[LMB] OT: another stupid CD question

[Mark Allums]

Mark Allums wrote:
> Meg Justus wrote:
>> Can you plug a set of computer speakers into the 
> earphone jack on a Walkman-type CD player and have
> it work?  I have a perfectly good set of relatively
> new computer speakers, and the real problem seems to
> be that  the CD drive on my computer makes my MP3 CDs
> sound scratchy because it's old and decrepit (it's not
> the speakers or the sound card -- because sound I get
> off the Internet sounds fine, but anything audio
> uploaded via the CD drive sounds bad, even copied
> onto the hard drive), and since I'm probably going
> to end up replacing the entire computer in the next
> few months, anyway, I don't want to spend any more
> money replacing it.  I don't want to use earbuds when
> I'm home.
>>
>> Megaera
>> who has already proved herself amazingly ignorant on 
> these subjects, so not worried about embarrassing herself again
> 
> 
> You can, if it doesn't also have a line-in jack.  Line-in is preferable 
> for lots of technical reasons, the main one being it'll sound better. In 
> theory, you should turn up the volume on the earphone jack to eight or 
> nine if you use it.  (ANd adjust the volume on the speakers 
> accordingly.)  Some speakers made for iPods and the like are designed to 
> work in the headphone jack.  Look for one of those, if you are buying 
> speakers.
> 
> --Mark Allums

Replying to myself, wishing to clarify---

listening to or recording from a headphone jack is a trial and error 
thing, your mileage may vary.  Not that I'm trying to weasel here, it's 
just that I have never had good luck doing things one is supposed to be 
able in theory to do.  I said that in theory turning up the earphones to 
eight or nine is the thing to do, but it's really easy to get the volume 
*too* high, and then it sounds like crud.  So, what I say, the advice I 
give, isn't gospel.  Experience is the best teacher.

--Mark Allums