So I connected my stereo to my Mac...

[Jay]

However, I now can not use my other external (altec lansing) speakers that I bough about a year ago.  Is it possible to use both speakers (altec and stereo) at the same time?  Can I get a splitter to do this, or am i taking a chance of blowing something up?  I found this.  Will it work?

splitter

Thanks for any input!

[Al]

You can, I think Radio shack would have a splitter.

You do have to watch out for impedance (ohms) and overloading your Macs impedance for it's sound output.  The more speakers you run on one output (say the left channel) the more the impedance, the more power you will need to drive all speakers and your ohms factor will double.

Example...4 ohm output, two 4 ohm speakers=8 ohms

You will need twice the amount of wattage to run those speakers and will put a load on your sound source because it is rated at a lower rating.

[Jay]

Thanks
I kinda get it, but not really...  How do I figure out how much my computer can handle?

[kelly]

What if you hooked all four speakers to your stereo?  

Or is that not possible?

Found this little item.

prospeaker_breakout cable

And this.

http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/powerwave/

Don't know if that helps any.

[Jay]

The breakout cable is good for 500mhz or higher.  Mine is a 350.  Sounds cool though.  What I am looking to do though is use both my stereo speakers, and my Altec Lansing speakers with subwoofer.  But after what Al said, I don't know if its possible...  I really don't feel like blowing anything up!

[kelly]

Maybe this.  

M-Audio Revolution 7.1 PCI sound card for $65 after rebate

http://dealmac.com/articles/49631.html