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[bean_counter]

Hi,

newb here;  I have an old XP desktop that I want to use as a music server, running JRiver.  I need a recommendation for a sound card for good spdif coax output.  I want to avoid re-sampling on the card, I simply want to pass the bits out of JRiver to the external DAC.

I am stuck for now with a spdif coax or optical input on my DAC (I would prefer coax).  I do NOT want to use a USB/spdif converter, as I will have other peripherals (USB HDD, wireless keyboard, etc) on USB.

Don't want to break the bank, and I don't need any fancy audiophile DAC on the card; already have that.  Just well clocked, clean coax spdif out.

thanks!

[Listener]

I used an ESI Juli@ PCI card on an XP machine for ~5 years.  Good ASIO driver.  There is a PCIe version not too.  Under $ 200 even with a recent price increase.

Florida Music Company is a good place to buy one.

[bean_counter]

Thanks, Listener.  I spent a few hours going through posts here and elsewhere, seems like it's a very good solution for my application, and something a retro guy like me can handle (I was a great DOS 3.1 geek, but this Windows thing, well...).  I was hoping a $60 card would do the trick, but I suppose I've never spent that little on any audio gear - under $200 isn't bad.  Funny how we all expect computer parts to come cheap, yet audio gear is sky-high.

Off topic, do you know if the analog in and A/D converter are up to snuff?  That I might use, to digitize some if my LP's, as long as it's there.

[Listener]

I was hoping a $60 card would do the trick, but I suppose I've never spent that little on any audio gear - under $200 isn't bad.  Funny how we all expect computer parts to come cheap, yet audio gear is sky-high.

Well, I'm resistant to sky high prices for audio gear too.

> Off topic, do you know if the analog in and A/D converter are up to snuff?
> That I might use, to digitize some if my LP's, as long as it's there.

I used the analog to capture audio from ~25 LPs (all that I had kept!).  I just connected the line-out from my pre-amp to the Juli@ inputs.  I'm happy with the results.

Bill

[bean_counter]

Well, I'm resistant to sky high prices for audio gear too.

> Off topic, do you know if the analog in and A/D converter are up to snuff?
> That I might use, to digitize some if my LP's, as long as it's there.

I used the analog to capture audio from ~25 LPs (all that I had kept!).  I just connected the line-out from my pre-amp to the Juli@ inputs.  I'm happy with the results.

Bill

Yeah, I'm notoriously cheap (just ask my wife).  At this point everything except my DAC, SACD player, and FM tuner are DIY or mods of old, relatively cheap gear. 

I've got around 2,000 LP's - mostly thrift sop finds - but really only interested in converting 200 or so, mainly for my kid when she leaves for college.

[natehansen66]

If you're just looking for a card to output a digital signal IMO a cheap $50 card from Best Buy or the like would be just fine.

If you're looking for DAC/ADC as well you might look at the M-Audio Audiophile cards. No personal experience there but I've heard good things about them.

[bean_counter]

Cleaned up the old XP machine (how could it still run with all those dust bunnies inside?!), added some memory, downloaded MC 17, installed the Juil@, and I'm up and running!  Using toslink for now.  Playing flac rips, using ASIO output from MC.

Installing the Juli@ drivers was a bit fiddly - somehow, the Win 7 drivers were loaded instead of XP, and it wouldn't play spdif out; found a post on the ESI forum on how to unsinstall, took a little work but all's well that ends well.

Florida Music Co was great - ordered Monday, arrived Thursday, with free shipping.  Can't beat that!