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Topic: Connecting a Laptop to a Home Stereo (Read 3652 times) previous topic - next topic
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Connecting a Laptop to a Home Stereo

After months of tedious cd ripping, most of my music collection is now stored as APE and FLAC files on a large USB2 external hard drive.  Now it is time for me to convert an older IBM T21 laptop into a dedicated "media center" that I can connect to my home stereo and television.  I am looking for suggestions on the best way to make these connections (audio clarity being the primary concern).

Some ideas so far: Echo Indigo PC card, Xitel HiFi-Link, or M-audio Sonica.  Does anyone have experience with these devices or a suggestion for something else?  Any feedback or ideas will be appreciated.


-Warlock


As a side note, I'd like to connect the laptop to my pre-amp via an S-Video connection, but there doesn't seem to be an easy way to do this.  Is there a device that does this?

Connecting a Laptop to a Home Stereo

Reply #1 –
nice. i use my laptop as my player too.
i have a creative extigy usb soundcard as the internal soundcard is crap. i think all internal notebook soundcards are crap even those PCMIA cards. has probably something to do with size.

so i'd use an usb or firewire device. maybe you find something better than creative since extigy resamples like all creative cards...

Connecting a Laptop to a Home Stereo

Reply #2 –
S-Video connection!?!? Now that sounds weird!  Didn't you mean optical or coax digital?
She is waiting in the air

Connecting a Laptop to a Home Stereo

Reply #3 –
Echo audio's "indigo" is a good card, do consider that. I know I would have gotten that if I had a laptop :B
but also check out some of the new USB/firewire products that got presented at CEBiT; M-audio for example had some interesting cards. Browse around

Connecting a Laptop to a Home Stereo

Reply #4 –
If you are shooting for full audio/video integration, you will need a soundcard capable of passing along an ac3 stream to your surround amp.

My first SB card could not do this.

Connecting a Laptop to a Home Stereo

Reply #5 –
Echo's indigo is good. I don't have it though...

I listen to all my music on a laptop, staticy, underwatery, I can't tell if it's the cheap headphones or the laptop anymore; someday I'll get a CD player 

Connecting a Laptop to a Home Stereo

Reply #6 –
Quote
kennedyb4 on Apr 8 2003 - 11:24 AM
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If you are shooting for full audio/video integration, you will need a soundcard capable of passing along an ac3 stream to your surround amp.

My first SB card could not do this.


Good point, and one that seems to dictate an external USB device.  The Echo Indigo only passes a stereo analog signal, which raises the question whether I'd be giving up some audio quality to go with a USB device over the Indigo.  Most of the externals seem to resample.  I'll have to give some serious thought to whether I need anything more than a stereo signal.


Quote
Artemis3 on Apr 8 2003 - 09:22 AM
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S-Video connection!?!? Now that sounds weird!  Didn't you mean optical or coax digital?


I should have been a little more clear.  The S-Video connection would only be so that I can pipe the laptop's display to the television (with a wireless mouse, I should be able to control things from a distance).


Quote
Differenciam on Apr 8 2003 - 11:57 AM
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Echo's indigo is good. I don't have it though...

I listen to all my music on a laptop, staticy, underwatery, I can't tell if it's the cheap headphones or the laptop anymore; someday I'll get a CD player 


You sound just like me, but I can't take that crappy laptop sound anymore.

Thanks to everyone for the helpful suggestions.

-Warlock