Home audio question

[CurtJ]

I hope it's OK to post a personal question as opposed to a business one.
I just got a CD player for my home stereo system. I'm out of inputs on my receiver. Can I use RCA Y cables to connect both my VCR and my CD player to the AUX input of the receiver? My concern is will the output of one device damage the output stage of the other? Any audiophiles out there who have done this?
Thanks.

 

[Dan76]

Does your Tv have an input jack? You could try Input to your Tv from the VCR output to the reciever, of course if you already have done this with a DVD or somehting the point is moot. My guess is the Y connector should be safe, unfortunately, none of my friends who are really into that stuff are around to ask, maybe try one of the techs at an electronics store, but take it with a grain of salt, they're not always "experts".
-Dan 76

 

[ambertec]

Hi, Curt.

Even if someone claims to have done this successfully, your sense of caution is well placed. There is a finite possibility of the output of one amplifier damaging the other and who'd want to risk that?

Also, damage possibilities aside, each amplifier was surely designed on the assumption that it and it alone would drive a load. If you parallel the outputs of two amplifiers and one amplifier forces the other into protective current limiting, there will be pretty bad audio distortion as a result.

Good luck.
John Dunn
ambertec@ieee.org

 

[jbartos]

Suggestion: It is much safer to follow instruction manuals coming with the equipment under consideration and the manufacturer tech support. Else, the generic approaches and associated concerns in the above postings are legitimate.

 

[sford]

Curt,

The possiblility of damage is slight but it's possible, especially if one of the kids turns on both of the Y'd outputs at the same time.
Safer is to use an A/B switch that isolates the two. You would have an additional button to push then. Switches like this are available at Radio Shack or many other audio stores and they're cheap.