Connecting Yamaha receiver to computer via USB

This may be a somewhat silly question but I've never attempted it before...please bear with me. I have a receiver that has a front USB port on it and it works perfectly well when connecting my Pono, iPod, etc., etc. Gives full directory access and control of the contents. What I'm wondering, however, is can I run a USB cable from a computer to the receiver and have similar control of the computer's hard drives in order to stream my music that way? Are there any required steps other than just running a cable with 2 male ends between the computer and receiver?

I've never really bothered with anything like this before so any help would be appreciated. Thanks guys.

 

I think the way most disc players with USB inputs and receivers work is with a raw external HD. Migrate your music onto an external drive and attach.

 

It won't work that way. The receiver wants to "see" a peripheral device on the other end...but so would the PC. You need a USB memory stick or hard disk drive, loaded with the desired media (songs, video, pictures) in order to enjoy them on your receiver. Unless it has network capability--then you can stream to it over your local (home) network. You can find drives with 1Tb for under $55 now (if it is just for streaming and not backup, go for price and don't be overly concerned about quality or drive failure in this application--most anything will work).

 

I've never used it, but a Western Digital WD My Cloud unit seem like a good solution for you. It's basically a Network Attached Storage (NAS) box, but much easier to set up than most. You could use the USB port to connect it to your receiver, and the Ethernet port to connect it to your computer. If you don't want a physical connection to your computer, it also does DLNA and UPnP if your computer (or even Smart TV) has DLNA software (like JRiver Media Center). Less than $200 for 4TB. You'll need to move your music to the My Cloud, but that's a one-time inconvenience. If you're not in a hurry, expect to see prices drop after Christmas.

 

I connect my PC to my Onkyo Receiver via the Tape In/Tape Out jacks and I can play and record music from my computer. Works great. Never attempted via USB. Only drawback is that I can't play multichannel but I only have, I think, one album in multichannel FLAC on my computer.

This may be one of those truly obvious things, sorry if so.

 

Yeah that probably won't work. Airplay. It sounds stupid but it's legit.

 

Depending on which model of Yamaha receiver you have, it might play music only from a USB stick. Some won't recognize USB hard drives.

 

I can't conceptualize what you are saying, are you using the USB jacks on the computer or RCA jacks on the computer? This really does not sound like an audiophile option if you are using the RCA jacks on the computer.

 

Yes, that is true of many amplifiers and receivers. Best bet is to just add a cheap USB DAC and use the aux RCA jacks in the back. Probably get better sound quality as well.

 

Not using USB. I'm just running Y-cables from the sound card to the receiver using the tape jacks. So yeah, RCA.

 

thank you, and thank you to all for the replies thus far. the only reason I thought connecting via USB was a feasible option is because the user manual makes a point of calling out PC's (along with hard drives, sticks, etc.) as one of the supported devices for connecting via USB. I assumed on that basis that the receiver would be recognized as a USB device by my computer and vice versa, but literally nothing happens when cabling the two together.

 

Why a Y cable? Doesn't that mean you are listening to just mono? Almost every computer made since about 1995 has stereo outputs, no need for a Y cable.

 

Stereo Y cables are a thing.

 

What model number is it?

 

RX-V479

 

Buried in the manual on page 112: "This unit supports USB mass storage class devices (e.g., flash memories or portable audio players) using FAT16 or FAT32 format. Do not connect devices other than USB mass storage class devices (such as USB chargers or USB hubs), PCs, card readers, an external HDD, etc." Now, the grammar of that second sentence could be taken more than one way but, the way I read it, a PC will not be recognized.

 

the sentence reads: "do not connect devices other than A, B, C, D, etc." let's call PCs letter B - why would B not be recognized?

 

That's what the sound card has - one jack for in and one for out. And yes, it is well and truly stereo.

 

Maybe it will work. But they recommend playing files from a PC via the network connection. Honestly, I just thought they left out a colon: "Do not connect: devices other than USB mass storage class devices (such as USB chargers or USB hubs), PCs, card readers, an external HDD, etc." Otherwise the sentence reads "Do not connect devices other than...etc." "Et cetera" would be a huge list of devices you could connect.

The USB mass storage class devices they say will work have to be formatted with a FAT16/32 file system. Most PCs and external hard drives use NTFS. I've never heard of a PC being classified as a USB mass storage device. But I guess you could try it.

 

And you'd use what cable? I'm not aware of any cable with the same connector on each end. There is a reason for that.

The manual is poorly punctuated. A PC won't work, except over a network.

 

a standard USB cable with two male ends isn't exactly a rare find. or are you asking something else?

 

If you take this route make sure to format the drive in FAT32. If you have too large a drive (I think > 4Gb) you'll need a free online utility to format it. They're all over.

 

Is that an RCA jack you are talking about or is it a mini-phono jack? Is this a laptop or a desktop? I thought that all cheap home computers had at the minimum 6 RCA jacks and at least an optical out or coax out.

 

Do you mean 4 terabyte? With Windows 7 and above you can format at least an 8 terabyte drive without any extra software. I do not know about Apple. 4 gb is awfully small nowadays.

 

They are uncommon. I've never seen one provided with audio gear. Yes, you can buy them. The USB spec didn't allow an "A" male connector on each end until recently. The designers didn't want anyone to plug 5V-powered connections into each other and wanted to eliminate consumer confusion. The cables all had different ends. (From the USB wiki ... "The standard connectors were deliberately intended to enforce the directed topology of a USB network: type A receptacles on host devices that supply power and type B receptacles on target devices that draw power. This prevents users from accidentally connecting two USB power supplies to each other, which could lead to short circuits and dangerously high currents, circuit failures, or even fire.)

Thus, other than very specialized applications, anything that accepts a USB-A MALE is usually a Host and it controls the device plugged into it, plus provides power. Your Yamaha is a Host (I have a nearly identical Yamaha BTW, same front panel). A PC is normally a Host. You run a real risk of damage connecting both and that wouldn't be fun.

The Yamaha receivers work nicely over a network. Mine is wired into a fast router and I can play content on the home network from wired (CAT5/6) or wireless (laptop) connections. I also play content via USB from an iPhone or iPad2 or iPad Air--or charge any of the 3. I have played music and files from USB sticks and terabyte hard drives. I wouldn't, personally, try plugging a PC USB A port to the Yamaha front USB A port with an A to A male cable.

Hope you find good solution for your streaming.