My current setup is an Early 2008 MacBook, Sony MDR-7506 headphones, and a set of M-Audio Studiophile AV 40 monitors.
What I'm looking for is to get the best possible sound from the laptop to the speakers (primarily) without going over say $200.
The AV 40 has analog line in via RCA or 1/2" TRS.
The MacBook has optical out, so I could go out via that or the front-most USB port (as I believe that is the one that isn't on the internal hub). I'm probably leaning towards a USB solution as I really don't want or need any more power adapters lying around.
