Connecting iPod to Amplifier

Jason36

New member
Jul 23, 2008
427
0
0
Visit site
OK I needed to buy a 3.5mm to RCA phono lead yesterday to connect my ipod to my amplifier..............

When I was there the guy I was talking to said I would get better transfer of information if I used an optical cable, connecting one end into the optical socket on my amp and then the other (using one of the provided 3.5mm converters) into my ipod headphone socket or doc. Great I thought bet transfer of information etc etc.....

Got home all excited ripped open the packaging connected the adapter and connected ipod to amplifier.......and.........................

Absolutely sweet FA, Nothing, Nada, not a Dickie Bird................

I tried the connection all three of my optical outs and still nothing...........is this a faulty cable....or is this just not possible.......

HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
unless you have a decent AV amp you probably wont have any optical inputs on your amp. 3.5mm to RCA is exactly what you wanted and would provide a better sound quality as well. take the cable back and tell the saleperson he's an idiot and buy what you need not what he wants to sell you! did he/she ask you what kind of amp you had?
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
You didn't buy it from FrankHarvey HiFi did you?
emotion-5.gif


Then again, you could always get a little dock for it that goes onto the bottom (and so bypasses the amp inside improving quality and upping the output level) and then this turns into the familiar red and white RCA that goes into the back of your amp. Apple do one I believe for not that much.
 

John Duncan

Well-known member
No iPod has an optical out. If you want that, you need a Wadia iTransport (which is 350 quid).

A dock will give you a better connection than a cable though, right enough, and many offer remote control.
 

Jason36

New member
Jul 23, 2008
427
0
0
Visit site
Just checked and it is definately a digital optical cable with a 3.5mm adapter on one end.......my amplifier is an AV amp at the moment so it does have optical inputs for things like DVD player, TV etc.............

theres even a nice little picture on the packaging showing that it can be used to connect an MP3 player to an amplifier......Yeah I was going to go back in tonight and tell him he's an *** and to give me what I asked for in the first place, and which I know works.
 

Jason36

New member
Jul 23, 2008
427
0
0
Visit site
In reply to Hughes123 - No I didn't......and that might be worth looking at longer term....all my music on my ipod is high quality uncompressed....cant remember what Apple call it,,but def not MP3, WAV or whatever. So that would obviously giove me better sound bypassing the ipod internal amp and speaker volume control.

In reply to JohnDuncan - I know that........thats why theres a 3.5mm adapter included to connect to the iPod end ;-) and I also know the dock would give a better connection, for one it means it wouild by pass to ipod volume control.

I;m just so annoyed I let him sell me something that obviously isnt suitable ..... I really should know better.
 

fatboyslimfast

Well-known member
Jan 10, 2008
158
0
18,590
Visit site
True - I have an old iRiver iHP-120 which has optical connections, but everyone is correct here - none of the iPods have digital-out, electrical or optical.

I would take it back and find another dealer!!!
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
i wouldnt be so sure about that JD - i have seen cables with 3.5mm jack converters that allow you convert the optical signal to analogue... maybe it can be reversed?
 

Andrew Everard

New member
May 30, 2007
1,878
2
0
Visit site
It's called a mini-TOSlink, and yes it looks like a 3.5mm jack. MD players had them, and you could either use a special cable with the right plug on to run to an amp with an optical digital in, or a regular optical digital cable with a mini-TOSlink to standard TOSlink adaper.

But none of these cables can do digital to analogue conversion, let alone analogue to digital, and the iPods don't have any digital output via the headphone socket, only analogue. So take the cable back and change it!
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
apologies JD i just google it and as andrew says, no signal conversion takes place - merely terminal conversion.
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
They're quite clever little connectors really. Electrical analogue connections around the outside, and an LED at the tip to transmit optical digital signals (with the correct cable).

They're also widely used on computers. I think I'm right in saying that all Apple computers have mini-TOSlink output, and most have an input too. Perhaps this is what confused the sales assistant. If only there was an (easy and affordable) way to get a digital output from an iPod.

On the subject of dock connectors, does anyone know of a dock connector -> RCA/Phono lead? I bought an imitation dock which has a dreadful auxiliary port, and the iPod's volume control still affects the output. I've seen devices which take line-level out of the iPod, where the volume control has no effect, so I wonder if there's a cable for this?
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
And to answer my own question: http://www.sendstation.com/us/products/pocketdock/av.html

That might help others too =)
 

Jason36

New member
Jul 23, 2008
427
0
0
Visit site
Thanks guys,

I went back in last night and exchanged the cable, the guy I saw last night completely agreed and said their was no way it would work, because there was no digital output from the headphone socket.............OMG Yes I know :) and apparantely the guy that sold it to me was the best they had in the shop........that will teach me to go to currys
emotion-10.gif


OK and to top it all I know find out I should have just gone online to Russ Andrews and I could have bought a better cable connecting via the ipod connection and hence bypassing the ipod volume control.................Double Doh.
 

fr0g

New member
Jan 7, 2008
445
0
0
Visit site
Jason36:
Thanks guys,

I went back in last night and exchanged the cable, the guy I saw last night completely agreed and said their was no way it would work, because there was no digital output from the headphone socket.............OMG Yes I know :) and apparantely the guy that sold it to me was the best they had in the shop........that will teach me to go to currys
emotion-10.gif


OK and to top it all I know find out I should have just gone online to Russ Andrews and I could have bought a better cable connecting via the ipod connection and hence bypassing the ipod volume control.................Double Doh.

Currys...explains a lot.

And you dont need to go to Russ Andrews for the ipod connector. Amazon and many other places stock them.
 

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts