Connect laptop to hi-fi system - so it'll work
You can connect your laptop to your hi-fi system in four ways. We present your options and highlight the advantages and disadvantages.
Best quality: image and sound transmitted with HDMI
The easiest way to forward image and audio signals to your amplifier via HDMI. Almost every laptop now has this connection. You can also display your current picture on the television using a key combination. You should use HDMI primarily for the following reasons:
- Video and image signals are output in parallel. You therefore only need one cable and thus avoid cable clutter.
- You can potentially get the best quality with HDMI. For example, you can broadcast multichannel sound with high data rates and HD video signals.
- The compatibility is very high, every AV receiver of the past five years supports this connection.
- Setup is also very easy: plug the cable into any free port and set the receiver to its name. Put the second end in your computer. Then mirror the image, for example. On most models, this works with Fn key combinations, such as [Fn] + [F3].
The classic: connect a laptop to a cinch adapter
If you only want to transfer music, there is sure to be an option for the next three solutions. For example, you could connect your laptop to the receiver using a cinch cable.
- For this you need an adapter from 3.5 "jack to RCA.
- Plug the 3.5 "connection into your computer, the two cinch connections into the corresponding sockets of your amplifier. Make sure that the colors of the sockets and plugs match (red and white), otherwise the left and right channels are yours Stereo signal interchanged.
- In addition to the sockets, you will usually find the name of the correct channel, which you have to set on the audio amplifier to receive the signal from your laptop.
Hi-Fi system operated via Spotify Connect
With Spotify Connect, you can use a practical method for streaming music to your hi-fi system.
- Here you can access all songs from Spotify, provided you have a premium account.
- You control the playback via the laptop while your receiver streams the music itself via its network connection.
Transfer music to receiver via Bluetooth
Current hi-fi systems or A / V receivers now have a Bluetooth function. Therefore, you can easily transmit the current sound with any laptop.
- To do this, connect both devices by starting the Bluetooth search on your laptop and pairing them with your receivers.
- Then the sound of your laptop is transferred to the receiver. Unfortunately, you have to accept losses in quality.
- We'll also show you what you can do if your receiver doesn't have Spotify Connect but supports Bluetooth.
