computer-receiver audio connection

[fmw]

I'm going to add a spare computer to my home theater to act as a music server for .WMA files. I understand I can connect the computer via a DVI video card and DVI-HDMI cable. How do you recommend I connect audio to the receiver? Thanks.

 

[avaserfi]

If your soundcard has a digital output such as TosLink that would work perfectly. Infact ever since I got my new soundcard thats how I connect my laptop to my receiver and it works great.

 

[Adam]

If your soundcard doesn't have a digital output, you can connect it using the analog outputs (probably minijacks that look like headphone jacks). Those jacks work like headphone jacks in that each one contains the signal for two speakers. Some soundcards just output a stereo signal. Other soundcards output 5.1 audio through three jacks, and generally one is for front left/right, the second is for rear left/right, and the third is for center/subwoofer. You can get inexpensive cables that have a male minijack connector on one end and two male RCA connectors on the other. The minijack side connects to your PC and the RCA side connects to the analog audio inputs on your receiver. You'll need at least a 5.1 input on your receiver to use all six if your PC outputs that many. Otherwise, you can connect one for front left/right speakers to just about any audio input on the receiver (except don't use the PHONO input).

 

[OttoMatic]

If you are at all concerned about sound quality, and you have a decent DAC in your receiver or preamp, I would definitely connect digitally.

Digital sound cards are easy to come by, and cheap.

Analog outputs from computer audio card are notoriously poor. Unless you specifically seek out a high-end audio card, your analog out are most likely not so hot.

So, one way or another, do it digitally.

 

[Hi Ho]

Most sound cards have a digital output. It is usually coax though it often takes the form of a mini-jack and requires an adapter to plug a standard RCA plug into it.

 

[fmw]

Thanks, I'll go shopping now for a digital sound card.

 

[Hi Ho]

Before you do that make sure you don't already have that capability on your current card. What are your system specs?

 

[fmw]

It's an old computer. It dates back to 2000 and has a fairly new 80GB hard drive - more than adequate to store a bunch of .WMA files and maybe a game or two. I found a Turtle Beach Riviera 5.1 channel card with optical S/PDIF output for $25. I found an ATI Radeon video card with DVI output for $40. Those should do the job. Now I need to decide whether to keep the Linux operating system installed or put Windows XP on it. I'll give it some thought while I wait for the new cards. Thanks for the input.

 

[OttoMatic]

Yeah, the old sound card may or may not do it, even if it's from 2000. I'd check for it first. I have a rather old SB card that has digital out, and like Hi Ho said, it needed an 1/8" to RCA adapter, available at Radio Shack.

As to the Radeon ATI stuff -- I've totally given up on it! All I ever have is trouble with their drivers. I'd recommend you look for something else to save yourself some headaches.

 

[Adam]

Just a note on my experiences with ATI Radeon cards - they've worked great for me and my parents. I only ran them under Windows XP, but I never had trouble with drivers.

 

[Gimpy Ric]

Linux can be a beast when it comes to device drivers. And codecs. But I'm just a Linux newbie, so good luck!

 

[fmw]

I don't think the drivers would be much of a problem. All I would be doing is running the media player. However, I'm really fond of the Windows media player because it works in terms of complete CD's instead of tracks like so many of them do. I don't like to listen to random tracks from different CD's. I like to listen to an entire CD and media player 11 or whichever it is at the moment manages that pretty well. So, I'll probably switch it over to Windows.

I like Linux for using the internet because I don't have to worry about security threats or firewalls or any of that sort of thing. This computer won't see the internet, however, so Windows will be fine, I think. I'll spend some time formatting and refitting the hard drive with XP tomorrow.

 

[jcPanny]

PC connection

I used a $20 chaintech sound card to get a bit perfect optical output from the PC to my receiver. The nois floor on the sound card was great, but the old PC itself (fans, HD, CD rom, etc.) was quite noisy and detracted from the experience.

 

[gus6464]

Another alternative for a music server could also be the following. I was going to build a htpc for the same purpose as you but I found and even easier method without the need for a pc.

All you need is an Apple airport express, an external hdd, and a 3.5mm to toslink cable. What you do is connect the hard drive on the usb port of the airport express and connect the toslink cable from the airport express to the receiver. Then what you do is install itunes on your pc and laptops and enable airtunes. The beauty of this setup is that it allows you to for example control what is played through the external hard drive with any computer in your house. I did this because my wife is on her macbook pro all the time and now she has the ability to control what songs are played through the receiver which are stored localy on the external hard drive that is connected to the airport express. All you have to do is if you have a wireless network in your home is to connect to the router with the airport express to allow every pc in your house to see all the music that is stored on the external. I bought a 500gb external and ripped all my wife's cds in lossless format to the external hard drive.