[Blatantone]

Hello,
I found a really great deal on a 400w 4ch receiver. I have an inexpensive 350w 2.1 set of speakers in the box, still.
They are designed to connect from the subwoofer with L/R RCA cables to the AUX OUT on a receiver. The subwoofer is powered by a wall outlet. Satalites plug into the subwoofer. The 2.1 speakers connect to a laptop via 3.5 male.
Q: Can I connect the subwoofer to the receiver with a Y cable 3.5 female to 2 male RCA's into the Tape Out jacks without a fire starting? LOL

I am a TechNot, so please be gentle.
Thanks,
Blatantone

 

[cossix]

You can usually split line level signal cables without issue, you should be fine!

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Q: Can I connect the subwoofer to the receiver with a Y cable 3.5 female to 2 male RCA's into the Tape Out jacks without a fire starting? LOL

Yes but what the hell for? The receiver's amp won't work and neither will its DSP if it has any. You basically just used a bulky receiver for multiple analogue inputs.

Oh yeah, about that...Sony having its own record arm basically made other receiver manufacturers disable Tape Out and even Zone 2 outputs from digital sources. So chances are, if that one complied with Sony, you won't get any sound, which brings me round to where I started - what the hell for?

 

[Blatantone]

Yes but what the hell for? The receiver's amp won't work and neither will its DSP if it has any. You basically just used a bulky receiver for multiple analogue inputs.

Oh yeah, about that...Sony having its own record arm basically made other receiver manufacturers disable Tape Out and even Zone 2 outputs from digital sources. So chances are, if that one complied with Sony, you won't get any sound, which brings me round to where I started - what the hell for?

 

[Blatantone]

Hi,
I wanted an am/fm receiver and the ability to add speakers at 100w a channel. This receiver can run eight speakers at once. I had no idea that a company would label a panel with Tape in/out and render it useless to the customer without their prior knowledge. It doesn't say the jacks are disabled. That's what for.
Thank you,
Blatantone.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Hi,
I wanted an am/fm receiver and the ability to add speakers at 100w a channel.

If you're hooking up the 2.1 speakers to that via the Tape Out, you're not using its 100w/ch output. The receiver's amplifier output comes out of the speaker cable connectors that take bare wire or banana plugs. Tape Out isn't from the amp, it doesn't even pass through the preamp. It's just a bypass output from whatever input except digital inputs.

This receiver can run eight speakers at once.

OK...I'm even more baffled by this point. You said it was a "400w, 4ch receiver." How does it run eight speakers at once if it has only four channels? Sure you can hook up two speakers in parallel wiring at each amplifier channel, but:

1. The resulting impedance load can be too low and cause the amp to be unstable and run hot, clipping and distorting also
2. That doesn't really help imaging or even loudness since you're still kicking out the same amount of power and now it has to be split for two speakers at each channel (plus the impedance issue).

I had no idea that a company would label a panel with Tape in/out and render it useless to the customer without their prior knowledge. It doesn't say the jacks are disabled. That's what for.

That's because it still works with analogue inputs, but don't worry, anybody who isn't deep into HT even if they're into all other audio aren't aware of that either. All Sony wants to avoid is the possibility of people extracting digital audio in lossless then sending out the sound to a bank of tape recorders. Then this just stayed long after people stopped using tapes. Some receivers stopped doing this, some continued and do the same thing for Zone 2 (which is the really stupid part, because now you can't run a single digital source - not even older 100-disc changers - to have the receiver send a signal to an amp in the patio if you're there), but given your receiver has only 4ch I'd guess that's a really old one from when Dolby didn't have center channels.

Second, even if it did work from digital input to Tape Out, its "100w a channel" output doesn't come out through the tape out, it comes out through the speaker cable binding posts/pin terminals. This isn't a matter of manufacturers hiding a feature limitation but the customers' understanding of how things work.

