[nfbcs] Connecting stereo to Computer

Tue Oct 30 18:48:11 UTC 2012

Peter,

Am I understanding that if you are listening to music from your computer on your stereo that you don't care if JFW comes through 
as well?  If you don't want JFW to ever come through your stereo, you will need a second sound card as Jim suggested, whether it 
is a separate card or a USB device.  This adds complications though, too.  If you don't care if JFW goes to your stereo, too, a 
switch or even a Y-cord would probably work.  You don't need to stop the signal going to your stereo because it will stop when you 
switch away from the AUX input.  When you have a computer connected to the internet via cable or DSL, though, sometimes connecting 
to a stereo can result in what are called ground loops which add hum as if the cords were not shielded.  You can see if this will 
be an issue by connecting a cord from your sound card to your stereo to see if everything works before you put all kinds of time 
into this.  Ground Loops can be fixed, but it can be complicated.  I am not at all sure how a mixer would help you, though, as it 
doesn't sound as if you are mixing signals together but rather you want to split or switch a signal between your PC speakers and 
your stereo when it is set to the AUX position.  If I have any of this wrong, please explain.

Best regards,

Steve Jacobson

On Tue, 30 Oct 2012 10:13:07 -0500, Peter Donahue wrote:

>Hello John and everyone,

>    Since the stereo has the "Auxiliary" mode we could stop JAWS from coming 
>over the HT when we're not playing music from the PC. Just being able to 
>install an adapter in to which the line-out from the PC can be plugged in to 
>and lines from the PC speakers and going to the HT would also need to be 
>plugged in to the same switch. When listening to the T.V. or the radio we 
>would need to leave auxiliary so wouldn't get JAWS through the HT but it 
>would still come through the PC speakers so we can use the computer while 
>listening to other programming through the HT.

>    The only other way I know to do this is with a mixer but we're trying to 
>be budget-conscious so the switch idea would be what we'd need to make this 
>happen in time for the holidays. We've recorded lots of holiday programs in 
>years past and want to hear them over the HT when we're tired of hearing 
>"Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer"you get the idea. I hope this makes more 
>sense.

>Peter Donahue

>----- Original Message ----- 
>From: "John G. Heim" <jheim at math.wisc.edu>
>To: "'NFB in Computer Science Mailing List'" <nfbcs at nfbnet.org>
>Sent: Tuesday, October 30, 2012 9:47 AM
>Subject: Re: [nfbcs] Connecting stereo to Computer

>Maybe I'm not understanding the question but it seems to me that a simple
>audio switch isn't going to let you have jaws speak through the PC spekaers
>and the game or movie audio go to the entertainment center.  I don't think
>there is any logical way around the fact that you need two sound devices in
>your PC to do that.
>You could get an audio switch and have the output for both the movie and
>jaws go to the entertainment center or to the PC speakers. But not both.

>I think you need a second sound ard for your PC and then you have to
>configure your software to direct its audio output to the appropriate
>device. Probably the easiest thing to do would be to swap out the current PC
>speakers for a pair oof USB speakers. Windows would make them the default
>sound device therefore jaws and all other Windows audio would go through
>them by default. Then you'd have to configure your game or movie software to
>send its audio through the sound card.

>-----Original Message-----
>From: nfbcs [mailto:nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Peter Donahue
>Sent: Monday, October 29, 2012 3:24 PM
>To: NFBnet Blind Talk Mailing List
>Cc: PC audio discussion list. ; NFBnet NFBCS Mailing List
>Subject: [nfbcs] Connecting stereo to Computer

>Good afternoon everyone,

>    I may have asked this before but can't remember what I was told since
>it's been so long ago. We're wanting to connect our home theatre to my
>wife's computer since it's in our living room with the home theatre. The
>home theatre has an "Auxiliary In" setting that would allow us to do this.
>We have two speakers that are connected directly to the computer. These are
>for pc-only audio such as for hearing JAWS when we're on the computer.
>Naturally we don't want JAWS going over the home theatre. When the
>"Auxiliary"setting is activated we would hear the audio from the computer
>over the home theatre which is what we want. One way to do this is with a
>mixer but that's over-kill for now. I thought I heard there are switches
>that one can install to make this possible. I believe the line-out from the
>computer plugs in to the switch. It would then be a matter of connecting the
>computer speakers to the switch and the lines from the home theatre to it as
>well allowing us to hear PC audio through the home theater speakers when we
>wish or simply to use the PC speakers for computer audio only. I'd like some
>recommendations on such devices and feedback on how usable they are. Thanks
>for the assistance.

>  Peter and Mary Donahue who are looking forward to hearing holiday concert
>broadcasts in our collection on our schedule not that of the radio station.

>Peter Donahue

>Peter Donahue

> "No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper."
>Isaiah 54:17

> "While for our princes they prepare
>In caverns deep a burning snare,
>He shot from heaven a piercing ray,
>And the dark treachery brought to day."
>Anonymous

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