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Audio interface to home theater receiver

itsalongroad

itsalongroad

Sep 26, 2021
15
21
#1
I made a search on forum about using home theater as practice amp but all the topics were related to directly plugging guitar to system.Well,i tried that and plugged my bass directly to the CD input with rca cables.There were a sound whic is satisfying but people told me its bad to send raw signals directly from bass guitar so i stopped it. (my receiver is old 2002 Sony STR-DE485E) I was thinking what if i get a cheap audio interface like behringer um2 and plug it directly to CD in put with rca cables.What do you guys think ?
 
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#3
Tosh said:
The audio interface is the way to go. Better is Better. Cheap will be - cheap, but better than no interface.

FWIW I don't like the tone of my bass played through my stereo system (not old, not cheap). The bass amp is a better sound, for playing bass.
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Yes i had a marshall mb15 amp but i had to sell it .Love the location off my speakers in the living room.
 
#5
You could also use almost any preamp pedal, Zoom FX pedal, Line 6 Stomp, etc. between your bass and your stereo. Doing so will help make your bass “sound like a bass” through your stereo.

ClusterFlux said:
Use the right tool for the job.
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It works quite well with the right “interface” between the bass and stereo. Not much different than playing through studio monitors, right?
 
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#6
ClusterFlux said:
You should just... get a practice amp.

I don't know your situation, but you can get a used practice amp for well under $100.

Use the right tool for the job.
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Thanks for the answer,i had a pratice amp and sold it.I live in a country where its hard to get equipments.I'd be happy if there are safe ways to use my stereo as practice amp with interface.What can go wrong while interface plugged in ?
 
#7
Audio interface may drive your stereo system too hard and signal goes to distortion. Keep level low and you are good to go but don't expect good sound. You would like bass preamp and cab sim in front of audio interface to tailor your sound closer to bass amp type. Active bass has some controls that may help too.
 
#10
Redbrangus said:
I'm still trying to figure why it's bad to send a raw bass signal to a home audio system.
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It sounds bad, in my experience. The impedance is way high, the signal is way low - by the time you adjust your stereo amp for these factors your tone is gone and you will probably get a lot of noise from the guitar and the amp.

And then there's the unlikelyhood that typical home theatre speakers can truly handle the dynamics and low-end frequencies...
 
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#11
Redbrangus said:
I'm still trying to figure out why it's bad to send a raw bass signal to a home audio system.
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A “raw” bass signal (let’s assume you’ve taken care of level and impedance issues) is a lot more dynamic than recorded bass. It can be easy to overdrive the speakers.

Recorded bass has been massaged for dynamic and spectral control.
 
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#13
Just be aware that the Behringer UM2 is usb bus powered. It does not come with a power supply, just a usb cable.

The UM2 is a very poor quality interface. 16bit is pretty much stone age technology by today's standards. But if that's your budget you won't find anything cheaper with an instrument input and RCA out.

I'd rather spend a little more and get a cheap practise amp. Then you won't risk blowing your home theater speakers. An unprocessed (no eq/compression) DI'd bass guitar can have very powerful, deep lows and huge spikes in the signal. In fact, it's probably the tweeters I would be most worried about. Insert you jack at a loud volume and "POP" your tweeters could be toast.
 
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#14
Also, most professional audio gear have +4dBu outputs. Consumer electronics like home theater systems normally use -10bDV so you could be overloading your amp.

There's nothing professional about the UM2 though so I guess the outputs on that particular interface MIGHT be -10dbV. I still wouldn't do it. It's not really any safer for your speakers than plugging your bass straight into the amp with a jack to RCA cable. In fact, it's probably worse because you can boost the signal and REALLY do some damage.
 
#16
itsalongroad said:
I made a search on forum about using home theater as practice amp but all the topics were related to directly plugging guitar to system.Well,i tried that and plugged my bass directly to the CD input with rca cables.There were a sound whic is satisfying but people told me its bad to send raw signals directly from bass guitar so i stopped it. (my receiver is old 2002 Sony STR-DE485E) I was thinking what if i get a cheap audio interface like behringer um2 and plug it directly to CD in put with rca cables.What do you guys think ?
Click to expand...

MXR M81 Bass Preamp Bass Effects Pedal w/ DI Direct Out | Pitbull Audio | Reverb

Interfaces can work, but they work best with a computer attached :) and are mostly needed if you plan on recording or tracking with digital filters (e.g. VSTs).
Short of that, I've plugged an MXR M81 into almost everything that can make sound and never had a problem. It sounds great with just EQ and the clean pre-amp through my living room 5.4 system. If you want vintage tones, then look at bass pre-amps with cab-sim emulations and/or drive circuits.
Bass pre-amp is the right answer.
 
#17
JKos said:
You could also use almost any preamp pedal, Zoom FX pedal, Line 6 Stomp, etc. between your bass and your stereo. Doing so will help make your bass “sound like a bass” through your stereo.


It works quite well with the right “interface” between the bass and stereo. Not much different than playing through studio monitors, right?
Click to expand...

My Digitech modeling floor pedal sounds great going in to headphones, which I use floor my individual practice time. Really, there is no need for an external amp.
 
#20
itsalongroad said:
I made a search on forum about using home theater as practice amp but all the topics were related to directly plugging guitar to system.Well,i tried that and plugged my bass directly to the CD input with rca cables.There were a sound whic is satisfying but people told me its bad to send raw signals directly from bass guitar so i stopped it. (my receiver is old 2002 Sony STR-DE485E) I was thinking what if i get a cheap audio interface like behringer um2 and plug it directly to CD in put with rca cables.What do you guys think ?
Click to expand...


What is the problem with using and adapter and plugging straight in? The signal levels are not a perfect match, but AFAIK it's not going to damage the CD input on your receiver. HiFi gear usually works at -10dB. Instrument level is generally a bit lower, but some instruments like keyboards may approach or exceed -10dB. You may need to turn up the volume on your receiver a bit more than normal.

I believe the concern IMHO is more with potentially damaging your speakers. Recorded bass tends to be highly processed (compressed, limited, and equalized), which is why HiFi speakers can reproduce fairly loud bass without distorting. With unprocessed bass that still has the full bandwidth and dynamic range, HiFi speakers tend to distort at relatively low volume. IMHO, basic audio interface may resolve the level mismatch but it is not going to address the problems with bandwidth and dynamic range.
 
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