Avoiding Soundcard on PC to A/V Receiver Connection?

Hi,

If I am right, you want to digital connect your PC with your Receiver?

If you have an optical and/or SPDIF output on your motherboard you can use it and it wont amplify twice. You only have to have such an input at your Receiver..

Plugging in a PC/Laptop to A/V receiver via HDMI/optical cable is much more pain free than a USB device. By this way, you won't get as much interference as using the PC as DAC.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arc6 

Is there a way to connect your PC/Laptop to an A/V Receiver in a way that will prevent the computer's sound card from processing the music? I am not certain  that I am posing the right question. My understanding is that when you plug in a USB DAC/Amp to your laptop, then the audio circumvents the computer's sound card and uses the added component. So, if I am using a A/V receiver, is there a way to reproduce this effect? Or will the audio get amped twice? Once, by the sound card, and again by the A/V?

 

Please enlighten me.

Your program, iTunes, etc. will be processed by Windows  processor, remaining in the digital domain, to USB. Then, it's USB to external DAC, or internat DAC of your preamp.
 

If not then a decent desktop amp would be the most efficient choice. If you still want to use the receiver, then get a simple sound card / graphics card with optical/hdmi output. I use a HD5770 graphics card to connect my HTPC with my receiver via hdmi cable. I would recommend a AMD 5000 series graphics card over a sound card as you are just interested in the digital out from the pc. These cards are capable of bitstreaming bluray movies with HD audio.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arc6 

My PC doesn't have any of those? Is it possible to do this via a USB?

I dont think that your Receiver has an USB input. Instead, you can use a USB/SPDIF converter or an external/internal soundcard with SPDIF/Toslink output.

I use a digital cable (75ohms) to output from my soundcard to my A / V receiver. I also use the analog outputs (front, back, cs) for gaming or whenever I want the effects processor of the soundcard.  But it is the digital output that bypasses the soundcard's DAC and processor, I'm not sure all motherboard sound solutions have a digital out, but if your's does, you need just to hook it up. Just read that your motherboard doesn't cut the mustard.  Check what inputs your receiver has in the digital domain, I think the cheapest cable should do you, Never convince me if the cable gauge can carry the signal, you can hear the difference between steel and gold.  But at least the gold won't rust on you, just fade away...

Here's another idea. You can get something like a Creative Sound Blaster X-FI HD. This is an audiophile interface. And, whether or not your receiver has S/PDIF input, the X-FI will receive digital  from your PC's USB output, and transfer  digital, if your receiver accepts it, or, with its DAC, send analog to your receiver.

If your amp has analog inputs only, a USB DAC will do what you want.

- it bypasses the on board sound card

- converts the audio as received over the USB to analog

You can compare it with a CD player. It reads the data from the CD, feed it into a DAC, the DAC translates it to analog and the analog stage brings the signal to line level.

Now you read the data from the HD, send it to a DAC over the USB.

http://www.thewelltemperedcomputer.com/HW/USB_DAC.htm

You might wanna try something like this

Yes..that serves as digital line out. You can connect it to an optical input in your receiver.