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[email protected] daveallston@rogers.com is offline
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Default Question - how to hook up telephone through stereo?

Hello
I have a question that I'm desperately searching an answer for. I am
wondering if it is possible (I'm pretty sure it is) to hook up the
telephone through my stereo (or even the computer). I have a group
meeting to host at my place, and would like to have a friend who will
be calling in via phone participate. But I want to avoid having to use
speakerphone, since speakerphone is always crappy sounding/distorted,
etc.

I know in the past i messed around a bit with wires and what not, and
was able to run my phone through my little tabletop tape/cd stereo. The
sound was awesome.

I'd like to do this again, and would like some on advice on what i
might need to buy to make it happen. Or if its possible to hook the
phone up through the computer, so the audio runs through my computer
speakers (and I guess then I could hook up some mics to send the audio
out).... would that work?

Any advice on the best/easiest way I can do this to achieve the best
possible sound is much appreciated. Thanks!!
Dave Allston

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Mike Rivers Mike Rivers is offline
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Default Question - how to hook up telephone through stereo?


wrote:

I have a group
meeting to host at my place, and would like to have a friend who will
be calling in via phone participate. But I want to avoid having to use
speakerphone, since speakerphone is always crappy sounding/distorted,
etc.


Speakerphones sound crappy because many of them ARE crappy. You can buy
a good one, but not for $19.95 with a built-in answering machine and
beer tap. But there's a limit to how good a telephone converstation
will sound because telephones are crappy, and the bandwidth is severely
limited. Will this be listen-only, or will you want the group to talk
to the caller? When you have a live microphone and a live loudspeaker
in the same room, you need to do something to prevent feedback, and of
course the person on the other end of the call will hear all your
lovely room acoustics.

There's a device called a "hybrid" which is used to interface a
telephone line to a studio console. It's what radio statiions use when
they have on-air call-in shows. JK Audio is one of the major suppliers.
(
http://www.jkaudio.com).

I know in the past i messed around a bit with wires and what not, and
was able to run my phone through my little tabletop tape/cd stereo. The
sound was awesome.


Sell it. Anything that can make a crappy telephone sound awesome has
gotta be worth a lot.

Any advice on the best/easiest way I can do this to achieve the best
possible sound is much appreciated.


Buy a $1500 speakerphone. I sometimes work in an office that has a
couple of Polycom speakerphones (I think they call them "conference
station" to justify the price) and they work very well. That's best and
easiest. Now your only problem is where to get the $1500.

Oh, and you aren't going to build something at home using a few wires
that will approach the quality of this unit. You can amplify the caller
(listen only) fairly easily and it'll sound better than his voice
coming through a $20 plastic box. But to make something that works like
a telephone is more complicated.

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Roy W. Rising Roy W. Rising is offline
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Default Question - how to hook up telephone through stereo?

wrote:
Hello
I have a question that I'm desperately searching an answer for. I am
wondering if it is possible (I'm pretty sure it is) to hook up the
telephone through my stereo (or even the computer). I have a group
meeting to host at my place, and would like to have a friend who will
be calling in via phone participate. But I want to avoid having to use
speakerphone, since speakerphone is always crappy sounding/distorted,
etc.

I know in the past i messed around a bit with wires and what not, and
was able to run my phone through my little tabletop tape/cd stereo. The
sound was awesome.

I'd like to do this again, and would like some on advice on what i
might need to buy to make it happen. Or if its possible to hook the
phone up through the computer, so the audio runs through my computer
speakers (and I guess then I could hook up some mics to send the audio
out).... would that work?

Any advice on the best/easiest way I can do this to achieve the best
possible sound is much appreciated. Thanks!!
Dave Allston


Radio and TV programs do this all the time. The device used is called a
Telephone Hybrid Coupler. It provides for a line level input from a mic
mixer, a line level output that can be added to a program mix and/or sent
to a speaker, and a hookup across a phone line. A phone is use to
establist the connection and then a button is pushed causing the coupler to
"seize" the phone call.

Telos Systems makes some of the best couplers. Visit
www.telos-systems.com
to learn more.

