The iPod does an excellent job of putting your music collection in your pocket. But when you want to listen at home, a pair of headphones is not ideal. Nor, for that matter, are they tiny computer speakers. There are several specialty iPod speaker options available, though the ideal solution is to connect your iPod, your computer, or both, to a decent hi-fi, which can be done in a number of ways. In addition to the obvious advantages in sound quality, linking your computer and hi-fi also lets you get music from vinyl, cassette, and radio into your iTunes library and onto your iPod.

Play through a hi-fi

To get sound from your Pod or computer into your hifi, ideally your hifi should have an available line-in channel – look on the back for a pair of unused red and white RCA plugs. They may be labeled “Aux” or Line-in, although any input other than Phono (which will have a built-in preamp) should be fine.

If your hi-fi doesn’t have a line input, but does have a radio, you might consider an FM transmitter (look for these, there are plenty available). If you have a line input, you have several options…

Wired connection

computer to hifi

Almost all computers have a line-out and/or headphone capability, usually in the form of a single 3.5mm “minijack” connector. So if your computer and stereo share a desk or are just a few feet apart, you can easily take an RCA-to-mini-plug cable and connect it directly from the computer to the line-in of your hi-fi. (Some computers have RCA line outputs as well as a minijack, in which case you can use a standard RCA-to-RCA cable.)

When buying a cable, check that all the plugs are “male” and not “female” (they probably are), and if you can, spend a little more for gold-plated connectors – they provide a much cleaner sound.

If your computer and hi-fi are further apart or in different rooms, you can buy a long cable and take out the drill, but you might want to look into Airport Express (do a search for this).

ipod to hifi

One problem with running your computer through your hifi is that you need to have your computer on to hear anything, which can be a nuisance if your machine takes ages to boot up or has a noisy cooling fan. You may find it more convenient to connect your iPod instead. A Pod doesn’t give you the ease of use and flexibility of iTunes, but it’s small, quiet, and doesn’t require you to run a cable across the room.

Simply connect an RCA to mini-plug cable between your hi-fi system’s line input and your Pod’s headphone jack or, much better, the “Line Out” on the back of the dock. The Dock solution can be made even more convenient when combined with a wireless remote control.

Wireless connection

AirTunes

If your hi-fi has a line-in jack, but you don’t want to be constrained by cables (maybe you have a laptop or your computer is in a different room than your stereo), check out the Airport Wireless Base Station. Apple Express with its so-called AirTunes feature.

Plug one of these into a power point near your hifi and connect it to the stereo with a standard RCA to mini-jack cable. Then any Wi-Fi-enabled computer, known as AirPort on a Mac, can stream music directly from iTunes to your hi-fi, even from across the house. If your computer doesn’t have Wi-Fi, you can cheaply add it with the appropriate internal, external, or PCMCIA device. Once everything is in place, you can simply open iTunes Preferences and check “Search for remote speakers connected with AirTunes” under the Audio tab. Your hi-fi will automatically appear in a drop-down menu at the bottom of the iTunes window.

AirPort Express can also broadcast an Internet connection in your home and allow you to connect to printers wirelessly.

fm transmitters

An FM transmitter plugs into your iPod’s headphone jack (many also connect to a computer) and broadcasts the sound around the room as an FM radio signal. Then your stereo can be tuned in just like you would any other radio station. Although you won’t get the fidelity of a CD and your stereo or iPod will need to be relatively close to your radio, this is a very convenient solution, allowing you to walk around the house playing music from your iPod to any nearby radio. It’s also the only easy way to connect to hi-fi equipment that lacks a line-in jack. This can also be used in the car!