iPod Very basic iPod question re: Headphone socket

[thomasp]

Sorry if this is an incredibly stupid question, but I don't own an iPod and am considering investing in one.

Can you unplug the headphones and use a standard 3.5mm "jack" plug & cable to plug the iPod into a set of speakers that don't have a built-in iPod dock (assuming the speakers have an amp.)?

Also, can you do this on the Nano, as well as the standard iPod?


Many thanks for putting up with my stupidity 😀

 

[lexus]

Yes you can, also I must add that an iPod would be a very bad investment.

 

[rdowns]

The iPods uses a standard 3.5 mm plug and can be plugged into powered speakers without a dock.

Now go get one. 😀

 

[xUKHCx]

Yeah you can do that will ALL iPods even the little shuffle.

 

[mkrishnan]

One caveat... the speakers ideally need not just an amp but a pre-amp. The iPod headphone jack does not output line level -- the signal strength for headphones is lower than line level.

You can get around this -- if you plug the iPod in with a 3.5mm cable (as I do to my receiver occasionally), you will need to turn up the volume quite a bit more than normal (e.g. if I use my receiver at ~2.5 with my CD player, I'm at 5-6 with my iPod). Other than that, it'll work essentially fine.

 

[thomasp]

The iPods uses a standard 3.5 mm plug and can be plugged into powered speakers without a dock.

Now go get one. 😀

Just waitin' for a bit of cash!

Yes you can, also I must add that an iPod would be a very bad investment.

Please explain why - I'm intrigued

One caveat... the speakers ideally need not just an amp but a pre-amp. The iPod headphone jack does not output line level -- the signal strength for headphones is lower than line level.

You can get around this -- if you plug the iPod in with a 3.5mm cable (as I do to my receiver occasionally), you will need to turn up the volume quite a bit more than normal (e.g. if I use my receiver at ~2.5 with my CD player, I'm at 5-6 with my iPod). Other than that, it'll work essentially fine.

Thanks for that info.


The main reason for buying an iPod is so as we can have our CD collection playable in a number of stereos around the house, which are all gradually getting upgraded due to their age/poor quality. Obviously, it's easier to get an iPod out and plug it into a stereo/speaker system, either via a 3.5mm cable (well, 3.5mm jack on the end of a cable!) or via a speaker system with a built-in iPod dock, than to go into the room with all the CDs, look for the CD you want and then realise it's been left in another room.

I've also found that speaker systems that are sold as computer speakers (like some of the JBLs or Haarmon Kardon soundsticks) are cheaper than the Hifis with built-in iPod docks, and actually give a better quality of sound.

 

[mkrishnan]

Sounds pretty reasonable... to be honest, the car is really the only place I've used anything other than iTunes/iPod in ages.

 

[Loge]

Why don't you get one of these?

http://sendstation.com/us/products/pocketdock/lineout-usb.html

Then you can use the iPod's line out, instead of the headphone out.

 

[reubs]

Yes you can, also I must add that an iPod would be a very bad investment.

Technically, an investment is something that you would purchase with an intent on it increasing in value...like land, stocks, or a home. An iPod, though, will not increase in value so it could not really be considered an investment, monetarily speaking.

 

[lexus]

Technically, an investment is something that you would purchase with an intent on it increasing in value...like land, stocks, or a home. An iPod, though, will not increase in value so it could not really be considered an investment, monetarily speaking.

exactly

 

[mkrishnan]

exactly

OED, def. 1b:

an act of devoting time, effort, or energy to a particular undertaking with the expectation of a worthwhile result

😉