Connecting to a Stereo

How to connect your iPod to your Home Entertainment System

iPods are not designed just for listening privately through your earplugs. There are ways you can connect you iPod to your favorite home stereo equipment so that you and your friends can enjoy all of your favorite tunes, too. Want to connect your iPod to your home stereo and haven’t a clue how to get started? The solution could be as easy as a few cables and a Dock connector.

You can use the headphone jack to connect your iPod to your home or car stereo using third-party stereo adapters. In order to connect your iPod to a home stereo, you will need a 3.5 mm RCA adapter cable to connect the iPod and the sound input of the amplifier. Most of the equipment you will need for this process can be found at electronic stores. To keep from blowing out the speakers on your amplifier, turn the volume down to less than half on your iPod. Use your stereo’s control panel to control the volume to the desired level.  Your iPod may need to be set higher than half, depending on your particular stereo, so you can get a reasonable volume through the outside speakers.

To connect to your car stereo you will need a 3.5 mm extension cable with stereo connectors on each end plugged into the aux input of your car stereo. You can also use a cassette adapter if your car stereo does not have a sound input jack. Both of these items can be found at car accessory retailers. Or, if your iPod has a dock connector, you may be able to connect to some cars with a special adapter.

The Universal Dock is just that, universal. With the Universal Dock, you can do a variety of things.

First, connect the dock to your computer with the cable that came with your iPod. Now place your iPod in the dock to sync and charge the battery. You will not have to reach behind the computer to plug it in anymore. Connect the dock to an electrical outlet using an iPod Power Adapter, and then place your iPod in the dock to charge the battery. Connect the Dock to a stereo or speakers using an iPod AV Cable or a stereo audio cable to play music from iPod. Control playback from a distance using the Apple Remote. Display photos on a TV or other video device using an iPod AV Cable or S-video cable if you have an iPod with a color display. Display videos on a TV or other video device using an iPod AV Cable or S-video cable if you have an iPod with video capability.

The Universal Dock

The Universal Dock is the ultimate iPod docking solution. Any model of iPod with a dock connector can fit perfectly into a single Universal Dock through the use of interchangeable inserts called Dock Adapters. You simply insert the Dock Adapter that fits your particular iPod model, and then plug in your iPod. When you want to connect a different-size iPod, simply pop out the Dock Adapter and insert a new one.

The iPod Universal Dock package includes adapters for five iPods. New iPods will include adapters for that model, and other adapters are available separately.