--
~ Roy
"If you notice the sound, it's wrong!"
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Julian Julian is offline
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Default Question - how to hook up telephone through stereo?

On 19 Sep 2006 19:42:41 GMT, Roy W. Rising
wrote:


Telos Systems makes some of the best couplers. Visit www.telos-systems.com
to learn more.


BTW, I have a big preference for the JK Audio ones Mike linked to over
the Telos ones. JK's sound better and have less null problems IMO.

Here's one even cheaper than the cheapest JK by a company I can
recommend. I haven't used this particular device but I've bought
maybe a dozen of this company's other devices and been on the phone
with the owner/designer several times:

http://www.broadcasttools.com/view_product.php?pid=113

Of course, the results will be less than perfect but for $119 instead
of $700 and up, what do you expect?

If that's still too much money you can always use a coupler (NOT
hybrid), but there is no feedback prevention in a coupler. Still
could work if money is your main limitation:

For $88:

http://www.bswusa.com/proditem.asp?item=HC-1

Julian





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Mark Mark is offline
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Default Question - how to hook up telephone through stereo?




If that's still too much money you can always use a coupler (NOT
hybrid), but there is no feedback prevention in a coupler. Still
could work if money is your main limitation:


to the op...

is your friend on the phone going to only be talking, or only listening
or will (s)he do both???

the problem with both is that simple bi-directional connections to the
phone create a feedback path, thats what the hybrid takes care of....

if you need a bi-directional set-up your best bet is to get a decent
speaker phone...they have a hybrid and automatic talk/listen switching
going on...it's not a simple connection and an amplifer...

Polycomms are very good, but not cheap...


Mark



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Julian Julian is offline
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Default Question - how to hook up telephone through stereo?

On 19 Sep 2006 14:40:24 -0700, "Mark" wrote:

Polycomms are very good, but not cheap...


Last month I was working on wiring a 16 mic Polycomm system for a
video conference center at the University. It has an automatic
camera control which follows whoever has their mic turned on and 3 of
the largest damn plasma screens I've ever seen. It's awesome to see
it working.

Julian


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Richard Crowley Richard Crowley is offline
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Default Question - how to hook up telephone through stereo?

daveallston wrote ...
I have a question that I'm desperately searching an answer for. I am
wondering if it is possible (I'm pretty sure it is) to hook up the
telephone through my stereo (or even the computer).


Sure there are several ways of doing it. Which one is likely
best for your situation depends on several things you did not
disclose (budget? one-time vs. ongoing, one-way or two-way,
etc. etc .etc.)

I have a group
meeting to host at my place, and would like to have a friend who will
be calling in via phone participate. But I want to avoid having to use
speakerphone, since speakerphone is always crappy sounding/distorted,
etc.


What does "participate" mean? Will they be delivering a
speech to the people assembled at your place, or do you
expect a two-way conversation?

If it is one way only (from the phone line to your stereo)
then you could likely use one of the inexpensive gadgets
from Radio Shack which are sold to people who want to
record their phone conversations.

OTOH, if "partcipate" means 2-way, then you have no real
choice but to use at least a speakerphone, if not a real phone
patch or "hybrid".

Not at all clear whether the "crappy sounding/distorted"
signal is caused by the speakerphone, or by the telephone
at the other end and/or the telephone system itself. Remember
that the telephone system is *by-definition* quite low
"fidelity".

I know in the past i messed around a bit with wires and what not, and
was able to run my phone through my little tabletop tape/cd stereo.
The
sound was awesome.

I'd like to do this again, and would like some on advice on what i
might need to buy to make it happen. Or if its possible to hook the
phone up through the computer, so the audio runs through my computer
speakers (and I guess then I could hook up some mics to send the audio
out).... would that work?


There is significantly more to a speakerphone (or a phone
patch/hybrid) than a speaker and microphone(s). There is
actually a rather sophisticated circuit which prevents feedback
at your end from the sound of your microphones coming back
out the speakers at your end.

Any advice on the best/easiest way I can do this to achieve the best
possible sound is much appreciated. Thanks!!


What is your budget?
How often are you going to do this?
Do you need one-way ("simplex") or
two-way ("duplex")?

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