Using home hifi as DAC

[noam1000]

I'm looking for a way to connect my latptop to my hi fi without using the onboard 3.5mm jack.

My HI FI system has a USB connector, it's meant for playing music from Disk On Keys and it reads the MP3 files by itself. But it can't directly connect to a laptop/phone like a USB Speaker. Is there a workaround for this?


Also it has another jack that says "D. Audio" but looks like ordinary 3.5mm jack. Anyone knows what it means?


I attached to the post pictures of both of the connectors.

I have no money for an expensive DAC or Hi Fi system so you guys are my last resort.

Thanks in advance

 

[Empirical Audio]

D Audio is probably digital audio input or S/PDIF, even though it is usually not on this type of connector.

Your computer probably does not have S/PDIF output unless it is an Apple MacBook pro, which has this on Toslink optical.

You need an inexpensive USB converter, which connects to your computer with USB cable and then the converter connects to your "stereo" using a digital 75 ohm S/PDIF cable. The cable will probably have RCA connector on the converter end and then you will need an adapter from RCA plug to mini phone plug for the other end so it will plug into this "stereo".

Google USB converter. There are many different performance levels and associated cost. Usually comes with a wall-wart AC adapter. The Dragonfly might be an option.

Steve N.
Empirical Audio

 

[noam1000]

D Audio is probably digital audio input or S/PDIF, even though it is usually not on this type of connector.

Your computer probably does not have S/PDIF output unless it is an Apple MacBook pro, which has this on Toslink optical.

You need an inexpensive USB converter, which connects to your computer with USB cable and then the converter connects to your "stereo" using a digital 75 ohm S/PDIF cable. The cable will probably have RCA connector on the converter end and then you will need an adapter from RCA plug to mini phone plug for the other end so it will plug into this "stereo".

Google USB converter. There are many different performance levels and associated cost. Usually comes with a wall-wart AC adapter. The Dragonfly might be an option.

Steve N.
Empirical Audio

Thank you very much for the quick response.

There's one thing I don't understand. If the D. Audio is S/PDIF, why do i need to use the analog RCA cable? Can't I use an S/Pdif cable (like the one below) going from the converter to the D. Audio on the stereo?


Noam.

 

[Empirical Audio]

Thank you very much for the quick response.

There's one thing I don't understand. If the D. Audio is S/PDIF, why do i need to use the analog RCA cable? Can't I use an S/Pdif cable (like the one below) going from the converter to the D. Audio on the stereo?
View attachment 43967

Noam.

I am not talking about an analog RCA cable. I'm talking about a digital cable with RCA connector on one end and a mini phone plug on the other end.

If the jack on the stereo is actually an optical Toslink input, then the cable you are showing is the right choice. If you still have the manual for this "stereo", then you should be able to find out if this input is electrical or optical. Otherwise, you need to open it up and look at it to see if there is an optical receiver there.

Steve N.
Empirical Audio