Connecting computer to stereo receiver

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crankyman

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Hey guys. This is undoubtably the biggest newbie question ever. But I've asked around and nobody can give me a clear answer.

What I want to do is hook my computer up to my home theatre receiver, because I think it would sound better than my computer speakers. I've got a pretty pimp receiver. My question is, do I need to buy a better sound card to get the best audio quality? I know sound cards like SoundBlaster Audigy 2 have digital line outs, which would be nice... but would it be any better than just plugging a (stereo mini to RCA) cable into my integrated sound jack, and hooking that up to the receiver?

Will the reciever do the sound card's job (encoding or whatever) for me?

I have a suspicion that good sound cards are only necessary if you want to use computer speakers. I want to save the money if I can. Thanks in advance.
 
Good sound cards are mostly about inputs and outputs (like XLR, RCA, etc....) The 1/8 th inch connection out from an onboard soundcard should be sufficient to transfer the audio to your reciever.....go to Radio shack and get a stereo 1/8th inch to dual RCA adaptor cable (I'm assuming your reciever has RCA the 2 red and white connections) As for encoding and all that, that is the computers job, not the soundcard or reciever......hope that helps.....my system is set up like this and it *BUMPS*BUMPS*BUMPS!!!!!
 
no the receiver just takes in the sound. the sound card is responsible for all the sound processing. the better the card the better the sound.

digital output is supposed to be better, but for me almost any sound card sounds good. just use regular RCA to mini- audio conector and listen for yourself.
 
dude....most all soundcards "sound" the same....a $15 generic soundcard is gonna have the same "sound quality" as my $250 SB Audigy Platinum 6.1....it's about options like do I want my card to be MIDI capable....or Digital/analog.....or what inputs or software do I want with it? If anyone is having sound quality issues, I can guarantee it's NOT the sound card (unless it's a computer from like, 1982 or something)....digital is not "better" it's just faster......more data tranfer in less time....heh....and that "mini" connector IS a 1/8th inch.......
 
So the only way to get digital surround is with the use of the optical out? It won't work with the 1/8th mini split into two RCAs?
 
No...I don't think RCA can handle digital, even though the 1/8th should be able to, it's just an audio information cable (unless it's a 3-prong RCA which is simply the audio with a video cord)....to tell you the truth, though, most people think that the sound quality of digital is worse....other connections that carry digital are firwire, USB, and (if I'm not mistaken) higher quality 1/4 inch.....
 
Thanks for the info guys. Dan, that's interesting about the digital connection. This warrants further investigation.
 
From my experience, using the digital outs tend to give a buzz or hum on many recievers. I use the optical outs on my Audigy and they sound pristine. The problem is that you will find even thoughthe reciever is "High quality" they will skimp on the inputs or the DSP to cut cost. Opticals, for me anyway, are the way to go. Digital isn't worth it.
 
Hey guys...

I am having a problem with computer audio being sent to my surround sound system. I am using 1/8 jack to RCAs..couple questions if anyone can help.

What I've noticed is the humming on the surround sound. I have changed position of wires, unplugged and plugged components to see if a difference is made, etc.

There are two instances when the humming is more dramatic:

1) The refrigerator pops on which shares the wall directly behind my entertainment system. The humming gets louder for the time that the fridge runs. Not much I can do about this except for moving the entire entertainment sys.

2) While my hard drive clicks away when it is working, I can hear a series of hums that is directly related to the clicks on the hd. If I move the wire around that is near the computer, the humming alternates pitch as if the computer is the main problem for the humming... could this be it?

The humming is only noticeable and bothers me if there is silence or a quiet spot in some movies/music, but in other movies it is nonstop and I can only crank the volume up so high before the humming is too much to take as it begins to drown out the audio.

Do I need a sound card with a different type of audio output to my receiver/amplifier?

Thanks for any suggestions!
 
MusicMakesDaMan said:
dude....most all soundcards "sound" the same....a $15 generic soundcard is gonna have the same "sound quality" as my $250 SB Audigy Platinum 6.1....it's about options like do I want my card to be MIDI capable....or Digital/analog.....or what inputs or software do I want with it? If anyone is having sound quality issues, I can guarantee it's NOT the sound card (unless it's a computer from like, 1982 or something)....digital is not "better" it's just faster......more data tranfer in less time....heh....and that "mini" connector IS a 1/8th inch.......

if that sound card is a soundblaster than that is kinda true


but the most expensive sound cards decode sound at 24bit(105 to 130db s/n ratio) which raise the noise floor from 15db to 40 db from the stardard 16 bit (90 db, cheap $15 soundblaster do this). most people can't tell this difference, but a lot of people can. most cheap soundcard do not meet the 16bit, even if they claim to.

a lot of 16bit cheap cards do 8 to 10 bit, not to mention, that they put out a low voltage, which affect the sound too.
 
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