Using an iPod with a Home Stereo

You can connect your iPod to your home stereo and then listen to your iPod's music over that stereo. There are two fundamental ways you can do this: using wires or by using an FM transmitter.

Hard-Wiring an iPod to a Home Stereo

You can connect your iPod to your stereo system using cables similar to those you use to connect other audio components, such as a lowly CD changer. After you have connected the iPod to your amplifier/receiver, you can listen to it just like that lowly CD changer or DVD player.

note

Although this section is focused on connecting an iPod to a home stereo receiver, the same techniques enable you to connect an iPod to many other audio devices, such as boomboxes.

The only challenge to this is choosing and connecting the proper cables to get the output of your iPod connected to the input of your receiver. Fortunately, this isn't all that challenging. You just need a cable that connects the Headphones jack on your iPod to an audio input port on your home stereo receiver. In most cases, you need a cable that has a stereo mini-jack on one end and two RCA connectors on the other end. The mini-jack connector goes into the Headphones jack on your iPod, while the RCA connectors go into the audio input ports on your home stereo's amplifier/receiver.

The cable you need is available in just about any store that carries home electronics. Or, you can buy a kit that includes all the cables you need to connect your iPod to other devices, such as the Apple iPod Stereo Connection Kit with Monster Cable (available at the Apple online store).

There are two basic ways to connect an iPod to a home stereo using a cable: You can connect the iPod directly to the cables or you can use a Dock. Each method has its pros and cons.

Connecting an iPod Directly to a Home Stereo

To connect an iPod to a stereo receiver, simply plug the mini-jack end of a Mini-jack to RCA cable into the iPod's Headphones port. Then connect the RCA connectors to the audio input ports on the receiver. Figure 8.1 shows a diagram of a typical connection scheme.

Figure 8.1. Connecting an iPod to a home stereo isn't hard.

If you also want to power the iPod while it is connected to the receiver, connect the Dock connector port to the Dock connector end of a USB or FireWire cable. Then connect the USB or FireWire end of that cable to an AC adapter and plug the adapter into a wall outlet.

tip

If you want to use a shuffle to play music on a stereo system, you can plug an AC adapter into a wall socket and then plug the shuffle into the USB port on the adapter. This will charge the shuffle while you play its music.

Pros: Easy setup; inexpensive.

Cons: Somewhat messy because you need to have a cable connected to the receiver, whose input ports typically aren't accessible, so you leave the cable connected and "loose"; you need a separate power adapter and cable to charge the iPod while using it with the stereo.

Using a Dock to Connect an iPod to a Home Stereo

tip

You can use any input port on a receiver to accept an iPod's input. For example, you can connect the cable to the CD ports, Aux input ports, and so on. Any ports that include a left and right channel will work.

The best way to connect an iPod to a home stereo is to first use a Mini-jack to RCA cable to connect a Dock to the stereo and then use the USB 2 or FireWire cable to connect the Dock to an AC adapter (see Figure 8.2). Then, you can connect the iPod to the stereo by simply placing it in the Dock. When connected, your iPod also charges, so you don't have to worry about running out of battery power.

Figure 8.2. Using a Dock to connect an iPod to a home stereo enables you to connect the iPod to a stereo by simply placing the iPod into the Dock.

Pros: Easy setup; clean installation because you don't have loose wires after it's set up, you only need to have the Dock exposed; it's easiest to use because you connect the iPod to the stereo by placing it in the Dock.

Cons: Relatively expensive because, to be practical, you need to have a Dock and an AC adapter dedicated to this purpose, which means buying at least one Dock and AC adapter or purchasing an Apple iPod Stereo Connection Kit with Monster Cable.

Broadcasting iPod Music over FM

You can use an FM transmitter to broadcast your iPod's music on standard FM radio frequencies. Then, you can tune in the frequency on which you are broadcasting on any receiver, such as the tuner in your stereo system's receiver, to listen to your music.

Obtaining an FM Transmitter

To broadcast your iPod's music over FM, you need a transmitter that connects to your iPod and then sends its output over the airwaves. Because you are more likely to use one of these devices in your car, they are covered later in this chapter.

Broadcasting iPod Music to a Home Stereo

Depending on the type of FM transmitter you use, setting up an iPod and FM transmitter so you can tune in your iPod's music requires from little to no work. You simply plug the transmitter into your iPod's Headphones or Dock Connector port and play your iPod. Then, you set the tuner you are going to use to listen to the same frequency over which you are broadcasting your iPod's output.

Pros: Using an iPod with any audio device that can receive FM is easy; simple setup and use; no messy wires.

Cons: Subject to interference; it can be difficult to find an unused FM station in a metropolitan area.

Playing an iPod over a Home Stereo System

After you have installed or connected the components necessary to send your iPod's output to a home receiver, listening to your iPod's music is as simple as simple gets (however simple that is). On the receiver, select the iPod source, such as an Aux input or the FM tuner tuned to the frequency on which you are broadcasting your iPod's output. Then use the iPod controls to play the music and use the receiver's controls to set the volume level.

Typically, if you connect the iPod through its Headphones jack, you should leave the iPod's volume set at a mid-range point when using it with a home receiver. That prevents any distortion that might occur when the iPod is using its maximum output level. If you connect it via the Dock Connector port, the volume level on the iPod doesn't matter.

Using an iPod in this way is no different from other sources, such as a standard CD player.