Connect Cambridge Audio A1 to Laptop

[dedparrot]

Hi.

I am wanting to connect my laptop to my cambridge audio a1 amp. The only connections on my laptop for audio is the headphone jack and the mic jack.

I am wondering what would be the best way to connect the amp to my laptop.
I was thinking that something like a Behringer UCA202 external usb souncard would suffice, though I don't know what cable I need to actually connect the laptop with the amp, and whether I can output sound from my laptop to the amp within a digital signal.

I'm sorry for this, I really don't know how to go about this.

 

[BlueWizard]

Get a simple headphone jack to two RCA connector cable and start by connecting the headphone out to the Stereo inputs of the amp.

See how that sounds. A lot depends on the quality of the internal sound card.

If your Laptop or your sound card do not have any options for digital outs, then the only better option is for an external sound card, though which of the many is best, I don't know.

But, I say, one step at a time. Work with what you have, see how satisfied you are, then decide how, if, and when you are going to upgrade.

Steve/bluewizard

 

[johnbhoy#]

laptop to amp is a nightmare.

With the connections you have available the 3.5mm jack to 2 x rca phono cables is the cheapest way to connect. But doing it this way means you will get interference and static if your laptop is connected to poweroutlet and charging (mine is most of the time) . You will not hear this static noise if the scoketswitch is off.

A way round this is to buy a ground loop isolator. Available at maplins for about £15. I have been using this for a while and it works fine. Especially if you are just using the 3.5mm jack from your onboard sound on laptop. ( i would suggest this if your are just wanting to hear music without static and are not obsessing about subjective quality of the sound being produced) At £15+ cost of cable its cheaper than the behringer.

Best way to do it however is maybe getting the behringer so you have an optical output.( from what i have read it seems to be one of the cheapest ways to get an optical output from your laptop) But then you would need to buy another piece of equipment that has an optical in so you can connect that to the behringer And then connect that to the amplifier. This negates the need for the ground loop isolator and obviously this way is more expensive. I have recently bought a minidisc deck on ebay for this very purpose.

 

[mrbenn]

get a behringer uca202 - its a usb sound card £25