How to Hard Wire an iPod to a Home Stereo?

You can connect your iPod to your stereo system using cables that are very similar to those you use to connect other audio components, such as a lowly CD changer. After you have connected the iPod to your amplifier/receiver, you can listen to it just like that CD changer.
The only challenge to this is choosing and connecting the proper cables to get the output of your iPod connected to the input of your receiver. Fortunately, this isn’t all that challenging. You just need a cable that connects the Headphones port on your iPod to an audio input port on your home stereo receiver. In most cases, you need a cable that has a stereo mini-jack on one end and two RCA connectors on the other end. The mini-jack goes into the Headphones port on your iPod, while the RCA connectors go into the audio input ports on your home stereo’s amplifier/receiver. If you choose any of the kits described earlier in this chapter, you have everything you need to connect your iPod to a home stereo. If not, you will need to purchase the components you need separately.
There are two basic ways to connect an iPod to a home stereo using wires: You can connect the iPod directly to the cables or you can use a Dock. Each method has its pros and cons.