Axe Fx II XL -> home speaker input.. XLR or 1/4 in to RCA?

mike86325

Member
I'm trying to find a way to make my axe fx II XL usable with regular home speakers (either RCA or 3.5mm inputs). I'm guessing RCA may be the way to go since most home speakers have them, but I'm not sure how to route for it. I'm guessing I either need to get cables that are XLR Female to RCA male or 1/4 in. to RCA. I want whatever will give the best sound quality and signal:noise ratio.

I already have monitors in my house, but I'm too lazy to bring those just to jam with my uncle once in a while :)
 
This guy does 1/4in to RCA, but he goes through a stereo first. Would it be possible to go straight into a speaker using 1/4 to RCA or would the signal to noise be too much? Sorry for my complete lack of knowledge on this stuff, I haven't had anything besides a practice amp before the axe-fx so this is a whole new world of options and things to consider.

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Unless you have self powered speakers, you’ll need another piece of the puzzle. If you do, 1/4 to rca.

Oh ok, that shouldn't be an issue. Would there be too much background noise with 1/4in though? Given it is an unbalanced signal? Not sure running XLR adapters (through the balanced output) would actually alleviate the noise or not.
 
Would there be too much background noise with 1/4in though? Given it is an unbalanced signal? Not sure running XLR adapters (through the balanced output) would actually alleviate the noise or not.
The speakers are unbalanced. You won’t gain anything by feeding them a balanced signal.

In any case, noise is not the issue here; it’s power. The Axe II’s outputs are line-level, not speaker-level. You need a power amp to beef up the signal before sending it to the speakers. That’s why Tyler used a stereo receiver. It has built-in power amps.

In any case, be careful. Home speakers aren’t built for the abuse that an amplified guitar-amp signal can dish out. So use restraint when you turn it up. :)
 
The speakers are unbalanced. You won’t gain anything by feeding them a balanced signal.

In any case, noise is not the issue here; it’s power. The Axe II’s outputs are line-level, not speaker-level. You need a power amp to beef up the signal before sending it to the speakers. That’s why Tyler used a stereo receiver. It has built-in power amps.

In any case, be careful. Home speakers aren’t built for the abuse that an amplified guitar-amp signal can dish out. So use restraint when you turn it up. :)

Ahh ok, that makes a lot more sense now! It looks like I will go with whichever is cheapest then. Thank you for the info!
 
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