# How do I use a PA microphone with a HT?



## AngryBadger75 (Jun 3, 2008)

I want to run a micropone into a Home Theater receiver to avoid setting up both a home theater and a PA system in a small auditorium setting. I have the microphone (tried wired and wireless) 3 pin output running to a rca adapter that is then plugged into an input to the Harman Kardon receiver. I have to crank the volume all the way up on the HK, the output/gain all the way up on the mic, and I still can only hear my voice if I put the mic right up to my lips, no sound with the mic at lapel level. 

I'm guessing the mic output is lower than the expected input level for my HK receiver. Do I need some sort of preamp or something? I'm sure someone else has had this issue but I didn't see this specifically when I searched this forum. New guy here, please help


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

AngryBadger75 said:


> Do I need some sort of preamp or something?


Hi and welcome to the Shack,

Yes you would need some sort of pre-amp or even better a small mixer that has XLR inputs for a mic to be used. you would then run an rca cable from the mixer to the input on the receiver.


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## brucek (Apr 11, 2006)

I suspect it's either a typical condenser or dynamic microphone and so would require a mic preamp and mixer volume control to increase the voltage to a line level for the receiver to make use of.

A typical inexpensive one (with phantom voltage for the condenser type) is the XENYX802 available at local guitar shops or on-line.

It has balanced inputs and balanced outputs. You can convert the balanced output to unbalanced with the use of a simple Radio Shack adapter plug (or equivalent like this) which allows you to plug an RCA cable into it.

brucek


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## AngryBadger75 (Jun 3, 2008)

brucek said:


> A typical inexpensive one (with phantom voltage for the condenser type) is the XENYX802 available at local guitar shops or on-line.
> 
> brucek


Thanks for the suggestion. That $59 multichanel mixer with preamp is only about $10 more than the ART Tube MP preamp I was looking at. It's on the way!


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