Fortissimo II and Bose hum

hi. i have a Hercules Fortissimo II card and jsut bought the Bose Companion 3 speakers. i noticed there is a very low hum coming from the sub when its connected to my comp. when i connected it to the line level out on my ipod dock, the hum went away. i was wondering if all newer sound cards have a line level out and if that would solve the problem. maybe an external usb sound card with line level out. i just want a card with line level out basically. and if it is line level out, does that mean i wont be able to control the volume using the computer, because thats what i want. i want the volume to be controlled by the bose system only. thanks.

ps. i was considering
Sound Blaster Audigy2 ZS
Sound Blaster Audigy2 NX

The output from your Fortissimo II is line-level. Although, the signal is processed by the controls in the Windows Mixer. The newer sound cards work the same way. Not sure if the controls in the Windows Mixer effect the analog output on a USB card. I would guess no, but I haven't used a USB card yet. It seems to me that there are a few limitations with a USB card, and you'd probably still want a good quality standard sound card for some applications.

Some background noise and hum is a common problem with many sound cards. A computer system is a pretty noisy environment for audio equipment. Things you could try to eliminate the hum:

Try unplugging the power supply for the speakers, turning it 180 degrees and plugging it back in if possible (may only fit into the outlet 1 way).

Select "mute" in the Windows mixer for any audio input you're not using (mic, line in,etc...).

Set the controls in the Windows Mixer to the "flat" setting (usually the master volume halfway up and the sources all the way up, sometimes all controls halfway up) and use the control on the speakers to adjust volume. Wav and Synth should be about the only sources not muted in a basic system. Maybe CD if you don't have XP or you're not getting sound from CD if the CD source is muted. Having a CD drive hooked up using an analog cable usually causes some hum. Mostly because the cables are low quality and the ends aren't shielded.

I have an Audigy card. No problems with noise. Buying one may help, but wouldn't absolutely guarantee you getting rid of the hum. Some mainboards and power supplies just seem to make noise through soundcards. Stay away from SoundBlaster cards if your mainboard has a VIA chipset. Soundblaster cards and VIA chipsets (seems to depend on mainboard as well, some seem to have a BIOS that solves the problem, some just won't seem to work with a SoundBlaster no matter what I try) still don't get along well (clicking noises in sound, sometimes can be solved and sometimes not).

oh ok thanks. unfortunately my board does have a VIA chipset.ill probably still get that audigy.

thanks again

OK... Don't say I didn't warn you if you get static and clicking noises though. There are other cards in the price-range that people say sound better than the Audigy2, are just as quiet and won't have issues with VIA chipsets.

I'm not very up to date on what's out there right now. Perhaps others could suggest a few other choices for you.