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Why do my MP3s sound horrible when connected to a receiver

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unclet:

OK, I figured something out ..... I originally had the RCA jacks plugged into the "Phono" jacks of the receiver.  Once I moved them to the "Tape" jacks, everything sounded excellent .... loud and excellent .....

I need to make sure there are no other things which need to be done, but at least I am getting normal sound now and I feel a bit more relived now ....  :)

BobA:

Good fxing unclet.  You were quick. :applaud:

Now the reason for the problem is that the Phono input is expecting a very low level signal (2.5mv) from a phono cartridge.  Because of the low signal the phono inputs of a stereo apply amplification and equilization to the signal to get rid of record noise and provide preamp for the amp.   This is what gives a less then ideal sound when you plug in the signal from an mp3 player or a computer audio output.   The line inputs or tape inputs should be used depending on what is available on your stereo amp.

Hope this info helps others using their home stereos.

Disturbed013:

Depending on PC soundcard, some have line-level outputs as well as the standard pre-amped speaker/headphone output.  If you want your sound as clean as possible use the line-out on the PC and a line-in connection on the receiver (many have Aux. for this purpose).  This ensures that the PC soundcard doesn't tinker with the signal and all the amplification is done at the receiver where you want it.  MP3 encode quality does make a difference which can get more noticeable as you boost it through with cleaner signals and better amplifiers, but I'm no audiophile either.

unclet:

Thanks for everyone's input  ..... and thanks Bob for explaining why the Phono connection was no good.    Anyway, I am happy with the sound now and am on to finalizing my cabinet design and acquiring a few extra parts.


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