 |
 |
 |
|
|
An important consideration is EQ, or being able to properly equalize the levels of higher and lower frequencies in the resulting music in the room through your speakers. Every set of speakers is different, being able to produce more or less of the high, mid and bass sonic range, and every room can have a slightly different impact on the music played within it. Another difficulty is MP3s themselves - when compressing the original music into that format, there will always be at least a small amount of loss of the very high frequencies, and a slighter loss of some of the mid and bass frequencies. Taking even a few minutes to adjust the range of high, mid and low frequencies can have an immediate improvement to the overall sound of your home stereo when playing MP3s. There are three main ways of getting the music to your home stereo - either with a dedicated audio connection from your computer, with a connection to your portable digital music player, or with a dedicated MP3 or multi-function CD component in your home audio set up. The dedicated audio connection is most practical for most people, as no additional equipment is needed, other than cabling. Most computer sound cards are set up with a line-out in the form of a 1/8" analog jack, so all that's needed is a long enough cable to reach the back of your stereo's receiver, and a stereo 1/8" to RCA adaptor, available at most stereo electronics stores. As simply as that, your stereo will send every beep and blip, including any songs you are playing, over to your stereo - the only downside is that every bad sound, like the beeps that accompany error messages and pop ups, gets sent along with the good. A little careful planning and editing of your computer profile can quiet most of that down. A temporary connection, using either a 1/4", 1/8" or RCA input on your regular home stereo, sometimes referred to as analog inputs, is easy enough to do as well. Hook up a free input on your receiver, leaving handy but out of sight when not in use, and attach your player when you want to play your tunes through your stereo's speakers. Of course, you need to have a portable music player to get this one working, but there's no real downside other that hiding the unused input cable.
The investment of an extra component for your stereo set up may not seem to be worth it, but having a proper piece of equipment dedicated to playing MP3s may seem more worthwhile when it's hooked up and working properly. There are no long wires to hide, to cable ends to drop, and just a very clean and professional look to your gear. Depending on the unit, you can range from a simple CD player that can play audio CDs to more complex (and expensive) units that have a large hard drive inside and have audio tracks transferred to them by CD or network. Once there, you can enjoy the music while browsing tunes with the remote control on some of the newest of technologies.
| |
|
|
