What Is an Audio Port on a Computer?

Most computers have some type of audio port

Most computers have some form of an audio port, from a headphone jack to mono and stereo input. There are different forms and combinations of audio ports on both desktop and laptop computers, all serving the purpose of interfacing the sound from the machine to the external realm.

Headphone Jack

A computer's headphone jack outputs any sound coming from the computer into headphones or external speakers.

Mic Input

Many computers come with a dedicated microphone input port for plugging in an external microphone to interface with the computer.

Mono Input

A mono input port allows you to plug in an external device, like a music mixing board, guitar or music player. This port only allows for single-channel sound coming out of both speakers.

Stereo Input

A stereo input port allows you to plug in an external device and interface it with the computer in stereo, as opposed to single-channel mono.

RCA Input port

Some computers come with a stereo RCA input port, allowing you to plug in the red-and-white-tipped stereo RCA cables from an external device, such as a cassette player, to your computer.

References

• Tom's Hardware: Connector Table

Resources

• Audio Forums