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Gear / Technical Help => Post-Processing, Computer / Streaming / Internet Devices & Related Activity => Topic started by: morningdew on August 05, 2006, 07:45:43 AM

Title: Laptop to Stereo. How?
Post by: morningdew on August 05, 2006, 07:45:43 AM
I’ve got a few two channel recordings that I have been messing with using Sound Forge 8.0.  The problem is that my desktop PC has just a crappy pair of speakers so I listen to the sound using headphones.  This is very hard to do because the sound is so different through headphones than when played back on a room stereo.

So, is there anyway to have my laptop playback through my stereo?  If yes, how do I do it?

Laptop: Dell Latitude D600
Receiver: Sony DA3000ES (It has a lot of various inputs)

The sound from SF>Laptop>Receiver doesn’t have to be pristine but I do need it to be good enough to give me a close approximation of the final result after burning to CD.

Also, I have a digi-modded UA-5 if that would help.
Title: Re: Laptop to Stereo. How?
Post by: joekar on August 05, 2006, 09:03:55 AM
Hi,
 You can connect the laptop (headphone/audio out) to the receiver with a 1/8" mini to RCA adapter cable...readily available from Radio Shack....Just ask for a cable to connect an iPod to a home stereo...( that way they understand you )........I use a Monster Cable (1/8' to RCA) from my G5 to my Sony receiver and it sounds great...OR....If your computer has an optical out just run it into one of your optical ins......Hope this helps.....

Peace,
jk
Title: Re: Laptop to Stereo. How?
Post by: dnsacks on August 05, 2006, 09:15:28 AM
1/8" stereo mini to rcas will indeed work, the best sounding solution (and one that might change the way you listen to music) would be to use a digital interface to send a digital signal to your sony receiver directly from your laptop (using the 1/8" stereo mini, the signal's going through a digital>analog conversion in your laptop and then is going through an analog>digital>analog conversion within your sony 3000es)

Getting a digital soundcard for your laptop would let the signal stay in the digital realm 'till it heads to your speakers.  The maudio transit is a good card for this, it's a usb device that plugs into your laptop and feeds an optical digital signal to your sony receiver. 
Title: Re: Laptop to Stereo. How?
Post by: guysonic on August 05, 2006, 09:23:09 AM
The type of headphones also makes a huge difference.  Open types (verses closed 'can') generally sound more like speakers.  The most speaker sounding I have and still use are Sony MDR-F1 and latest in-production MDR-SA3000 and SA5000 that are identical or better than listening to $5000+ audiophile speakers.
Title: Re: Laptop to Stereo. How?
Post by: morningdew on August 05, 2006, 09:29:53 AM
O.k. I can do the 1/8" stereo to RCA for now because I have that cable and I'll give it a try.

However,

Checking out the M-Audio Transit isn't this just the same/similar thing as the Edirol UA-5?  I have one of those.

Can I go Laptop>USB>UA-5 digital out>Receiver Digital-In?  Keep in mind that my UA-5 has been digi-modded.

If yes, how does the laptop know to push the sound through the USB?  I'm guessing software?
Title: Re: Laptop to Stereo. How?
Post by: dnsacks on August 05, 2006, 11:54:36 AM
It's my understanding that once a ua5 is digimodded, its can't be used to output a digital signal from a pc via its usb connection.

Further, the ua5 resamples digital signals being fed to it, the maudio transit is bit-perfect