Audio Need to understand how to run Sony music system's speakers standalone

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kiran6680

Disciple
Hi,
I have a 10 year old Sony music system. Great speakers, but it doesn't have modern conveniences like internet, bluetooth etc.

It is built like 3 pieces of about one cubic foot each. One of them is the music system in which we have ports for USB, audio in, audio out, DVD etc. 2 other boxes of the same size are speakers. Both of the speakers get a simple copper wire from the music system, coming out of 4 copper terminals at the back of the music system - 2 each for L & R. These copper wires are the mystery.

How can I get 3.5 mm audio out from some other source, and get sound from these speakers ? Is there any converter available for this ?

I know, noob question, but any explanation will help greatly.

thanks
 
Ok yes, so I completely forgot about amplification. Maybe a simple 3.5 mm output from any source is incapable of producing sound from a big speaker like this, especially as the speaker doesn't have any power input of its own.

But this Digital Amplifier product takes input also as red-white cables, and output also as red-white cables. The input that I will be able to provide is like available in a 3.5 mm socket.

Just checked, impedance is mentioned on the music player as 6 Ohm. Not sure what to do with it. Attaching photo.
 

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From the picture, there is an audio input on the system.
I presume that the system and its inbuilt amplifier is working.
Then all you require is a 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable to connect your source to the system.
Please share the model number of your system so that those familiar can guide you better.
 
kiran6680 said:
But this Digital Amplifier product takes input also as red-white cables, and output also as red-white cables. The input that I will be able to provide is like available in a 3.5 mm socket.
Click to expand...

For that you need this RCA to 3.5mm male cable.


As suggested if your Hi-Fi system still boots up then you just need a male to male 3.5mm Aux cable....
 
@Black_Hawk - Buddy, do you remember the product you had suggested to me when I was planning to do the same with my old Sony music system speakers. Can you please give the link for them again.

OP - I had similar plans. Black_Hawk had linked a product which provides the same 2 - wire output (for upto 4 speakers) that we need for these speakers and it came with options of 3.5mm as well as Bluetooth and pendrive input. I ended up not going ahead with the plan, but he should be able to point out the product to you.
 
Rahyro said:
From the picture, there is an audio input on the system.
I presume that the system and its inbuilt amplifier is working.
Then all you require is a 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable to connect your source to the system.
Please share the model number of your system so that those familiar can guide you better.
Click to expand...

dissel said:
For that you need this RCA to 3.5mm male cable.


As suggested if your Hi-Fi system still boots up then you just need a male to male 3.5mm Aux cable....
Click to expand...

Rahyro and dissel - It is my fault that I didn't explain the whole situation, as it is non technical. The music system is working fine. I want to remove it because as long as the music system is present my family members keep bugging me to burn DVDs, put music of their choice on USB pen drives, find some FM station on the music player etc. The music system doesn't even catch all FM stations of Bangalore for some reason. It is gifted by a "very important person" so no chance of selling it.

I want to move them to on demand systems like Amazon Prime music, fire TV stick, YouTube etc. because then I don't have to manage it :). The concept of DVD needs to die now.

I wanted to keep the speakers because I didn't think about amplification, they sound great, and fire stick doesn't have speakers, and the computer monitor I am planning to use as display doesn't have speakers either.

If the amplifier business turns out to be complicated or expensive, I can keep the music system but I am not sure how to hide it so people stop messing with DVDs, pen drives and FM.
 
kiran6680 said:
How can I get 3.5 mm audio out from some other source, and get sound from these speakers ? Is there any converter available for this ?
Click to expand...
You are prob looking for a 3.5mm male to male cable. One end goes to your mobile and the other to 'audio in' on the Sony.


If you post the model number or a link to the user manual someone should be able to give you the exact steps (you will also have to select the input).
kiran6680 said:
These copper wires are the mystery.
Click to expand...
They are speaker cables (amp output -> speakers).
 
kiran6680 said:
Hi,
I have a 10 year old Sony music system. Great speakers, but it doesn't have modern conveniences like internet, bluetooth etc.

It is built like 3 pieces of about one cubic foot each. One of them is the music system in which we have ports for USB, audio in, audio out, DVD etc. 2 other boxes of the same size are speakers. Both of the speakers get a simple copper wire from the music system, coming out of 4 copper terminals at the back of the music system - 2 each for L & R. These copper wires are the mystery.

How can I get 3.5 mm audio out from some other source, and get sound from these speakers ? Is there any converter available for this ?

I know, noob question, but any explanation will help greatly.

thanks
Click to expand...
I too have a 15 yr old sony GN100D with no bluetooth so connected a tp-link bluetooth receiver to the system via 3.5mm to rca cable. pics attached, you can check them out.
 

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Do you really want to use the speakers only, as in a battery or would repurposing the head unit also work for you?

If you can reuse the head unit, there are devices that can convert your system to a Bluetooth speaker. Fiio BTR devices are made for that purpose
 
Yes, like everyone suggested you can use 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable or 3.5mm to RCA input of your system.
you can also use some bluetooth receiver which can be plugged in 3.5mm or RCA input (whichever available in your system).
 
These days most amplifiers are based out of class D amplifier. They are compact and powerful. But they will be little costly. There are many products available online. They mostly are knock-offs or standard circuit rigged up in a custom made boxes.

