Hi,

I am in search of a sound card. See, my PC case has front USB, Firewire, and Mic/Headphone connectors, but I don't wanna use my motherboard's built in sound board, so I was wondering what
sound card has front panel audio headers but also has spdif input and output? I thought about getting a sound blaster with live drive, but I just wanna be able to use my computer case's front audio.

Thank you, any help appreciated!

From: "AB"
Date: 2/2/05 12:59 A.M. Eastern Standard Time
Message-id:

Hi,

I am in search of a sound card. See, my PC case has front USB, Firewire, and
Mic/Headphone connectors, but I don't wanna use my motherboard's built in
sound board, so I was wondering what
sound card has front panel audio headers but also has spdif input and output?
I thought about getting a sound blaster with live drive, but I just wanna be
able to use my computer case's front audio.


I may be wrong but I'm sure that any analog attachment (front or back of the
case) will go thru the sound card (maybe its a parallel line). The quality of
the converters in the card determines how good a sound you get from the card
and to it, Sound Blaster is not of a professional quality card.
What you first need to do is determine "what it is you want to do with this
system" and "if you have the know how and or experience to do so". If you want
something to just bang around the house the Sound Blaster will do. If you want
to go to a professional level you should look at something different.

"AB" wrote in message
...
Hi,

I am in search of a sound card. See, my PC case has front USB, Firewire,
and Mic/Headphone connectors, but I don't wanna use my motherboard's built
in sound board, so I was wondering what
sound card has front panel audio headers but also has spdif input and
output? I thought about getting a sound blaster with live drive, but I just
wanna be able to use my computer case's front audio.

Thank you, any help appreciated!

I use the Soundblaster Audigy2 Platinum soundcard. Had it for a couple of
years now and very satisfied with it. I think it has all the features you
are looking for. Front panel access requires a free 5 1/4" bay. Of course
Creative have newer models which might suit you better.

Check out the details at
http://www.creative.com/products/pro...04&product=150

Cheers,
Alan

"AB" wrote in message


I am in search of a sound card. See, my PC case has front USB,
Firewire, and Mic/Headphone connectors, but I don't wanna use my
motherboard's built in sound board, so I was wondering what sound
card has front panel audio headers but also has spdif input and
output? I thought about getting a sound blaster with live drive, but
I just wanna be able to use my computer case's front audio.

The front panel headers, being unbalanced, aren't really generally suitable
for audio production use.

You might want to use them for casual headphone monitoring, but for that
some of the better on-board audio interfaces might be good enough.

Ok, Raymond ,

but what card has front audio header and s/pdif I/O?

I just wanna transfer some stuff to my PC via s/pdif, but have a decent sound card. I don't need anything too professional/

"AB" wrote in message
...
Ok, Raymond ,

but what card has front audio header and s/pdif I/O?

I just wanna transfer some stuff to my PC via s/pdif, but have a decent
sound card. I don't need anything too professional/

TerraTec´s DMX 6 fire 24/96 (~ 199US Street) and the M-Audio Firewire
Audiophile (~150US Street) are both nice choices. You didn't say what price
range you are looking at. I personally would avoid solutions that
(up)sample everything to 48K.

"AB" wrote in message

Ok, Raymond ,

but what card has front audio header and s/pdif I/O?

What case has a front-panel RCA jacks (in and out) for SP/DIF? What about
Toslink?

If you can answer that in the affirmative, nothing prevents you from running
some 75 ohm coax from the back panel of the card , through the case, and to
the front panel.

Nothing keeps you from boring your own holes in the plastic case and
mounting your own RCA jacks. Nothing keeps you from putting two grommeted
holes in a regular PC card mounting bracket to pass the coax. Use
right-angle RCA plugs on the back panel end of the cables to avoid needing
a lot of rearward clearance. A little bit of wire dress, maybe a clamp or
two, and voila!

If all you want is bit-perfect SP/DIF the Audiophile 2496 at a promotional
price under $100 comes to mind.

I just wanna transfer some stuff to my PC via s/pdif, but have a decent
sound card.

I don't need anything too professional.

OK, so we sacrifice the balanced analog I/O, but keep the bit-perfect
digital transfers up to 24/96.

In article writes:

Nothing keeps you from boring your own holes in the plastic case and
mounting your own RCA jacks. Nothing keeps you from putting two grommeted
holes in a regular PC card mounting bracket to pass the coax.

Perhaps his lack of mechanical skills does. I think he should just get
a card like the M-Audio Audiophile, plug a cable into the back of the
computer once, and be done with it, but I can understand the cool
factor of being able to plug something into the front of the computer.

The cost (not just in dollars) may exceed the cool factor.


--
I'm really Mike Rivers )
However, until the spam goes away or Hell freezes over,
lots of IP addresses are blocked from this system. If
you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring
and reach me he double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo

"Mike Rivers" wrote in message
news:znr1107358584k@trad
In article
writes:

Nothing keeps you from boring your own holes in the plastic case and
mounting your own RCA jacks. Nothing keeps you from putting two
grommeted holes in a regular PC card mounting bracket to pass the
coax.

