Internet Radio into Home Stereo

I just bought a new component stereo and hooked up my PC to the receiver using the cheap sound card that came with the PC. I had to use the 1/8" line out jack and then Y to RCA jacks and then to the receiver. I noticed immediately that the sound was noisy. Under low volume it doesn't sound too bad but as soon as you crank it up a bit it is harsh and definately not high def. This goes for Internet Streaming as well as playing the music that is loaded onto my computer. I have not noticed this same sound coming out of my computer speakers.

I am curious what your thoughts are on getting a better sound card for my PC. Would that make a lot of difference. The card that I am looking at is the M-AUDIO Audiophile 2496 which gets good reviews and has been around for a while. I am only interested in listening to the music on my computer and to listening to Internet music.

Your thoughts would be appreciated. Is there something else that could be the problem. What else could I do that would help me improve the listening experiance of the music on the PC over my home stereo.

Thanks

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Originally Posted by emv3003

I just bought a new component stereo and hooked up my PC to the receiver using the cheap sound card that came with the PC. I had to use the 1/8" line out jack and then Y to RCA jacks and then to the receiver.

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Is the "Y" adaptor mono or stereo?

It is a stereo adapter. 2 black spacers on the 1/8" jack.

Thanks

The stock sound in many computers is noisy and low quality. I wasn't even satisfied with the Soundblaster Audigy 2 for music / home theater use. It was quiet, but just didn't seem to sound "natural". I've had an Audiophile 2496 for awhile now and it sounds awesome. I highly recommend it.

Remember to uninstall the drivers for your old card or built-in sound before removing it and installing the new one. If the sound is built into the mainboard, you'll have to disable the on-board sound in the BIOS.

Also remember low bitrate internet radio and mp3s aren't going to sound fantastic no matter what...

I connect my Audigy 2 to my receiver using the 1/8" SPDIF out, through a mono (one black spacer) to coax out and then connected to the digital in at the receiver. Going this route will give you PCM to your receiver which will sound better IMO. You can get the 1/8" mono plug to RCA at Rat Shack.

Thanks for the replies. I have tried playing CDs on my PC over my home stereo and the sound is still quite poor. I would expect the mp3s and Internet music to be less quality than my CD's but it should sound better than it is. I do think that I will get the M-Audio sound card which will cost me around $100.00 and should help to improve my situation. My receiver is a brand new NAD 720BEE and these do not come with the option for a digital input so that option is out. The M-Audio has RCA outs so I will be able to use less conections than I currently am which shouldn't hurt either. What cable to use is now a new choice that I will have to make. I am thinking that regular RCA cables should be alright but Monster would have you believe otherwise.

Again thank you for your input and I will update everyone on what I find after installing the new card. (Assuming I can figure out how to do it.) I have never taken the cover off of my PC so installing a new card could be an adventure.

I think you'll be very pleased with your purchase. It will make a big difference, particularly with CD quality or lossless files. Sometimes I like to drift off listening to "Drone Zone" on Soma FM at 128k and it sounds pretty cool through the Audiophile 2496 though... http://somafm.com/

If you need any help installing it, don't hesitate to ask here or even e-mail me at royphil345@yahoo.com I gave you a pretty good overview already. Find your old sound device in the device manager, uninstall the device. Turn off power, remove power cord. Remove old card. If the on-board sound is built into the mainboard, you'll need to disable it in the BIOS instead of physically removing it. Install new card. Install the drivers. That's it. You may have to select the new card as default in "sound and audio devices" for playback and recording and select the desired inputs and outputs (digital or analog)...

Cables do make a difference. Most of the people here don't like Monster Cables... I think their Standard 100 cables are a great value and sound much better and fuller than the cheapie cables that come included with components... without breaking the bank. I think they may have discontinued this series, but you can still find them... http://www.amazon.com/Monster-I100-2...314545&sr=8-11 I do not care for the sound of their pricier "time aligned" cables at all. As a matter of fact... I hate them. I can see people trying some of the supposedly "better" cables in their lineup and becoming Monster bashers for life. Can't blame them. Their pricier cables seem to be designed so that you can definitely hear a difference. Problem is... most people serious about their audio seem to agree the difference is not an improvement. If you want to spend more, go somewhere besides Monster.

Good luck!!! Definitely let us know what you think of the 2496.

hi i know this as got nothing to do with this post but as it says internet radio does anyone know any decent internet radio sites. As im using shoutcast at the moment thank you