8 track to amplifier possible ?
- Thread starter mbaird
- Start date
-
Back in the day, i did and at 16 i thought it was great
What kind of amp? Does it have RCA connectors? Just get a line level adapter and hook it up.
A line level adapter has the four wire connection on one side, the adapter in the middle and RCA plugs on the other. Easy. Cheap too.
grimreaper
Cross Member
Not a recommendation here...just an example of the line level adapter.
PAC SNI-35 LINE LEVEL ADAPTER HI TO LOW SPEAKER TO RCA | eBay
PAC SNI-35 LINE LEVEL ADAPTER HI TO LOW SPEAKER TO RCA | eBay
Garry in AZ
Building a 9 second Valiant
You can amplify the output of the 8-track, just as others have said. You can use a high to low level adapter, or simply buy an amplifier with built in high level inputs. However, you might not be all that happy with the results, so proceed with a bit of caution and have relatively low expectations of the final results.
The 8-track player you have already has a built in amplifier. When you connect another amplifier after the original, it will amplify all of the signal it's fed, including the noise (hiss) from the original. The 8-track systems of the day were never known for their high performance audio characteristics, so I would expect a fair amount of noise to get amplified along with the music. It's also possible that you may end up with some alternator noise, since the output of the 8-track can create a ground loop between it and the input of the new amplifier. This is a correctable problem, but it will take someone with some audio troubleshooting experience to fix it. These potential issues may or may not matter to you, they're just things you should be aware of before spending money on an amplifier.
Another idea would be to add an amplifier with a Bluetooth input so you could simply stream music from your phone or whatever directly to the amp. It would cost roughly the same, and end up sounding a whole lot better than the 8-track.
The 8-track player you have already has a built in amplifier. When you connect another amplifier after the original, it will amplify all of the signal it's fed, including the noise (hiss) from the original. The 8-track systems of the day were never known for their high performance audio characteristics, so I would expect a fair amount of noise to get amplified along with the music. It's also possible that you may end up with some alternator noise, since the output of the 8-track can create a ground loop between it and the input of the new amplifier. This is a correctable problem, but it will take someone with some audio troubleshooting experience to fix it. These potential issues may or may not matter to you, they're just things you should be aware of before spending money on an amplifier.
Another idea would be to add an amplifier with a Bluetooth input so you could simply stream music from your phone or whatever directly to the amp. It would cost roughly the same, and end up sounding a whole lot better than the 8-track.
cudajim
cudajim
You're looking for a line-level output (1v approx.) to feed into a big power amp. You're not going to get that from your old 8-track unless you tap into the output of the pre-amp at the center terminal of the volume pot. You'd have to get creative with 2 short pieces of coax wire, RCA output jacks and some soldering.
Was that English ? Lol
Maybe I will leave it there for looks and hide a modern head unit under the seat... I will need some amps and subs to hear it over the band under the hood ! Lol
340doc
Well-Known Member
Look for an old school underdash power booster/equalizer. That's what a lot of us ran in the old days. You can push a button on the unit and turn it on when needed.
-