Perhaps his lack of mechanical skills does.

Perhaps. So much for the America frontier skills! ;-)

I think he should just get
a card like the M-Audio Audiophile, plug a cable into the back of the
computer once, and be done with it, but I can understand the cool
factor of being able to plug something into the front of the computer.

Yes, and to be really fancy you can get some RCA male/female cords and
velcro them to something convenient, for plugging and unplugging.

The cost (not just in dollars) may exceed the cool factor.

I agree.

"AB" wrote in message
...
Ok, Raymond ,

but what card has front audio header and s/pdif I/O?

I just wanna transfer some stuff to my PC via s/pdif, but have a decent
sound card. I don't need anything too professional/

Mine does ! I tacked some wires onto the back of the PCB and brought them
to a drilled-out blank drive panel. I also tossed in a headphone amp (5532)
and vol knob for good measure.


geoff

"Mike Rivers" wrote in message
news:znr1107358584k@trad...

In article writes:

Nothing keeps you from boring your own holes in the plastic case and
mounting your own RCA jacks. Nothing keeps you from putting two grommeted
holes in a regular PC card mounting bracket to pass the coax.

Perhaps his lack of mechanical skills does. I think he should just get
a card like the M-Audio Audiophile, plug a cable into the back of the
computer once, and be done with it, but I can understand the cool
factor of being able to plug something into the front of the computer.

The cost (not just in dollars) may exceed the cool factor.


With my headphone o/p the physical knob is totally uncool, but totally
USEFUL.


geoff

On 2005-02-02, Mike Rivers wrote:

Perhaps his lack of mechanical skills does. I think he should just get
a card like the M-Audio Audiophile, plug a cable into the back of the
computer once, and be done with it, but I can understand the cool
factor of being able to plug something into the front of the computer.

I don't. I think the whole thing would be altogether cooler, if all the
interface stuff were on one panel, that most likely being the front panel
of a 19" unit.

In article writes:

With my headphone o/p the physical knob is totally uncool, but totally
USEFUL.

A KNOB? On a COMPUTER? Come on, man, you should have used a digitally
controlled amplifier. Then you could have designed a really cool
looking graphic of a knob to disaplay on the screen. Turn it by
dragging the mouse across it.

--
I'm really Mike Rivers )
However, until the spam goes away or Hell freezes over,
lots of IP addresses are blocked from this system. If
you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring
and reach me he double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo

In article y.com writes:

I can understand the cool
factor of being able to plug something into the front of the computer.

I don't. I think the whole thing would be altogether cooler, if all the
interface stuff were on one panel, that most likely being the front panel
of a 19" unit.

Awwwww, that's been done before. And people are still arguing about
whether the connectors should be on the front, the back or some on the
front on others on the back (which gives them more to argue about -
which ones where).

Actually, I think the coolest thing is to have all the cables in the
back and have everything nicely tied down so you never have to
disconnect anything. But I'll bet he has an iPod around his neck or
something and doesn't want to be permanently tied to the computer.


--
I'm really Mike Rivers )
However, until the spam goes away or Hell freezes over,
lots of IP addresses are blocked from this system. If
you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring
and reach me he double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo

Even a humble Sblive (also the cheap old Value) has a row of internal
pins for connecting various stuff. Some are SPDIF ins and outs, and I
have used them with a homemade front panel and an outboard DAC or
DAT... Look around the net, and you will find several pages describing
what pins to connect to what. Ideally you should perhaps also use a
small pulse transformer to isolate the digital i/o.
The Live is 16bit/48kHz only though.

Martin

On Tue, 1 Feb 2005 21:59:06 -0800, "AB" wrote:

I am in search of a sound card. See, my PC case has front USB, Firewire, and Mic/Headphone connectors, but I don't wanna use my motherboard's built in sound board, so I was wondering what
sound card has front panel audio headers but also has spdif input and output? I thought about getting a sound blaster with live drive, but I just wanna be able to use my computer case's front audio.

How will a Soundblaster be better than your onboard audio?



I suggest you focus on what you want to achieve with the sound system,
not on whether connectors are front panel or not. What DO you want
to do?

CubaseFAQ www.laurencepayne.co.uk/CubaseFAQ.htm
"Possibly the world's least impressive web site": George Perfect

"Mike Rivers" wrote in message
news:znr1107395224k@trad...

In article writes:

With my headphone o/p the physical knob is totally uncool, but totally
USEFUL.

A KNOB? On a COMPUTER? Come on, man, you should have used a digitally
controlled amplifier. Then you could have designed a really cool
looking graphic of a knob to disaplay on the screen. Turn it by
dragging the mouse across it.


Naaa - like my knob. Not big, like Mackie's, but distinctly
average-sized,and a totally different colour and style to the case. Only
design tweak required is routing my phones cable so it doesn't tangle in my
CD drawer !

geoff