Newsgroups: sci.electronics.misc
Subject: Re: audio board ... input and output impedances...
References: <[email protected]>
"larya"  writes:

> Greetings....
> 
> Would someone please tell me what the specs are for the audio output
> and input levels and impedances for computers....


There are some variations from sound card manufacturer 
to another, just like in hifi equipment. 

You can find some details at 
http://www.epanorama.net/links/pc_sound.html#interfacing

Line level outputs on consumer PC soundcards can typically output
signals up to 2V levels and ouput impedance typically from tens of
ohms to few hundred ohms (quite typical is 30-400 ohms). Those line
level outputs are designed to be connected to consumer equipments
(normal Hifi amplifier with -10dB nominal level line input) or powered
multimedia speakers. 

Typical line level audio input connections are generally designed to
accept audio signals in the range of 500 mV to 2V. They are designed
to operate nicely with consumer equipments like tape decs and CD
players nicely (those devices use typically -10dB signal level). 
 Line level audio input connectors are high impedance inputs
(typically around 10-47 kohm). 

Most sound mic card inputs require a minimum signal level of at least 10
millivolts. Sound Blasters and some older 8-bit cards need 100
millivolts. Practically all consumer soundcard supply bias voltage on
their outputs to power the electret microphones (the only microphone
type which works with this kind of cards). The input impedance of the
typical PC soundcard microphone input is typically in order of 1500 to
20000 ohms (can vary from card to card). 


-- 
Tomi Engdahl (http://www.iki.fi/then/)
Take a look at my electronics web links and documents at 
http://www.epanorama.net/