Topic: Computer to stereo-Should be easy answer-any help appreciated

[rhett]

If you are going to hard wire a computer onto a HT receiver, what is the best way to accomplish this?  If I want to play 16/24 FLACs from my hard drive through my receiver what are my cable options? Keep that the receiver I will be getting will be a new 7.1 and all the inputs and outputs such that I am getting confused.......
I have never set up something like this before so just trying to get an easy 'lay of the land.'

Thanks!!

[bhtoque]

That's going to depend on your PC. What outputs do you have from your sound card??

Most likely you'll be going 1/8" out of the pc and RCA in on the receiver

JAson

[rhett]

what are your thoughts on external sound cards?

[Brian Skalinder]

It's tough to answer specifically without more detailed information about your configuration.  I'm going to assume your 7.1 receiver is a multi-functional device (tuner, DAC, preamp, amp) and accepts a digital coax input.

In that case, you would need an internal or external soundcard that provides a digital coax output.  FWIW, I use an Audiophile 2496.  Simply connect the soundcard's digital coax output to the receiver's digital coax input and you're all set.  This requires a 75-ohm cable with RCA connectors on both ends.  You'll then control your playback from the computer, using your software of choice.  I like Foobar2000.