My son wants to connect his laptop to his HiFi system to play streamed music from the net.
Unfortunately he has already used the Aux in for his Sky audio out.
He has 2 alternatives (the way I see it)
a) mini jack plug - twin RCA to Phono in of Amp, or
b) to TV audio in.
This obviously crude but. Would the TV audio in switch to audio out or could he use the phone in on the amp or are the voltages different to aux in.

I can't see a problem using 'Phono In', it's a standard analogue input.

I have used it on my amp when testing, basically because it's the easiest to get to.

When describing amp inputs Phono in usually means turntable. This is a special input with RIAA equalisation for the signal from a cartridge. see RIAA equalization

If you put a CD player/PC/TV signal into that socket then the sound will be distorted with far too much bass. Don't use it for anything other than a turntable signal unless the amp has some sort of switching to disable the RIAA.

(edit: Sudgen and some other manufacturers has the RIAA card as an option)

What amp has he got - Make & Model please.

Thanks for the reply. He's out at the moment. All I can remember is that it is a budget Rotel.

Budget Rotel - hope your son doesn't see that.

It is. I bought 2 of them about 15 years ago. One for my music on PC and one for his HiFi when he was 12. They are RA-930AX's.
My other son has a better one mind.
He still don't know how to rig it up. If he doesn't use the phono , can he use audio in from TV to switch it straight to amp aux which is currently used. Would it work?

I'm not sure the idea of routing sound through the TV is going to work...


On that Rotel amp you have 4 sets of line level inputs[LIST][*]CD[*]Tuner[*]Aux[*]Tape[/LIST]Aux is what he is using for Sky. What is connected to the others?

Can you clarify something here. What exactly do you mean by TV IN? Is this an input on the amp or on the TV set?

If the former then there is no reason why that could not be used for the laptop. If the latter then it will get to the TV, assuming it really is an INPUT and not an OUTPUT (though many TVs have AV inputs on phonos) But unless there is an existing direct audio connection between TV and amplifier then the audio signal will go no further than the telly.

It certainly won't somehow appear on the connection to the Sky box even if the Sky box is also connected to the TV.

But what about the CD, Tuner or Tape inputs are they all in use? Any one of those can be used for the laptop. The labels are just that, labels, not some sort of instruction to only ever connect a CD to the CD or a tuner to the Tuner input. They are all exactly the same as the AUX in you are using for the Sky box, even the Tape input.

The only input on the back that isn't is the Phono input which can only be used by turntables. That is the only input where the label is more than just a label

Assuming it is this beastie of course

http://www.rotel.com/content/manuals/ra930ax_eng.pdf
Last edited by chrisjr : 28-09-2009 at 20:26

Sorry for the confusion.
All the inputs on the amp are used. Tape for the occasional old cassette (he has a few) , CD, Tuner and Aux that he uses for Sky STB.
He want to connect headphone O/P from laptop to whatever he can. The only option left would be to connect it to the TV audio input and hope that because the DVD scart goes to SKY STb and then Scart to TV. That should mean that there is an audio connection (sort of) to amp. If the audio inputs and outputs are all inter-related by virtue of the fact that the Sky box is connected to amp.
If you see what I mean.
On reflection, I might go to Maplins and see if they've got an RCA switcher.

Good idea

Ahhh - they don't write specifications like that anymore !!

Your last sentence is your only real option. Though why you are going to a fictional holiday camp and not the high street electronics retailer Maplin is beyond me

But there is no way that plugging audio into the TV is going to come out of anything but the TV speakers since there is no connection from TV to amplifier.

Yes the TV may be connected via SCART to the Sky box and yes the Sky box may be connected to the amp. But if there is any signal being sent back down the SCART from the TV to the Sky box the only place it may emerge from is the VCR SCART on the Sky box and even that is unlikely. It certainly will never come out of the Audio Out phonos on the Sky box.

So an external switch is the only option if all the amp inputs are in use and needed.