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General discussion

CD-ROM Audio Cable Question

by WolfeBay Jun 25, 2005 7:37AM PDT

Hi all,

I was wondering what is the exact purpose of the CD-ROM Audio cable? The cable is gray, with a 4 pin plug on both sides but only has three wires occupying the ports on some cables, and all 4 occupied on others. The inside wire colors are Red, Yellow, White, and Black, and connect onto the Audio port on the back of the CD-ROM near the IDE cable, and connect usually to the rear of the motherboard for Audio.

I have left this cable unplugged in the past, and have never noticed a difference in sound quality from music CD's being played from the system.

Does this cable even serve an audio purpose anymore? Is it a legacy device from the earlier days of DOS and Windows 3.xx? Or does it serve a superior purpose for audiophiles and those that work in some sound industry?

Thanks in advanced to your answers!

-WolfeBay

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I believe. . .

by Coryphaeus Jun 26, 2005 12:36AM PDT

this was needed on mother boards that didn't support digital audio. Most CD drives still have the plug/cable for the older systems.

Wayne

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