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Long cable aux

950 Views 6 Replies 4 Participants Last post by  Y.K.A
Hello. I want to connect external speakers to the projector. Is there a problem using an aux 3.5 cable with a length of 8 meters? What are the other connection options? Bluetooth will cause Delay? Alternatively, if there will necessarily be a delay with Bluetooth, and if a long aux cable cannot be used, will an optical cable solve the problem? In the projector I have an optical output but in the speakers no? Will a simple converter do the job or will there be a decrease in audio quality?
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Traditionally a receiver is used for this purpose, and the audio is carried along the hdmi with the video. Most that ponied up for this expensive of a projector likely don't go without one. I'm unsure if such long audio cables in and of themselves will be an issue, I'm guessing not.
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Of course an AVR/receiver w/HDMI is the best possible solution but also the most expensive. Some kind of an amplifier or powered speakers like computer monitors are required to use either the jack or OPT out. Length of the cable is not an issue but passive speakers won't work.
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All of this comes down to your specific setup and what you are trying to achieve. If you use a quality speakerbar, it will have a optical audio input. As others have said, an AV receiver and proper surround speakers will allow you to plug sources right into it, and they also have a proper optical audio input on it.

BUT - To your original question... The 3.5mm cables can work just fine, as long as it is a quality cable and you aren't running it all the near to things which can introduce noise onto the cable. The cable itself will carry analog audio, which is susceptible to electrical interference, which causes noise. So, you may end up with some noise on the cable if it isn't a high quality cable or if it is in a (electrically) noisy environment.

To your other question... You can buy a digital to analog converter (DAC) and plug the speakers into the DAC locally. I just did an installation where I needed to run the audio out of a TV, 70 feet over to an audio mixer. I ended up using a long optical cable, then a DAC and a couple of short analog cables to get the 'best possible' audio quality into the system. It worked great.

So, you have a number of choices here, but please do keep in mind that you are generally speaking about pretty entry level audio for a home theater type of setup, and this won't be surround sound or use any of the modern audio formats. It will be, relatively speaking, pretty low quality audio overall.
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Thank you very much for the invested answer. Of course we are talking about entry-level equipment. I'm just getting started. I have pretty good amplified JBL speakers. These speakers are connected to a computer with a DAC that is also considered high quality, from there there is a JDS switch that allows me to connect the computer in one port, and to an Android box in the other port. The projector will be connected to a computer with HDMI (I'm still debating how to do it with an 8 meter cable), the computer itself is connected to the speakers (via USB to the DAC from there to the switch and then to the speakers) so if I watch the projector through a computer problem. The problem is when I use the projector's Android system. The projector has an AUX port and an optical port, and of course HDMI ACR. If I understand correctly, in this configuration I actually do not need a receiver when I am with amplified speakers? Regarding the use of the right cable - AUX cable will give me a less good sound that is affected by electrical interference, so it is better to use an optical cable with DAC? Optical cable not affected by such interference? An optical cable has no problem with an 8 meter cable right? Do you have a better way to do it?
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...AUX cable will give me a less good sound that is affected by electrical interference, so it is better to use an optical cable with DAC? Optical cable not affected by such interference? An optical cable has no problem with an 8 meter cable right? Do you have a better way to do it?
Keeping in mind that a lot of the terms you are using 'pretty good', and 'high quality' are very relative terms. Most DACs these days work just fine and carry very little audible differences. They are cheap. But, you are still talking about a non-surround setup with a system that was really designed for surround sound immersiion.

At the most basic level, both a long optical cable with a DAC and then a short analog cable can sound exactly the same as a long analog cable. It just depends on the quality of the cable in use (not the price... the quality) and the amount of noise in the room.

You should list the make/model of the projector and any gear you use. Using relativistic terms like 'good' or 'great' - doesn't tell anyone anything. Use actual model numbers ALWAYS when discussing your gear so that people can actually tell you if you will get acceptable results and give you honest (and sometimes brutal) statements about quality you should expect.

There are far too many projectors on the market to know if your system will actually deliver much in the way of quality. But, for sure, get a decent HDMI cable if you are using a 4K setup between the computer and the projector. HDMI cables are a MAJOR source of problems.
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