Aux inputs in cars....Are they as good as L+R rca jacks?

[Reli]

Lots of cars nowadays have an Aux input with only one hole. The same is true for my Kaboom......its Aux input has only one hole. Is the sound quality as good as the old-style L+R inputs? If so, then why didn't they just use one hole on vintage boomboxes and receivers? Why bother making it 2 holes?

 

[JustCruisin]

Most vintage equipment used 1/4" inputs, I don't think 1/8" was invented yet..
The dual RCA inputs were to hook up a record player (phono)

 

[Superduper]

Kabooms & new cars reflect the migration from traditional audio device tethering due to the now ubiquitous personal audio devices all using the small 1/8" earbud jack. They aren't or weren't really intended for input/output cabling but being that's how people have been using them, manufacturers have adapted by incorporating that size as aux inputs. Even if 1/8" size jacks was present on older classics, they were frequently mono, not stereo jacks. In any event, input and output impedances when mixing older boomboxes with newer mp3 type players intended for earbuds don't always mesh well.

Anyhow you are looking at it wrong since classic boomboxes are almost 40 years old now and you are wondering why they didn't have the foresight to predict what direction personal audio would take 40+ years later?

 

[jimmyjimmy19702010]

Here are the RCA line ins in my 2012 Renault Trafic van:!! View attachment 24979

 

[Reli]

Kabooms & new cars reflect the migration from traditional audio device tethering due to the now ubiquitous personal audio devices all using the small 1/8" earbud jack. They aren't or weren't really intended for input/output cabling but being that's how people have been using them, manufacturers have adapted by incorporating that size as aux inputs. Even if 1/8" size jacks was present on older classics, they were frequently mono, not stereo jacks. In any event, input and output impedances when mixing older boomboxes with newer mp3 type players intended for earbuds don't always mesh well.

Anyhow you are looking at it wrong since classic boomboxes are almost 40 years old now and you are wondering why they didn't have the foresight to predict what direction personal audio would take 40+ years later?

Those same 40 year old receivers and boomboxes have headphone jacks that can send stereo signals out of just one hole. So why weren't all inputs/outputs designed that way? Separate L+R holes just wastes space and offers no advantage.

Someone outta go back in time and talk to the guy who created the first audio jacks, and wacked him upside the head. "Pardon me good sir. Before you enslave the world to a new industry standard, have you duly considered constructing them in such a way that only one hole is required?"

Just rambling

 

[Superduper]

Output cabling are far less susceptible to interference than low level signal cabling, so different purpose. Headphones are output terminal devices. That people today are injecting low powered output signals back into input receivers isn't something manufacturers knew would happen. Additionally these skinny 1/8" cables share a common ground AND the shield is often very thin and marginal at best as a shield. This isn't as much of an issue with today's mp3 output devices BUT try connecting a classic phono or other low level signal source and you may hear a difference.