how do i hook up a PC to play through the stereo?

[DeeKnow]

I have an old Toshiba notebook (PIII-166MMX, i think) which is useless for pretty much anything other than playing streaming music or similar...

so I put it next to the stereo in the living room and was hoping to be able to play some nice internet radio stations... trouble is, when I hook up the headphones out to the line-in on the sound system, the volume is real low... I have to turn up the volume real loud to be able to hear anything... and if someone switches to CD or tuner, it just screams out loud like mad.... how do I fix this ??

 

[biostud]

turn up the volume on the notebook 😛

 

[stevty2889]

Yeah, turn the volume up on the notebook. I hook my pc up to my stereo for watching DVD's and I have to turn the volume up on the PC, to keep from having to turn it up loud on the stereo.

 

[nineball9]

Headphone output --> receiver line in = impedance mismatch.

What you would want is to connect the notebook's line out to the receiver, but I rather doubt your notebook has a line out connector.

Good luck!

 

[Abhi]

Originally posted by: nineball9
Headphone output --> receiver line in = impedance mismatch.

What you would want is to connect the notebook's line out to the receiver, but I rather doubt your notebook has a line out connector.

Good luck!

Not True

I connect my notebooks headphone jack to my home systems line in all the time, and the volume is loud enough.

To the OP: Turn up the volume on the notebook...

 

[DeeKnow]

Originally posted by: nineball9
Headphone output --> receiver line in = impedance mismatch.

What you would want is to connect the notebook's line out to the receiver, but I rather doubt your notebook has a line out connector.

Good luck!

agreed ... it is quite likely the impedance mismatch... but how do you fix that?

as far as turning up the volume on the notebook... DUH! i've done that!! i wouldn't be posting here if I hadn't tried that .... pls give ppl some credit!

and no, the notebook does not have line out, only headphones out

 

[PlasticJesus]

It's been forever since I've done the stereo/PC combo thing, so forgive me if it sounds as if maybe my head is up my rear end.

As for the system screaming out when switching to CD or tuner, it seems like I remember we used to do this:

Start>Settings>Control Panel>Sounds and Audio Devices

Hit the volume tab (should be selected by default) then hit the Advanced... tab for Device volume (not Advanced for speaker settings)

In that Volume Control panel you need to Mute the CD Player. You have to check Mute.

I'd be interested to know how this works for you.

(edited for spelling)

 

[minofifa]

I think he means the CD pLayer on his stereo not the CD player in the lap top.

How much of a quality decgradation would it be to use one of those tape adaptors, ye know the things that let you use a diskman in the car? you could use the heaphone out on the laptop and go into the tape deck in on the stereo, avoiding the line in issue. Seeing as internet radio is not the greatest quality anyays, this may not be too bad.

 

[bigpow]

Originally posted by: DeeKnow

Originally posted by: nineball9
Headphone output --> receiver line in = impedance mismatch.

What you would want is to connect the notebook's line out to the receiver, but I rather doubt your notebook has a line out connector.

Good luck!

agreed ... it is quite likely the impedance mismatch... but how do you fix that?

as far as turning up the volume on the notebook... DUH! i've done that!! i wouldn't be posting here if I hadn't tried that .... pls give ppl some credit!

and no, the notebook does not have line out, only headphones out

Pre-Amp?
I doubt you'd want to go that way... maybe get a stereo amp. kit from RadioSux?