can always be connected (wireless), and let's face it Spotify pretty makes anyone and everyone's digital music collections moot. Really no reason to purchase music or even download it illegally anymore (for those that do).

 

[DaveN13]

+1 on spotify and sonos. Also, MOG is pretty fantastic and has many of the features of spotify. If you want to bump up the sound quality for not a huge amount of money, you could invest in something like the HRT streamer:
http://www.highresolutiontechnologies.com/

They have different price points, but they all work the same - it connects to the USB port of your computer and to the RCA inputs of your stereo. It handles the digital to analog conversion, and does a much better job of it than most computers. When you plug your stereo directly to the computer's audio out, the computer itself is doing the D/A conversion. The HRT does this much better. It may be a bit of audiophile overkill for the garage, but it's a great product (and made in the USA). I can't believe my two favorite pastimes - hifi and woodworking - have magically come together!

 

[TimTaylor75]

I run an 1/8" - RCA cable from my laptop to the CD input on the back of my Onkyo receiver in the garage. Same thing for when I hook up my iPod.

 

[BPJOOP93]

Thanks for all the responses. I will probably try the 1/8 - RCA cables real soon.
the pc speakers are old and not the best quality. the stereo is about 12 feet from the pc and set up with surround sound. why buy new speakers if i dont have too.

 

[jrod60]

I use the fiber optic output on the sound card into my receiver and the video goes through an HDMI. Works like a champ once it decides to do what you tell it. The receiver itself is another matter though.

 

[BruceH]

I use an old Mac PB as my music source. I use one of the USB ports to bring the music to a DAC, digital audio converter. Pure digital all the way to the DAC and then analog to the receiver/amp. You won't believe the audio quality improvement.

 

[DoyleDee]

I have a set of old computer speakers with a built in amp and a sub (3 speakers in seperate pieces). I don't use them anymore because I use my older Sony tuner/amp to run a different set of speakers with a small sub (7").
I run my HTC Evo for music to the stereo using a 1/8- RCA cable. It works fine.
You can buy just the plugs from Radio Shack (although I dislike that place now) and make your own cables to the length you need.