[G4] Integratng with home stereo

[David]

Roger, Nathan,and Zhmmy.

What sound quality are you experiencing going from the speaker port of 
you mac into your amplifier? What format are you using for your music 
files?

I want to get rid of my CD rack, and burn everything to a dedicated 
music server running itunes and hook  it to my amp. I want the sound 
quality to be as good as my current stereo system cd player. The 
questions I have are:

Do I need to burn the CDs as uncompressed to get decent sound quality? 
What about Apples new lossless compression format?

Do I need a PCI sound card to get the best fidelity, or will the 
speaker  port work? I only want two channels, not surround.

Thanks,
David





I have the same simple hookup as Nathan. I have a beige G3 OS 9.1 I use 
as a print and scan server. I have iTunes 2 on it and run a cable 
around the corner to the stereo. I don't care about remotes as I usualy 
pick a folder in iTunes and let it play all day. I can use the remote 
to the stereo to adjust volume.

Any of the old PCI Macs (not the 7300) and many of the beige G3s have 
an RCA type jack in the back.

I use the free "WireTape" software from Ambrosia to capture hours of my 
favorite internet jazz radio stations. This plays back in QuickTime or 
you can rip it to iTunes. The rip takes quite a while as these file are 
often several hours. I prefer to leave them as QuickTime. It doesn't 
get any better than this.

Roger

On Jun 8, 2004, at 2:25 PM, Nathan Smith wrote:

> I use my computer as a stereo simply by plugging a cord from the back 
> of my computer to the back of my amp.
>
>  Pretty easy actually minus the fact that the cord is 20 feet long.
>
> zhmmy at hotmail.com wrote:
Maybe I'm misunderstanding something.  I have been connected to my home 
stereo (an old Technics analog) for years through every Mac I've had.  
I never had to buy anything except a 1/8" to RCA adaptor from Radio 
Shack and the length of stereo cable I wanted to use.  At present I 
have speakers in three rooms and in my backyard with a switch control 
so I can listen to just one or all.  I connect to my stereo through an 
old Atus mixer.  iTunes 4.5 is great for a jukebox and all I had to do 
was upgrade.

I guess if you have enough money for every doodad Apple offers then go 
ahead and buy it all.  I certainly would if I could.  I have purchased 
all of my stereo equipment from pawnshops and estate sales, and I would 
put it up against the latest new stuff for quality of sound.

You guys had best learn how to conserve your money and prepare for hard 
times ahead.

I'm sure my comments will start a ruckus :-)  But that's the fun of it.