Please help with my AV setup - advice wanted

[HawkEye244]

To illustrate the situation at hand, here is a drawing:

So I am able to stream display to the TV using a VGA to DVI/HDMI Cable - this streams video to the TV really well.

I want to be able to connect the amplifier to the PC so that sound can be played from the PC, and as the amplifier has a remote control, I will be able to adjust the sound remotely.

How can I do this ?

 

[SFK]

Quick fix would be sound out from Headphones out of PC and cabled into AV of AMP.
I would use a Headphone jack to headphone to Phono cable:
"headphone to Phono"
like this:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=headphone+to+Phono&_sacat=0
You use the "LINE OUT" or the "Headphone socket" on back of computer (which normally a green colour).
Instructions here: https://www.alphr.com/blogs/2009/03/25/how-to-connect-your-pc-to-your-hi-fi


ALSO, it is likely/possible that your TV also has a Audio Out on its back (which will not work for sound for Videos from your Computer as no sound transported is by VGA cable). I would also use this to connect TV to amp say through TUNER inputs. Then when you are watching TV signals from the ariel (ie FreeView), you can also listen to the sound of this through the amp. (ie press TUNER to listen to TV sound, press AV to listen to Computer sound).

SFK

 

[JP_]

Upgrade amp? I have a £250 Marantz which has 5 or so hdmi inputs, so most things can easily be managed.

 

[SFK]

Jonbey,
Good idea, but that will only work if the computer has a HDMI output.
But if the computer does not have a HDMI output, then the same method as I suggested will have to be used with your suggested HDMI enabled amp.
SFK

 

[HawkEye244]

Just an update to say that your solution worked SFK, thanks very much.

Lastly, do you know what the information on the back of the audio panel means when it says for bi-wire operation use two sets of terminals ?, for 'normal' operation use these terminals?

Which set of terminals do I use? Both seem to work but I'm just curious.

 

[SFK]

Hawk,
My pleasure.
In your case you do not need to bi-wire.
You use normal.

From my distant memory......
The bottom (normally used) connection on your amp has all the frequencies of the music and so is the one you normally use.
But the upper connection on your amp only has the high frequencies.

Bi-wiring is when you send the amplified signal to each speaker using 2 pairs of wires (hence 4 pairs of wires in total).
The speaker has to be a upper grade speaker (more expensive) having two pairs of inputs.
Each of these inputs goes to the different speakers within the speaker box.
One pair for the low frequency speakers (using the amp connection with all the signals), one pair for the high frequency speakers (using the amp connection with only the high signals).

The claim is that the high frequency speaker sounds better when using a cable that has only transmitted high frequency signals along its length. It also reduces the work the high/low frequency separator circuit within the speaker (called a Crossover) has to undertake to separate the signals.

Quoting the below article:
"What bi-wiring can do is reduce the negative effects of the impedance differences between high and low frequencies traveling through a single wire."

My ears (or my rooms) are no where near suitable for this level of bi-wired sound distinction.
And no need for this with the compressed/poor sound from TV/computer.

https://www.lifewire.com/bi-wire-amp-stereo-speakers-3134901

SFK

 

[dhutch]

As said, should be fairly easy to connect the amp either to the computer audio out, or to the tv audio out.

As said, if you are non bi-wiring you would use the 'normal' connections. However I am fairly sure on the A3/A5/A500 the terminals are just connected together inside anyway.

Reasonably nice amps, I have a few powering our house.


Daniel