I'm sure many of you know about this product, that allows you to play your mp3's, etc. through your Home Theatre system, but then again, some of you may not! So check it out! The web page also refers to a couple of other systems that I didn't check out!

[Link: electronics.cnet.com]

......... just my 2-bits -Greg :-)

Greg,

I currently have over 10 GB of MP3s that I can play through my home theatre. It's not all that complicated to set up:

I networked my 'main' PC (500 MHz, huge hard drive) to my basement PC (Pentium 150, cost me $50). From there I bought a new 32 bit sound card ($15) and ran cables to the CD Input on my receiver!

The hitch- choosing songs. Currently, I use a scan converter ($150) and use my 32" TV as my monitor, but it's damn near impossible to read. I'll end up with a 14" monitor sometime, when the wife picks a place where it doesn't look too bad :)

Also, I use a wireless keyboard/mouse ($50) so I can do it all from my lazyboy.

In all, it wasn't that expensive, allows me instant access to my whole MP3 library, and sounds great!

Randy: Thanks! That's cool. Something I might just invest in some day. I have an old Pentium 2 166 lying around with a 14 inch monitor. What kind of card did you buy for the PC? What kind of wireless keyboard/mouse? Thanks!

.....my 2 bits! - Greg :-)

For the card, it was just a generic 32 bit sound card. The only thing you get with more expensive cards is better MIDI capabilities. The keybaord is Interland. There are a lot out there, I tried 3 before I settled on this one.

Thanks, Randy, but what output(s) do I need to look for on the sound card. Any memory requirement on the card? - Greg :-)

They showed that Dell MP3 thing on ZDTV, and they said it was going to sell for onlt $250, and it will work off a home network either ethernet of phone network both are built into it. The bad thing about using a soundcard is that the DAC are of low quality but then again so are MP3's

Or you could use the SPDIF output like I do on my soundcard from time to time.

Greg,

All soundscards have a 1/8" output, I bought a 1/8" plug -> RCA cable at radio shack.

The sound quality is EXCELLENT. I make sure to only use MP3 with 128 or more anyway, and most are 160.

That's why I liked the SB AWE64 Gold. Gold-plated RCA outputs. ;-)

So, really all your sound card is doing is transferring the MP3's to the output in a format that your pre-ins can handle? correct? Do I need to worry about digitial out on the card? Or is that the standard way the cards output it, then your DAC's on your receiver convert it to analogue? In other words, are there some soundcards with analog and some with digital? If so, which is the better one to get, and which pre-in should I use for the card's output?

Yeah, MP3's should never be recorded under 128, unless you're stricly using them on cheap PC speakers.

Thanks Randy,Daniel, Sean. This is definitely in my future... PC and HT integration! -Greg :-)

Most sound cards do not currently offer a digital out. A few higher end cards offer digital out. The 1/8" miniplug mentioned is an analog output, that is why a simple cable to convert to RCA connectors works. Sean's statement that the D/As on most sound cards are cheap is correct (including the SB AWE64 Gold), but many people can't hear the difference without a direct comparison (music quality is something that very few really appreciate!) (not trying to sound snobby, just stating the facts).

256K MP3s are the future and offer very good quality, assuming the food chain is good.

So, Randy, you're saying that the D/As on your average soundcard are probably not going to be even as good as a CD changer like I have in my HT. Because I CAN hear a clear difference between the using D/A's on my CD changer through analog in on my pre and using the D/A's on my receiver using digitial in. So, am I to assume that the D/As on even the best soundcards would not match my CD changer (approx. $300 USD changer)?

I hope I'm not milking this to death for you? I appreciate you replies, Randy! Thx! -Greg :-)

The only reason I haven't replaced this old SB64G is that I honesly haven't seen anything on the market to replace it with. I could care less about "3D" sound, and for some reason my computer sounds a lot better than a friend who has a Live along with a more expensive mini-system.

I was really waiting for the Aureal SQ3500, but it never came out and the company went bust. Exactly who is there to compete with Creative Labs now? And how many years has it been since Creative actually bothered to release a new high-quality sound card? All they've done lately is re-package their less-than-perfect Live.

Hmm, on that line, Turtle Beach comes to mind. Not that they're making their own chips any more, but still... Anyone seen the "Santa Cruz"? [Link: voyetra-turtle-beach.com]

I'm not convinced new sound cards are that much better than old ones either. I have an ancient SB16 MCD that I've moved from a 8086 to a 386 to a 486 and now into an AMD K6-2 500 machine. I had it sitting next to a brand new pentium III with a SBlive card in it. The two machines were networked, so I could play the exact same music files on either.

It was very simple to rig up an audio switch. I brought both analog outputs (line out) from these sound cards into this switch, and then could pick which source I listened to thru earphones OR a amplified home stereo speaker set.

The Live could add some "3D" sound distortions to the stereo music. I turned that OFF.

My SB16 has the WAVEBlaster daughter board attached, so it also plays midi files with sampled instrument sounds.

The SB16 has a stronger internal AMP. It's rated at 7watts. It can sound reasonably loud using unamplified speakers. It has a volume control on it's back plane. VERY NICE.

Other than the obvious technoligical advances, the sound quality coming from both cards playing the same source material is nearly the same. If I had to give one an edge, I'd pick the SB16 for a subtly fuller and richer sound.

That's why every PC motherboard I've upgraded to has HAD to have at least one ISA slot. My SB16 MCD sounds as good today as it did the day I bought it. It had been rated the best sounding card (of the year it was introduced) in a PC Magazine comparison.

Would a NEW bottom-dollar SB16 clone sound as good today? I doubt it. Do you have audiophile ears? If not, it probably won't matter.

Dave

Okay - I consider myself pretty enthusiastic about my music and the quality of. I'm the type of guy to go through 5 receivers in a year and return countless sets of speakers. I'm picky.

I have the cheapest soundcard with a Radio Shack cable hooking into the CD input on my receiver. The sound is INCREDIBLE. I've literally compared it to the same song on CD, and can't hear even a smidgen of difference.