IMAC(2015) is it possible to connect it to my stereo (in another room) so I can listen it on my good speakers?

IMAC(2015), is it possible to connect it to my stereo (in another room) so I can listen to it on my excellent speakers?

I cannot find the ohms and other specs for the speaker plug to see if this is possible. Can someone point me in the right direction, please? If I need a specialist, what area should I look for? It would be great to do this wireless, but the walls are too thick, so (in my mind) a wire(s) must be run. The device would be a Macintosh Preamp, so there is an issue of connection plugs and a possible ohmage issue.

iMac 27″, macOS 12.3

Posted on May 25, 2022 2:19 PM

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Posted on May 25, 2022 2:52 PM

Yes. Does the Macintosh have an optical audio input? That would be ideal. Otherwise you can use any 3.5mm stereo audio cable. Connect it to the Macintosh preamp. Impedance is not a factor.


I wouldn't write off the ability to use AirPlay so quickly. Of course you can't be certain unless you try it. If you don't want to risk spending money on a brand new AppleTV you can find discontinued Apple AirPort Express models readily available on the used market. The only AirPort Express models to avoid would be the very old A1084 and A1088 models. Don't buy them. Later models A1264 and A1392 will work fine. Their audio outputs are identical to the iMac's — both analog and optical.


Older, discontinued AppleTV models will also work fine for that purpose, and are readily available on the used market. Same audio output options. Newer ones are HDMI only.


Use AirPlay to stream audio - Apple Support

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

May 25, 2022 2:52 PM in response to Pepper-my-dog

Yes. Does the Macintosh have an optical audio input? That would be ideal. Otherwise you can use any 3.5mm stereo audio cable. Connect it to the Macintosh preamp. Impedance is not a factor.


I wouldn't write off the ability to use AirPlay so quickly. Of course you can't be certain unless you try it. If you don't want to risk spending money on a brand new AppleTV you can find discontinued Apple AirPort Express models readily available on the used market. The only AirPort Express models to avoid would be the very old A1084 and A1088 models. Don't buy them. Later models A1264 and A1392 will work fine. Their audio outputs are identical to the iMac's — both analog and optical.


Older, discontinued AppleTV models will also work fine for that purpose, and are readily available on the used market. Same audio output options. Newer ones are HDMI only.


Use AirPlay to stream audio - Apple Support

May 25, 2022 3:06 PM in response to Pepper-my-dog

Please refer to About the audio ports on Mac - Apple Support


You will likely need some type of adapter however without knowing the input the Macintosh pre-amp has we cannot tell you what type you may need. For example, if the Macintosh pre-amp has an Optical Input then you can find an adapter fairly easily.


If the pre-amp is part of a Home Theater then I'd recommend buying an Apple TV 4K and stream your music from the iMac to the HT setup. I stream movies all the time from my iMac to my Home Theater system and also use the Apple TV 4K for streaming video content from the Internet. If you are not familiar with the Apple TV 4K please click the TV & Home link at the top of this page and then select Apple TV 4K.

May 25, 2022 9:21 PM in response to Pepper-my-dog

You could maybe try to test some other Bluetooth device to see if you can get it to work from the same rooms through that wall. If some other Bluetooth device works, then you might have luck with a Bluetooth audio receiver like this: (they say it has a range of about 30')


https://www.bestbuy.com/site/aluratek-istream-universal-bluetooth-audio-receiver-black/6581843.p?skuId=6581843


If going the hardwired option, and if your wire run is very long, like more than 20 feet or so, roughly speaking, then you won't have much luck running RCA cables that far either, you may get too much signal loss. You could try it, the headphone output and the pre-amp input might be good enough to handle it, even with a 50' cord possibly, again it just depends. An XLR cable, typically used for microphones, can run audio signals for much longer distances, but you need something like an impedance adapter and/or DI box and a separate cable for each stereo channel.


I almost wonder if you can move the stereo closer to the computer for a hardwire option, and use longer speaker cables to the speakers in the other room?

May 25, 2022 7:12 PM in response to rkaufmann87

Thanks, it sounds doable. I have health issues so I am limited in what I can physically do. As to the preamp, the only input it has is what is called (old fashioned) RCA cable input(s) and like most devices in the audio field standardized on RCA connections 40+ years ago. There are two cables 1 for the right channel and 1 for the left channel. I am somewhat afraid of just connecting to the IMAC as the preamp does not expect wattage from the device (this is why it is called a pre-amp - Pre Amplifier) and from what I observed the IMAC delivers a small amount of wattage to drive the headphones. I have attached a pic of the cables which the preAMP expects.

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IMAC(2015) is it possible to connect it to my stereo (in another room) so I can listen it on my good speakers?

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