Connecting Rokit 6 G1 to PC

Drake5 · 27 May 2017 at 16:58

I picked up some Rokit 6 G1's for £50 and I need to figure out how to connect them to my PC as I have no idea

Can someone tell me what cables I need

Drake5 · 27 May 2017 at 18:14

I've got them connected by RCA but I have interference, will a sound card fix this

Marsman · 27 May 2017 at 19:24

It may, it may not. Depends whether a sound card will also be affected, which is impossible to know without trying one first.

DAC via optical would be a safer bet to avoid interference.

Drake5 · 27 May 2017 at 19:28

Marsman said:
It may, it may not. Depends whether a sound card will also be affected, which is impossible to know without trying one first.

DAC via optical would be a safer bet to avoid interference.

I have a cheap DAC, I don't have an optical port though I'd have to get a sound card for that. Would it be worth trying with a cheap DAC

Marsman · 27 May 2017 at 23:10

Certainly worth trying if you have one already. Is it a USB one?

kedge · 28 May 2017 at 09:08

Look on the back of the studio monitors. I have the Rokit powered 5's I have stereo (balanced) 1/4 (quarter inch) jack to XLR but you can use 1/4 jack to 1/4 jack, I found RCA too noisy too much interference. I also use a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 USB audio interface which has 1/4 jacks balanced outputs for left and right studio monitors.

kedge · 28 May 2017 at 09:24

kedge said:
Look on the back of the studio monitors. I have the Rokit powered 5's I have stereo (balanced) 1/4 (quarter inch) jack to XLR but you can use 1/4 jack to 1/4 jack, I found RCA too noisy too much interference. I also use a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 USB audio interface which has 1/4 jacks balanced outputs for left and right studio monitors. My setup is mainly for ableton live lite and a few software synths and a few plugins. I have not been able to isolate interference and remove it completely, there is always some form of electromagnetic interference. Some have suggested ground loops but my setup will suffice.

Marsman · 28 May 2017 at 11:01

He'll need a device with balanced outputs of he is going to use those. Such a device will cost him more than the speakers did. Really depends what he's looking to spend.

If not a lot, then a USB DAC will do fine if the USB is free of electrical noise.

Drake5 · 28 May 2017 at 16:05

Thanks for the suggestions, I think what I'm hearing is ground loop. Every time I move the mouse the interference gets worse, I'm not sure if I need a DAC or a ground loop isolator

Marsman · 28 May 2017 at 16:28

You can try a ground loop isolator. Might get rid of it altogether, or partially. They're cheap, so no real loss if one doesn't help all that much.

If the DAC you have is optical, then you'll need to get a sound card. If that's the case, then certainly worth getting a ground loop isolator first. Cheaper than buying a sound card just for optical out, and it might solve the problem.

hughythomas · 4 Jun 2017 at 12:36

Just get a cheap audio interface and be sure to connect the active monitors to it via BALANCED connection(s) such as XLR or balanced jack (this will have two black rings round the top of the cable).

hughythomas · 4 Jun 2017 at 12:38

Check out Presonus they make a cheap audio interface (~£70) called the Audiobox USB.

RCA phono sucks balls and will always sound horrible as it is inherently unbalanced FYI so has no protective coating against EFI from the computer.