Is this possible? And if so, is it complicated?

Craig James wrote:

Is this possible? And if so, is it complicated?

The answers to both of these questions depend entirely on how the PC is
equipped for audio.

--
================================================== ======================
Michael Kesti | "And like, one and one don't make
| two, one and one make one."
| - The Who, Bargain

(Craig James) writes:

Is this possible?

Yes.

And if so, is it complicated?

This dpeends on how your PC is equipped, what do you expects
to get (is analogue stereo / dolby surround enough or do you want
digital 5.1 channel sounds) and the installation environment
(what kind of surroudn system you have, are those on same room etc.)

In simplest cases this connection can be done by just
by putting an audio cable with 3.5 mm stereo plug and two RCA plugs
on on it's ends between your soundcard audio output connector
and line level input on your surround system.

On some more complicated cases you could need noise
suppressing components (to get rid of humming noise)
on audio connection to get useable sound quality.

Digital audio connection between your PC and surround
system is another story.

--
Tomi Engdahl (http://www.iki.fi/then/)
Take a look at my electronics web links and documents at
http://www.epanorama.net/

"Craig James" wrote in message
...
Is this possible? And if so, is it complicated?


Yes possible.

'Complicated' depends on vagaries of ground-loops, length on cables,
quaility of soundcard, etc.

And you may just get to hear actually how crappy MP3s are, if that's your
aim.


geoff

"Geoff Wood" -nospam wrote in message ...
"Craig James" wrote in message
...
Is this possible? And if so, is it complicated?


Yes possible.

'Complicated' depends on vagaries of ground-loops, length on cables,
quaility of soundcard, etc.

And you may just get to hear actually how crappy MP3s are, if that's your
aim.

Crappy compared to what? The quality of AM or FM radio?
Oh wait. MP3s are better than that.

The quality of a scratched up old vinyl record?
Oh wait. MP3s still sound better than that.

It's easy to be a snob about audio formats and amplifiers, but in most
cases, the limiting factor nowadays is not the algorithms or the
electronics, but the quality of your speakers.

In some cases it does make sense to use MP3s. For example, I have a CD
deck that can play both audio CDs and MP3 cds in my car. When I'm
travelling at 70 MPH, the road noise makes it difficult to hear the
difference.


Overdog



geoff

(Craig James) wrote in message ...
Is this possible? And if so, is it complicated?

If you want to get the most out of your surround sound system, you
need to get your computer to output Dolby 5.1 surround sound.
(Or some other surround sound format... but Dolby is the most
popular.)

Usually, the sound circuitry built into your motherboard only provides
a right and a left sound channel. You don't want this. You'll want to
buy a nice sound card. (The other reason you don't want to use
"built-in sound" is because it's often quite noisy and/or distorted.)

I think every Creative card made after the Sound Blaster Live can
support 5.1 sound outputs. I think their latest card is the Creative
Audigy2. The Turtle Beach Santa Cruz is also rumored to be an
excellent card, as is the M-Audio Revolution 7.1.

You can pay a lot for a sound card if you want, but remember that the
quality tends to increase logarithmically with cost... i.e., you can
end up paying a lot for something that's really not much better than a
sound blaster in the final analysis.

The real hassle you will probably run into is the difficulty of
connecting stuff to your sound card. The PC world tends to use 1/8"
"subminiature jacks," whereas standalone speaker systems often use RCA
jacks (the chunky round single-core connectors), 1/4" jacks, or even
stranger things. If you need to, head down to your local radio shack
or circuit city and buy an adaptor. Remember, gold-plated connectors
are best because they resist corrosion. Paying for a whole cable made
out of gold is foolish, though. Unless you light your cigars with $100
bills, I wouldn't recommend it.

If you are building your own PC, make sure to get a high-quality power
supply. Analog components still matter, even in a computer.
I could say more here, but the post is already way too long.

Good luck.


Overdog

"Overdog" wrote in message
om...
"Geoff Wood" -nospam wrote in message
...
"Craig James" wrote in message
...
Is this possible? And if so, is it complicated?


Yes possible.

'Complicated' depends on vagaries of ground-loops, length on cables,
quaility of soundcard, etc.

And you may just get to hear actually how crappy MP3s are, if that's your
aim.

Crappy compared to what? The quality of AM or FM radio?
Oh wait. MP3s are better than that.

Most MP3s I've heard are nowhere near as good as FM radio.

The quality of a scratched up old vinyl record?
Oh wait. MP3s still sound better than that.

