Speaker System

[seedubs1]

I have a laptop currently, and I also have a onkyo reciever for my home audio system and about 2,000 dollars worth of boston acoustics speakers. The only problem with this is, I have a cheap realtek ac97 sound card. Whenever i try to hook up my reciever to my computer, I get so much static that I cant bear to listen to it. I was wondering if any of you have had any problems like this, and what some recomendations would be. I was thinking of getting a soundblaster audigy 2 nx or a audigy 2 zs notebook. I am not sure about either of these, or if they would hook up to my home audio reciever well. I do not even know if there is any way to hook up to my reciever. Should I just get a set of computer speakers? Anyone have any of these types of set ups?

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

So right now you're taking a 1/8" jack and splitting it into 2x RCA and then running that into an input on your receiver?

This should work pretty well without a lot of static. Are you using some decent cabling to attach to the receiver?

I'd say it would definately be worth it to try to get an external soundcard and connect to your existing set than get some set of computer speakers that will still have to connect to the ac97 on your computer.

One of the creative external sound cards is probably a good idea. I've never used one before though...

 

[seedubs1]

Yeah, i got a cable from radio shack to connect from my headphone jack to the 2 rca jacks in my reciever, but its staticy as heck. Is it my sound card that is doing this?

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

I could be...

Have you connected it to a regular set of computer speakers ever, or a pair of headphones? If you don't get static then, I'd think it's something to do with your connection.

It could certainly be the integrated sound though.

 

[seedubs1]

alright, so what I have done is routed the reciever to play with no center or bass, so it is just playing is "stereo mode", and it has helped, but the setup is still distorted and bass responce is terrible. I have tried it with my mp3 player and it sounds ok, but I cannot use my center channel. Any advice? It may be because my sound card is only 2 channel. Stupid sound card. Ayone else have a realtek ac97?

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

If you hook up your receiver to an mp3 player and it still sounds crappy, I think there's some problem that a nicer soundcard isn't going to fix...

Can you hook it up to a portable CD player or something that you're sure has good quality output?

You should be able to hook something up in the manner you're doing an have it sound excellent. I can hook up my own mp3 player to my receiver and it sounds great.

Right now I have my computer attached to my receiver via optical and my girlfriend's computer with an 1/8" to RCA adapter and then a 25' run on RCA to the receiver. I'm using logic 7 on my HK and I get output from all my speakers and sub and it sounds very nice.

Before you spend $70 or $80 on an external soundcard I think you should try to pin down the problem you're getting with your other 1/8" players. Are the cables you're using really thin or cheap or really long?

 

[seedubs1]

Alright, it was just a couple crappy mp3 files from the mp3 player that sounded bad, but the computer still sounds like junk.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: seedubs1
Alright, it was just a couple crappy mp3 files from the mp3 player that sounded bad, but the computer still sounds like junk.

Oh, ok.

So a good quality song on the mp3 player sounds good with the sub and center even?

If that's the case then yeah, it has to be the lousy integrated laptop sound.

 

[seedubs1]

The cable i am using is pretty thick, and it is only like 5 feet long. Not sure, but I dont think that that is the problem. And, I know it is not the reciever, because the dennon cd changer that I have hooked up to it sounds about as good as anything I have heard.

 

[seedubs1]

Also, I dont have a sub. I just turned the sub setting on my reciever completely off. This did not matter via when I was using the cd changer.

 

[seedubs1]

Alright, just tried the center channel again. It sounds bad. Is this because when I use the mp3 player to send the information to the reciever, it is only sending right/left channel sound because it is set up for hedphones?

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: seedubs1
Alright, just tried the center channel again. It sounds bad. Is this because when I use the mp3 player to send the information to the reciever, it is only sending right/left channel sound because it is set up for hedphones?

I don't know what the problem is. When I use any of the "Pro Logic" sort of things on my harman kardon, the sound is fine out of 7.1 including the center. Even 7 channel stereo sounds fine and it mixes the two signals for the center channel.