 

[Blatantone]

Like I admitted in my first question, I am a TechNot. This is my reference source.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Like I admitted in my first question, I am a TechNot. This is my reference source.

My point was to check your source of information before buying, not after.

 

[Blatantone]

Brilliant advice, sir. I'm not a tech, but I'm not a fool. I didn't buy it. I came here to see if I should buy it. If you had followed the thread to see what had already been discussed then you would know that. Try to keep up. That's my point.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Brilliant advice, sir. I'm not a tech, but I'm not a fool. I didn't buy it. I came here to see if I should buy it. If you had followed the thread to see what had already been discussed then you would know that. Try to keep up. That's my point.

Well you initially just said "found" with no further clarification, which can be construed equally as either "saw it" and "already paid for it."

 

[cossix]

Either way, your setup should be fine. I just hope you plan on using actual passive speakers with it eventually otherwise you're wasting money on a glorified aux jack

 

[Blatantone]

Well you initially just said "found" with no further clarification, which can be construed equally as either "saw it" and "already paid for it."

You hate to lose. I'll let you have it since it's more important to you.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

You hate to lose. I'll let you have it since it's more important to you.

1. This is not a contest/game

2. Explaining why doesn't make it one

3. Passive-aggressively claiming that the other thinks it's a contest doesn't prove that point, only makes it look like you think it is a contest or whatever

4. Explaining all this is not about a contest either, it's telling you that it stemmed from some detail that was open to interpretation and was interpreted erroneously

5. Anyway, the most important bit is you did not get that receiver, and ultimately stay the hell away from such equipment. It's not just age on its own (nor wear and tear) that leads to their depreciation, but the technology. HT electronics get outdated at a much faster rate than 2ch equipment barring media/storage compatibility, ie, connectivity option, video and even embedded audio format compatibility, etc. And that particular receiver doesn't just lack HDMI, it has only four channels - basically from the 1990s to early 2000s. If you're building up to an HT system it's actually better to save up and get them all in one go. Even if you get a modern receiver now, by the time you get the speakers, some new feature critical to seamless integration of your entire entertainment system (like when HDMI 1.4 and 2.0ARC came out) might have come out already and even if you don't need such features, that receiver could be going for as low as 60% of MSRP if the new line's new features are enough to make many buyers prefer them.

 

[Blatantone]

1. This is not a contest/game

2. Explaining why doesn't make it one

3. Passive-aggressively claiming that the other thinks it's a contest doesn't prove that point, only makes it look like you think it is a contest or whatever

4. Explaining all this is not about a contest either, it's telling you that it stemmed from some detail that was open to interpretation and was interpreted erroneously

5. Anyway, the most important bit is you did not get that receiver, and ultimately stay the hell away from such equipment. It's not just age on its own (nor wear and tear) that leads to their depreciation, but the technology. HT electronics get outdated at a much faster rate than 2ch equipment barring media/storage compatibility, ie, connectivity option, video and even embedded audio format compatibility, etc. And that particular receiver doesn't just lack HDMI, it has only four channels - basically from the 1990s to early 2000s. If you're building up to an HT system it's actually better to save up and get them all in one go. Even if you get a modern receiver now, by the time you get the speakers, some new feature critical to seamless integration of your entire entertainment system (like when HDMI 1.4 and 2.0ARC came out) might have come out already and even if you don't need such features, that receiver could be going for as low as 60% of MSRP if the new line's new features are enough to make many buyers prefer them.

 

[Blatantone]

You are the most anal retentive person I have ever met. I don't want your "holier than thou advice". You speak very condescendingly as if I had no common sense. It is not appreciated. Just give the advice and leave the put-downs and photo emotions out of it. I could have bought the receiver for $65 NEW. Not a bank breaker. All I wanted to know was if I could get sound out of the tape out jacks. The subwoofer is powered and needs no amplifier. You have taken this to a personal level and I think you need to get a girlfriend or a boyfriend for that matter.