How do I connect my iRiver to my home stereo?
If your stereo has a 3.5mm (1/8”) line input
First, determine whether your home stereo has a line-in port. If it does, use a 3.5mm male to 3.5mm male (1/8” male to 1/8” male) stereo cable to plug one end into the line-out port of your player. Plus the other end into the line-in port on your home receiver. Set your stereo to "AUX" or “LINE IN” mode and you’re set to go. Note that the H1xx and H3xx series of players come bundled with a 3.5mm to 3.5mm (1/8” to 1/8”) cable. If your player did not include such a cable, you can get them at most electronics stores, including Radio Shack (http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&product%5Fid=42-2387) and Maplin (http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=28113&TabID=1&source=15&WorldID=&doy=3m3).
2. If your stereo does not have a 3.5mm (1/8”) line input
Where do I connect to my stereo? If your stereo doesn't have a line-in port (and most do not), then you can connect your iRiver player through any of the following types of audio inputs, which may be located either on the front or the back of your stereo receiver/amplifier:
--an auxiliary input (often labeled “AUX” or “AUDIO”)
--a tape input (often labeled “TAPE,” “TAPE IN,” or “TAPE PLAYBACK”)
--a CD audio input
--a VCR audio input
--a DVD player audio input
Where do I connect on my iRiver? For players with a line-out jack (e.g., the H1xx series and H3xx series of players), you can connect to either the line-out jack or the headphone output. For other players, use the headphone output.
How should I set the volume on my iRiver? Some Mistic River members have found a volume of 35 on the player to be appropriate, but to avoid unpleasant surprises and potential damage to your speakers, it’s always best to start with a low volume and raise the volume gradually until you find a comfortable level. You may find it helpful to switch back and forth between the input you are using for the iRiver and another input device, like a CD player, and raise the volume on the iRiver until the two inputs are the same volume. If you hear distortion in the output, try backing off the volume of the iRiver player and raising the volume on your stereo.
What cable do I use? The audio inputs on most receivers use a type of plug known as an “RCA plug,” which is sometimes also called a “phono plug.” Thus, to connect to these inputs, you will need a 3.5mm (1/8”) stereo to RCA (phono) stereo audio cable. This cable can be picked up on the internet, or in your local electronics shop and cost around £5-10 / $5-10 USD. The price varies with cable length and quality of the jacks.
Here are some examples of appropriate cables from Radio Shack (http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&product%5Fid=42-2551) and Maplin (http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=31700&TabID=1&source=15&WorldID=&doy=3m3).
Another option is to use an adapter in conjunction with your existing 3.5mm-3.5mm cord which came with your iRiver. These can be picked up for around £2-5 or $4 USD. They are an adapter which fits onto one of the 3.5mm jacks and "converts" it to 2x phone/RCA plugs. Although this is a cheaper option, please note the general rule of "The more connections made, the greater the deterioration of sound,” so you may want to avoid this if possible.
How to tell an audio input from a video input? Note that RCA plugs can be used for video inputs as well as audio inputs, and you want to be careful to plug your player into an audio input and not a video input. There are two ways to tell the difference between the two. First, video inputs are usually clearly labeled as such on the receiver. Second, many manufacturers, particularly in recent years, have color coded their inputs. Audio inputs will be color-coded red (for the right channel) and white (for the left channel), while video inputs will be coded yellow.
Can I use the “PHONO” or “TURNTABLE” input on my receiver? This is generally not recommended. Certain types of turntables historically had a lower output level than what later came to be standard for audio devices. Those turntables required the use of a pre-amp to raise the signal before it was amplified. Some manufacturers of audio components included a pre-amp in their “PHONO” input so that a separate pre-amp was not required. As a result, these inputs expect to see a much different input signal than what is standard for most of today’s audio devices. If the only input that you have available to you is a "phono" or "turntable" input, it generally will not hurt to try it, but be aware that the result is likely to sound unpleasant. If you do try such an input, start with the volume on both your player and the stereo set very low and raise both volumes gradually to avoid any surprises.
What if my stereo does not have any audio inputs? Some lower-end
home stereos do not have audio inputs. For such stereos, use the cassette adapter or FM transmitter methods described below in the car audio section.
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