Computer audio and external speakers

I'd like to connect my computer to external speakers, so I can enjoy MP3s in some other rooms in the house. My house is wired for audio, which means I have ceiling speakers with volume control or audio outlets (for banana plugs) on the walls available in some rooms.

Speakers require two wires (usually black and red ?), but I noticed the audio output from my computer is composed by just one single outlet, which uses 1/8'' plugs. I also noticed that both the left and right computer speakers that I have connected to my computer today are sharing the same audio output. My computer's manual says that I can configure it to provide 5.1 audio, and I understood it would use traditional inputs like microphone as audio outputs (?). The idea is to keep the computer speakers that I have in place today and use one of such configured audio outputs to connect to the house audio outlets, and then plug additional speakers in other rooms.

Questions:

1- Do I need to connect the elected computer audio output into an amplifier or could I feed the house audio wiring directly from the computer? 2- Has anybody tried this 5.1 configuration?

Silly question: Where is the second wire? Today, both left and right computer speakers are sharing the same audio cable, which is plugged in only one audio output in the back of the computer. Is this cable composed by two wires?

Thank you.

Reply to
Renato
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Its a stereo mini jack. Three wires, left, right and common ground.

Go look at the slimdevice's squeezebox. Does what you want more directly.

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Reply to
Pat Farrell

If you have multiple rooms with speakers, I'd recommend going along with an amplifiying device and just taking a line level output (not speaker level) from the PC to feed the amp.

The amp itself can be just an ordinary receiver (Aiwa, Pioneer, etc.). Make sure that it has an aux stereo input or a 5 channel input if you want the theatre sound.

In addition to isolation, more power, optional speaker switches, and a better volume control, your receiver will give you the flexibility of switching in other audio sources (FM tuner, TV, Aux Tape machines, etc.)

Beachcomber

Reply to
Beachcomber

Look closely at that plug. Notice there are THREE bands on it. One each for left, right and a common ground.

Sure, use the speaker output of your computer to drive those desktop speakers. Then use the Line Out signal from the computer to drive the other rooms. You'll need an amp, of course, to take that line-level signal and boost it enough to drive all those speakers in the other rooms. The amp on the computer's sound card WILL NOT be enough to drive them. It'll depend on what sort of volume controls you have in the rooms and how they're wired to determine what sort of amp would be needed.

-Bill Kearney

Reply to
wkearney99

That is an option. I like my SqueezeBox because it can sync and do whole house audio, or run separate tunes into each room, Even listen to internet radio. It is more flexible, but more expensive than just using a multi-room amp.

Reply to
Pat Farrell

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