Hifi Guides - How To Connect Your Pc To A Stereo Hifi Sound System

By Author: Groshan Fabiola
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The latest, state-of-the-art computer sound cards deliver a quality very similar to that of hifi sound systems, while also offering great compatibility with a variety of sound formats. However, you may not be able to explore and enjoy the full potential of your expensive soundcard without a set of good speakers - and unfortunately, default PC speakers generally deliver a very poor performance. The good news though is that if you own a competitive hifi stereo sound system, you can connect it to your computer for an enhanced sound, multimedia, and gaming experience.

To find out whether your soundcard device allows connecting your stereo hifi sound system to it, check for the presence of an external audio input on your system's amplifier casing - this source should either be tagged as ‘line in', ‘aux', or ‘CD'. Particularly if you have a newer stereo hifi sound system, it may include more than one such plug, each allowing for a different type of connection. If the plugs are not properly labeled, refer to your system's instruction manual for help; however, in case a plug described as line in, aux or CD ...
... is present on your unit, use that plug for connection.

The next step is to check the type of output on your computer sound card. This electronic component should have at least one dedicated sound signal output, which may be of the two following types:

- regular jack
- RCA plug, also referred to as CINCH (the common color codes for such plugs are either red and white or red and black)

With both options, the corresponding cables are inexpensive and widely available. However, be careful how you choose the length of the cables you will be using; take proper measurements and leave a slight tolerance in the cable's length to make sure it reaches your computer's sound card.

When you are finished connecting your cable, all you have to do next is set your stereo hifi sound system to its corresponding type of input - aux, CD, or line in.

For higher clarity of sound, consider limiting your PC volume to a reasonable level, to avoid sound saturation. Due to this, it is generally advisable to use a medium sound volume from your sound card's output, while increasing it on your stereo hifi sound system.

Additionally, you may have to balance out the sound exiting from your system when using your computer sound card for playing sound directly from your system's amp station, to avoid volume output surges when switching between the auxiliary input to the radio or CD playing function.

Finally, you should be aware that most speakers of stereo hifi sound systems are not properly shielded. Therefore, they may act as a source of interference if you place them too close to your computer screen or any other device containing electronic components. However, it is easy to avoid this by simply moving the speakers away from your computer and other electronics.

For more resources about hifi guides or about stereo hifi or even about stereo, please review these links.