I have plenty of vinyl that sounds better than most MP3s I've heard, in some
parameters - not all.

It's easy to be a snob about audio formats and amplifiers, but in most
cases, the limiting factor nowadays is not the algorithms or the
electronics, but the quality of your speakers.

I can hear crappy HF phasing and other artifacts on my relatively crappy car
stereo. I can even hear the streaming artifacts on music that is difitally
streamed to teh transmitter (admitted on 'low rent' stations).


In some cases it does make sense to use MP3s. For example, I have a CD
deck that can play both audio CDs and MP3 cds in my car. When I'm
travelling at 70 MPH, the road noise makes it difficult to hear the
difference.

Yes. But he probably doesn't have a 70MPH car in his lounge.

geoff

"Geoff Wood" -nospam wrote in message ...
"Overdog" wrote in message
om...
"Geoff Wood" -nospam wrote in message
...
"Craig James" wrote in message
...
Is this possible? And if so, is it complicated?

Yes possible.

'Complicated' depends on vagaries of ground-loops, length on cables,
quaility of soundcard, etc.

And you may just get to hear actually how crappy MP3s are, if that's your
aim.

Crappy compared to what? The quality of AM or FM radio?
Oh wait. MP3s are better than that.

Most MP3s I've heard are nowhere near as good as FM radio.

Color me skeptical. A 320-kbits mp3 is pretty good, especially when
encoded by something like Lame.

Keep in mind, I have a pioneer deck in my car. It is very sensitive to
radio, and I can almost always get a clean signal when I'm in town. So
it's not like I have a crappy radio.

Can anyone provide some hard data on this? I wouldn't be at all
surprised to learn that FM radio just doesn't supply certain
frequencies, or has a lower SNR, or whatever. The FM standard was not
designed by audiophiles.


The quality of a scratched up old vinyl record?
Oh wait. MP3s still sound better than that.

I have plenty of vinyl that sounds better than most MP3s I've heard, in some
parameters - not all.

Vinyl will be dust soon enough. Digital is forever.


It's easy to be a snob about audio formats and amplifiers, but in most
cases, the limiting factor nowadays is not the algorithms or the
electronics, but the quality of your speakers.

I can hear crappy HF phasing and other artifacts on my relatively crappy car
stereo. I can even hear the streaming artifacts on music that is difitally
streamed to teh transmitter (admitted on 'low rent' stations).


In some cases it does make sense to use MP3s. For example, I have a CD
deck that can play both audio CDs and MP3 cds in my car. When I'm
travelling at 70 MPH, the road noise makes it difficult to hear the
difference.

Yes. But he probably doesn't have a 70MPH car in his lounge.

I'm not sure where you're going with this. The OP wanted to connect
his computer to a surround sound system: you pooh-poohed this because
"computers sound bad."

Computers are the wave of the future in audio. With Winamp, I don't
have to have an external equalizer-- I can just press a button and
hear the difference instantly. That's another $500 mixer device that I
don't have to buy. Also... it is far better to have all of your songs
on a hard drive, than to have a room full of CD cases and old LP
cases.

No doubt some mp3s sound bad, but that is beside the point. If you
really can't stand to have any losses whatsoever, why not just use a
lossless audio format like APE? I hate to tell you this, but all CD
players contain a small computer anyway. You would have to go back to
8-tracks, tapes, and vinyl records to get to a format that is
completely analog.

Overdog



geoff

"Overdog" wrote in message
Yes. But he probably doesn't have a 70MPH car in his lounge.

I'm not sure where you're going with this. The OP wanted to connect
his computer to a surround sound system: you pooh-poohed this because
"computers sound bad."

No, because MP3 sounds bad. 320kbps notwithstanding (I bet you that 99 % of
mp3 listened to are 128kbps max, which *is* crappy, unless you are in a car
doing 7mph.

Computers are the wave of the future in audio. With Winamp, I don't
have to have an external equalizer-- I can just press a button and
hear the difference instantly.

Why do you need an equaliser ?

That's another $500 mixer device that I
don't have to buy. Also... it is far better to have all of your songs
on a hard drive, than to have a room full of CD cases and old LP
cases.

As you like.


No doubt some mp3s sound bad, but that is beside the point. If you
really can't stand to have any losses whatsoever, why not just use a
lossless audio format like APE? I hate to tell you this, but all CD
players contain a small computer anyway. You would have to go back to
8-tracks, tapes, and vinyl records to get to a format that is
completely analog.

I think you've missed my point entirely.

geoff