Sound card for music archive

[Ueri]

I have ripped most of my CD collection to MP3, 192kbit VBR@44100Hz. I ran the line out from my SBLive to aux in on my receiver. Sounds worse than that noise Jim Carrey makes in D&D. I assume the MP3 encoding is decent enough, and I already know the SBLive isn't the card for me.

I get a loud buzz with really bad sound quality. Nobody I've talked to can tell me how to get rid of the buzz. One guy did mention a ground loop and told me to run a wire from the grounding screw on the receiver to the PC case. That helped a little. Very little.

So does anybody have a solution? I'm in the market to upgrade the sound card, but my primary reason is getting from PC to receiver with no buzz and high sound quality. I considered getting a DigiFire because of the features and low price, but now I'm not sure. Approximate distance is 10 feet along the floor.

 

[the_Prisoner]

Did you try a shielded cable? A PC can put out some interference. Their is a wireless type device that hooks up into your system like a peice of audio equipment.

Hum can be a weird thing, I have found also it is a grounding problem. Also 10 feet can be a long length depending on the quality of the cable and the interference around it.

I assume it sounds fine when you play it out of your computer speakers or your headphones connected to the computer?

If it sounds fine out through the computer speakers or the headphones, I would not think the SB Live is the problem.

A better soundcard may help, Yamaha makes a nice sound breakout box type. Mucho dinero though.

I run my audio out about six feet to my home PC theater
system with a good cable for music, movie and gaming and do not have any noise.

Regards,
the Prisoner

I'm not a number, I'm a free man!

 

[jheine]

I'd have to agree with the_Prisoner and suggest you check your cables. As long as they are good quality, you sould be able to rule them out. 10 foot is really not as long as it seems. The average cables are 3-6', but it's not uncommon to see instrument cables at 20'+. I run my outs about 6' to a mixer and then another 6' to the stereo. Try connecting a portable cd player or tape deck to make sure its the sound card. This will test the cable to see if it still happens as well. 60-cycle hum is a pain when introduced into the chain, and it will drive you nuts until you can figure out where it's from.

Jarrett