what's the difference between "line in" & "mic" jacks on sound cards?

[chunkstyle]

hey guys

can any of you please tell me what the difference is between the "mic" & "line in" jacks on typical sound cards? they seem to me like they'd be functionally interchangeable & i've always wondered what the diff is.

thanks!

[RayH]

They're different. Use the line in. The mic is for microphones.

[glc]

Microphones have a much lower output than line devices - the mic input has an additional preamp stage and if you plug a line level device into a mic jack you can blow the preamp stage unless the jack is specifically a "double duty" jack.