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IMac Headphone out to Power Amp to Passive Monitor Speakers?

Posted: 15 Mar 2019 9:00 am
by robert kramer
I want to come out my iMac Headphone out into a power amp into Yamaha NS-10's. If this is possible and how can I do it Thanks in advance for any info.

Posted: 25 Mar 2019 4:49 am
by Ken Boi
I believe a headphone jack (1/8" stereo) to RCA Stereo cable would do it. Plug the RCA connections into your power amp and you should be ready to go. I play from an iPad like this, although I go into a mixer and then to powered speakers.

Posted: 28 Mar 2019 6:35 am
by Godfrey Arthur
robert kramer wrote:I want to come out my iMac Headphone out into a power amp into Yamaha NS-10's. If this is possible and how can I do it Thanks in advance for any info.
Depends on if your amp is just a power amp without volume controls. You risk blowing up your valuable NS10's.

Not recommended this way.

Best to go through some mixer that will have faders and meters would help keep things under control and send "line-out" level signals to your amp to go to the NS10's.

Coming out of the headphone jack on the computer is not exactly "line-level" but if you keep the volume low on your computer and no EQ so it is flat on your computer, you'll have a better reference to appear at your NS10's. It's not ideal but if you listen to reference released tracks from your iMac regularly enough to get the gist of the sound coming out of your cpu to your NS10's you'll have a better chance of nailing it for mixing.

If just for playback, you're free to do what you want but keep in mind what you'll be hearing will not be reference and will be training your ears to hear music in a stylized way.

And if our amp has XLR inputs then you'll need special cables to get from your computer to the amp.


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There is also another way using Dante by Audinate using an ethernet cable and Dante's virtual sound card but you'd best ask someone like Sweetwater about your particular Mac and the possibilities with Dante, as well as your plans for using your Mac for music playback and/or recording.