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[Rich_D]

I have recently discovered MC10 for use with setting up a  Multizone audio system within my house.  Before I start purchasing the hardware I would appriciate clarification on a few items.  I have already searched the Forums but still need a little more detail.

I wish to have 3 audio zones (Living Room, Bedroom and Bathroom) all being controlled by a single PC running MC.  I would like each zone to be able to play indepentantly (i.e. different music) but also the ability to have the same music being played through all zones simultaniously.  I have read that the only way to currently do this is to use an Optical out and feed this into the other soundcards and use a mute/unmute mechanism however this confuses:   

1. What connections do I make? 
2. What sound cards do I need?
3. What software tells the soundcard to use the signal being feed from the other sound card and enables the sound to be routed through the sound cards?

Thanks in advance

Rich

[Mastiff]

Not optical, coaxial, if not analog. Many sound cards are a pain in the ass to get working with digital sound from card to card. My setup would be four cards, one for each zone and one master card with the line out connected via splitters to the line in on the three others, and then using Girder and NetRemote to mute and unmute. I have the same setup, but I have seven zones at the moment (in the summer I have eight).

[kaiynne]

So if you were going digital you would want to get a card that had a direct port for a coax connection then?  My audigy requires a 3.5mm to coax adapter, its seems like there would be some signal degradation there, but compound that 8 or so times and surely it would get noticeable right?  So which cards if any have an actual coax connection.

Thanks mastiff, you are a legend.

[Mastiff]

Thank you, thank you...  Well, the mini jack is just the same as the phono, no degradation, as far as I know.

[Rich_D]

Thanks Mastiff,  just one last thing, what sound cards would you recommend (or which ones do you use)

Rich

[Mastiff]

I use several. Audigy2 for the living room, cheaper Sound Blaster types for lesser quality amps/speakers, Envy24 for the home theater, built in motherboard sound cards and so on. Quality and several zones on one card usually means M-Audio. You can also use the kX Drivers for SoundBlaster and get more than one zone from a card, but that doesn't allow much control over Line In, if you want that. If not, two Audigy and the kX Drivers will get you far.