Home audio question
Home audio question
(OP)
I hope it's OK to post a personal question as opposed to a business one.
I just got a CD player for my home stereo system. I'm out of inputs on my receiver. Can I use RCA Y cables to connect both my VCR and my CD player to the AUX input of the receiver? My concern is will the output of one device damage the output stage of the other? Any audiophiles out there who have done this?
Thanks.
I just got a CD player for my home stereo system. I'm out of inputs on my receiver. Can I use RCA Y cables to connect both my VCR and my CD player to the AUX input of the receiver? My concern is will the output of one device damage the output stage of the other? Any audiophiles out there who have done this?
Thanks.
RE: Home audio question
-Dan 76
RE: Home audio question
Even if someone claims to have done this successfully, your sense of caution is well placed. There is a finite possibility of the output of one amplifier damaging the other and who'd want to risk that?
Also, damage possibilities aside, each amplifier was surely designed on the assumption that it and it alone would drive a load. If you parallel the outputs of two amplifiers and one amplifier forces the other into protective current limiting, there will be pretty bad audio distortion as a result.
Good luck.
John Dunn
ambertec@ieee.org
RE: Home audio question
RE: Home audio question
The possiblility of damage is slight but it's possible, especially if one of the kids turns on both of the Y'd outputs at the same time.
Safer is to use an A/B switch that isolates the two. You would have an additional button to push then. Switches like this are available at Radio Shack or many other audio stores and they're cheap.