Connecting a Laptop to Amp for back up track play

Gary Dirks · Post by **Gary Dirks** » 10 Apr 2018 5:15 pm

I've been using a laptop with external speaker for awhile to play backup tracks but now want to connect the laptop to my NV 112. If I use a USB to amp jack cable to connect between the laptop and the "preamp out/CD imput" on the amp, will that connection play the tracks through the amp?

Thanks for any help....would like to know before I purchase a cable that might not work.

Godfrey Arthur · Post by **Godfrey Arthur** » 10 Apr 2018 6:05 pm

If you're planning on going into the front of the amp at the MONO guitar input then the following could apply:

Check my other post for CD input cable on the rear panel of the Peavey from laptop headphone out.

You could just use the headphone out of your laptop using a stereo 1/8" headphone jack cable with 1/4" plugs on the other end. You won't be able to use both Left and Right of that audio feed in your NV112 hence the tracks will come out one-sided in your amp if your tracks are hard panned left and right. You will hear a ghost of one track playing faintly and not prominent in the mix, depending on how it is mixed.

If you still want the Peavey to play the tracks use the "tip" side of the two plugs to get a "mono" send. But if you're expecting to hear your tracks in stereo you will need a stereo amp or two NV112's.

Adjust the volume of the headphone output on your laptop and balance the input on your Peavey. Best to lower the volume on your laptop's headphone volume as well as your player's volume on your laptop to get a clean undistorted sound.

Even if you used a USB card to analog audio out, you will still have to use the same connections pictured above to go from the USB adapter to your amp, and it will be in the same 1/8" stereo mini jack out split to left and right 1/4" phone plug. There may be latency using a USB card as there are different grades on up to DAC converters costing hundreds to get audio out of your laptop. Since you're going into your Peavey which is not really a stereo amp but made for musical instruments, I don't see buying and connecting extra gear to get the audio quality up in this case.

What are you planning for hearing your tracks through your amp?

Scott Duckworth · Post by **Scott Duckworth** » 11 Apr 2018 4:47 am

A laptop direct box would be the way to go, as you can lift the ground to get rid of a ground loop hum.

However, most DI boxes use a XLR output, so you would also have to get an XLR female to 1/4" male transformer to adapt the DI to the NV112.

There are some boxes that have a left / right 1/4" output, but you would loose one side of your track (unless you recorded it in mono).

There just hasn't been a good way to connect a laptop (or other device with stereo 1/8" output) to a 1/4" mono connection.

Scott Duckworth · Post by **Scott Duckworth** » 11 Apr 2018 4:47 am

A laptop direct box would be the way to go, as you can lift the ground to get rid of a ground loop hum.

However, most DI boxes use a XLR output, so you would also have to get an XLR female to 1/4" male transformer to adapt the DI to the NV112.

There are some boxes that have a left / right 1/4" output, but you would loose one side of your track (unless you recorded it in mono).

There just hasn't been a good way to connect a laptop (or other device with stereo 1/8" output) to a 1/4" mono connection.

Bill A. Moore · Post by **Bill A. Moore** » 11 Apr 2018 7:15 am

https://www.amazon.com/Hosa-CMP-110-3-5 ... mono+cable

If you already have the adapter to RCA, then this works:

https://www.zoro.com/monoprice-14inch-m ... /G4468755/

Godfrey Arthur · Post by **Godfrey Arthur** » 11 Apr 2018 6:44 pm

If I use a USB to amp jack cable to connect between the laptop and the "preamp out/CD imput" on the amp, will that connection play the tracks through the amp?

It is not clear from your post whether you already have a USB device to audio out from your laptop. If you do have one would need to know what that looks like to know what cable to use.

But if headphone out of laptop to the CD input on the back of the Peavey:

To the CD input on the back of the Peavey you just need a 1/8" stereo to 1/4" stereo phono cable.

Or 1/8 inch TRS to 1/4 inch TRS plugs.

TRS=Tip-Ring-Sleeve designation for this type of jack connector.

The back input on the NV112 has the function to accept the CD input from the headphone out of a CD player which would be the same headphone-out of the CD player, if you are using a Walkman CD type. The manual is not clear as to the description of "CD player."

In this case since it's out of your laptop, then it would be speaker out to the Peavey.

We are supposing that Peavey in designing this CD input feature on the back of the NV112, took into consideration that a CD input would be stereo so they should've done something to be able to have both left/right summed to mono properly at the CD input on the back of this amp.

Sometimes a TRS plug into a mono TS jack does not work well and can get fussy with audio cutting out.

This should be the cable to use.

https://www.amazon.com/Hosa-CMS-110-Ste ... B000068O36

You should now get both left/right to summed mono from the laptop into the Peavey.

Again not unless you spend more money and get a DAC converter, the connections may or may not be similar depending on the DAC device.

BUT if you still want a USB connection from the laptop, depending on the USB converter to audio you choose will dictate what connections you will need.

Best to ask a store that sells such devices (brick and mortar) your stereo accessories dealer, bring your laptop and have them demo your music through their systems showing you the different devices they have played through even a simple stereo playback system in-store to see if it agrees with your ears.

There are too many devices like this and is difficult to narrow this down.

I would just go with speaker out from the laptop to the input on the back of the Peavey with the above photo cable. Less things in the chain to fail.

I do this daily with my laptop, headphone speaker-out running into a mono Boston mini guitar amp rather than listen on laptop speakers.

Although the Boston mini amp has a CD input as well, I prefer to run the laptop through the guitar input on the mini amp to access the use of the EQ on the amp to be able to adjust differences in audio.

Works well for me although it's not stereo.

[But a plus is I get to notice which songs were mixed properly for mono vs songs that are in stereo but do not collapse to mono properly as the guitar solo may disappear from the front and move to the back on some mixes.]

Still, no matter you won't get stereo out of your Peavey because it is mono, one amp one speaker.

Gary Dirks · Post by **Gary Dirks** » 12 Apr 2018 7:37 am

Bill, Georg, Scott and Godfrey

Thanks for all your replies, appreciate it

Gary