For example: https://www.amazon.in/Sound-Boss-2-Channel-BLUETOOTH-Amplifier/dp/B08KJBVQQT This is just an example, consider this as lead. This kind of amp will also be energy efficient when compared with the bulky system you have at present.
 
kiran6680 said:
Rahyro and dissel - It is my fault that I didn't explain the whole situation, as it is non technical. The music system is working fine. I want to remove it because as long as the music system is present my family members keep bugging me to burn DVDs, put music of their choice on USB pen drives, find some FM station on the music player etc. The music system doesn't even catch all FM stations of Bangalore for some reason. It is gifted by a "very important person" so no chance of selling it.

I want to move them to on demand systems like Amazon Prime music, fire TV stick, YouTube etc. because then I don't have to manage it :). The concept of DVD needs to die now.

I wanted to keep the speakers because I didn't think about amplification, they sound great, and fire stick doesn't have speakers, and the computer monitor I am planning to use as display doesn't have speakers either.

If the amplifier business turns out to be complicated or expensive, I can keep the music system but I am not sure how to hide it so people stop messing with DVDs, pen drives and FM.
Click to expand...

Ok…..understood completely,

In one word buy good sounding (balance sound) bluetooth speaker with AUX IN port, this is the only thing to solve your problem, Fire TV stick do the Bluetooth very well.

Just removing the Sony‘s Head Unit with stand-alone Amp unit may not sound equal because one can never know what kind In House propriety DSP sony use to sound best with their own Speaker Design/ unit…..I’m quite certain of it. Unless the stand alone unit also expensive Like Prosumer Grade brand like Mart../Den../ Cambridge A../NAD etc.
 
vishal_k said:
I too have a 15 yr old sony GN100D with no bluetooth so connected a tp-link bluetooth receiver to the system via 3.5mm to rca cable. pics attached, you can check them out.
Click to expand...

Lol fellow GN100D user here, although yours seem to be in pristine condition.
My CD & casette player don't work anymore.
 
dissel said:
one can never know what kind In House propriety DSP sony use to sound best with their own Speaker Design/ unit
Click to expand...
Those boom boxes use standard components for audio amplification (analog), no dsp tech in there. Even most sound bars, speaker systems these days use similar amplification methods.
 
psyph3r said:
Lol fellow GN100D user here, although yours seem to be in pristine condition.
My CD & casette player don't work anymore.
Click to expand...
I do the maintenance of the system myself like cleaning the optical lens and adjusting it via service mode (once a year) and changing cassette player belt. CD section requires 2 belts (every 2 yr) and cassette player requires 3 belts (approx 3-4 yrs). These small maintenance are not too expensive, approx Rs 40/belt. If you are now also using the system, you can repair the CD and cassette system yourself (good amount of videos and online manuals available) . An in-use system will live longer than a system dumped on a bookshelf as a show piece.
 
vishal_k said:
I do the maintenance of the system myself like cleaning the optical lens and adjusting it via service mode (once a year) and changing cassette player belt. CD section requires 2 belts (every 2 yr) and cassette player requires 3 belts (approx 3-4 yrs). These small maintenance are not too expensive, approx Rs 40/belt. If you are now also using the system, you can repair the CD and cassette system yourself (good amount of videos and online manuals available) . An in-use system will live longer than a system dumped on a bookshelf as a show piece.
Click to expand...
I will have to look into it as well. For some reason, most probably nostalgia, I still like the sound of the cassettes and I have a good collection of the oldies. My player is much older and doesn't have the option of Audio in like you guys have which makes it straight forward for you to provide input through aux cable. My CD player didn't work for a long time even when the system was in use. It works but has a mind of it's own, skipping whole CDs and reads and plays after a lot of trial. Is there anything that can be done about that. Also, please share your source for the belts. Mine hasn't been changed since 97 when the system was bought.
 
rdst_1 said:
I will have to look into it as well. For some reason, most probably nostalgia, I still like the sound of the cassettes and I have a good collection of the oldies. My player is much older and doesn't have the option of Audio in like you guys have which makes it straight forward for you to provide input through aux cable. My CD player didn't work for a long time even when the system was in use. It works but has a mind of it's own, skipping whole CDs and reads and plays after a lot of trial. Is there anything that can be done about that. Also, please share your source for the belts. Mine hasn't been changed since 97 when the system was bought.
Click to expand...
I usually purchase belts from local market as I have to match the thickness as well as length of the belts. For this much old system, model wise components may not be available, so match and try is the only option. You can get it from any shop which deals in electronic parts. Now a days, students use such belts in making robotic projects.
 
rdst_1 said:
I will have to look into it as well. For some reason, most probably nostalgia, I still like the sound of the cassettes and I have a good collection of the oldies. My player is much older and doesn't have the option of Audio in like you guys have which makes it straight forward for you to provide input through aux cable. My CD player didn't work for a long time even when the system was in use. It works but has a mind of it's own, skipping whole CDs and reads and plays after a lot of trial. Is there anything that can be done about that. Also, please share your source for the belts. Mine hasn't been changed since 97 when the system was bought.
Click to expand...
You can use something like this.

Phenovo Car Cassette Tape 3.5mm AUX Audio Adapter for MP3 Player CD iPod Phone : Amazon.in: Electronics

Phenovo Car Cassette Tape 3.5mm AUX Audio Adapter for MP3 Player CD iPod Phone : Amazon.in: Electronics
www.amazon.in
 
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