Hooking up an mp3 player instead of a Cd changer shouldn't make this much of a difference since they're both outputing stereo signals to the receiver.

 

[seedubs1]

hmmmmm

I dont know, because I have a 595 series onkyo reciever and it was hooked up 5 channel for dvds earlier, and that worked fine, but the center channel is almost all static out of the mp3 player. By the way, the dvds were out of a dvd player, not my computer.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Does the center sound decent when you're playing cds from the cd changer on it?

 

[CSMR]

Originally posted by: seedubs1
I have a laptop currently, and I also have a onkyo reciever for my home audio system and about 2,000 dollars worth of boston acoustics speakers. The only problem with this is, I have a cheap realtek ac97 sound card. Whenever i try to hook up my reciever to my computer, I get so much static that I cant bear to listen to it. I was wondering if any of you have had any problems like this, and what some recomendations would be. I was thinking of getting a soundblaster audigy 2 nx or a audigy 2 zs notebook. I am not sure about either of these, or if they would hook up to my home audio reciever well. I do not even know if there is any way to hook up to my reciever. Should I just get a set of computer speakers? Anyone have any of these types of set ups?

OK. You need a good sound card. The options for direct analog out from a laptop are limited. Creative does not make soundcards with good fidelity (though better than nothing); it concentrates on features for gamers. The Waveterminal U24 is said to be good, but hard to set up optimally (with ASIO). For a laptop I would look at a sound card plus external DAC. The Transit works well (bit-perfect output) but you can get less jitter with other cards if you are just using them for music have and have ASIO playback on your media player. What is your receiver? And speakers exactly?

Edit: assumed stereo speakers. I know very little about multichannel options. The E-MU 1616m will give you a lot of decent outputs, but is relatively expensive ($500).

 

[seedubs1]

I take it you mean the m-audio transit hi-resolution mobile audio upgrade. Will this act as a new sound card and give me clearer, and more powerful sound output out of my laptop. I have not heard anything about this piece of equipment. Also, you said that the waveterminal u24 would be good? Will this do the same things as I asked about the transit? Sorry I sound so undereducated on these things. I have a small amount of knowlege of computer peripherals, but am very well versed in home audio. Oh, and by the way, the e-mu 1616m is a bit out of what I would be able to pay. Thanks for your help.

Also, jsut wondering, but would I need anything else if I got the u24?

 

[seedubs1]

By the way, what is ASIO?

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

I think ASIO is how soundcards make multichannel input and output... maybe...

I just do stereo digital out and let my receiver do its thing
(well, unless I have a DD source I'm playing)

 

[CSMR]

ASIO is a a way for software to communicate with sound cards, bypassing the windows drivers, which mess up sound a little.

 

[CSMR]

Originally posted by: seedubs1
I take it you mean the m-audio transit hi-resolution mobile audio upgrade. Will this act as a new sound card and give me clearer, and more powerful sound output out of my laptop. I have not heard anything about this piece of equipment. Also, you said that the waveterminal u24 would be good? Will this do the same things as I asked about the transit? Sorry I sound so undereducated on these things. I have a small amount of knowlege of computer peripherals, but am very well versed in home audio. Oh, and by the way, the e-mu 1616m is a bit out of what I would be able to pay. Thanks for your help.

Also, jsut wondering, but would I need anything else if I got the u24?

If you want stereo analog out I would recommend the waveterminal U24 or the M-Audio transit+ an external DAC. That would be using the transit for digital output. If your receiver has digital input another option is to get the transit with digital connection.
(The Transit has analog out, but the U24's analog out is significantly better I think.)
If you get the U24 you just need RCA cables to connect to your receiver.
This is all stereo; I don't know if you will get multichannel with any of these options.

 

[seedubs1]

So, if i get a u24, I dont need an external dac, but I should get one if I get the m-audio transit? Also, I have been reading some not so good things about m-audio. Any experience? I have read that the waveterminal is good and also that the edirol products are of very good quality.