John:
the highend soundcards truly are worth the cost to an audiophile
I have the soundblaster Gold that is the same card as the soundblaster
platinum.
Soundblaster also sells the "livedrive"  that fits in a 5 1/4 bay in the
front of the computer.
on the digital inputs, most newer devices like minidisc and Cdroms use an
optical input.
You can't use optical devices on S/PDIF input/output without and expensive
adapter.
for which you need an additional bracket for approx. $35
See this link for info and brackets:
http://www.hoontech.com/english/products/Brackets/product6_9.html
I got the SB DB III bracket cause in has optical in and out.
Soundblaster also sells the "livedrive"  that fits in a 5 1/4 bay in the
front of the computer,
but it's a little on the pricey side. I beleive the livedrive 2 has optical
in and out.
I use it to record to my minidisc from MP3 files/CD on the computer and vs
versa.
This is a good resource for all things Soundblaster:
http://alive.singnet.com.sg/



     |
  --|---------------------------
     | ><>  Larry  Fisk   <><
     |      Fisk Computers
     |      Fruitvale, Idaho

----- Original Message -----
From: "John Chin"
Subject: [PCBUILD] Please recommend a Sound Card with digital in/out


> A friend has a monster stereo system and would like to connect this to his
> Dell 1GHz multimedia computer for CDR recording and MP3 playback.
> Apparently, his PC doesn't have any digital input/outputs.
> Please recommend a Sound Card with digital inputs and outputs, something
on
> the performance level of a SoundBlaster Platinum or better.

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