Solution for connecting computer audio to distant receiver?

A

azrael201

Weaksauce
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Jun 11, 2005
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My receiver and home theater setup is about 30-40ft away from my computer. Other than buying 40ft of optical or coaxial cable, is my only option left to get one of those fancy schmancy soundbridges? The ones that are wireless? I heard they all suck a while back, maybe you guys can recomend something?
 
x, you think it's worth spending the 280 on that instead of running a cable? you can get a 40 foot coax cable from bluejeans for around 30 bucks, and i don't believe signal loss would be an issue (although i could be wrong on that)...
 
Yea 40' is way to far for even a Digital cable run.
(jitter is gonna be a big problem)
 
ok, i rescind my first post then and scribble a mental note about this... :)

to the op, i'm curious... why do you want to connect it? you have a collection of mp3's or something on your computer? if so, you can burn a LOT of cd's for what this solution will cost you...
 
haha i live in an efficiency and you have to admit it would be terribly inconvenient to burn cds just to listen on the HT. Yea i guess the whole wireless solution is still new and i won't find anything great. Maybe i'll have to build a HTPC. bummer.

Didn't know there'd be jitter was that just for coax or optical as well?
 
i dunno about the apple morpheus i'm skeptical even though those reviews are a bit too positive
 
Didn't know there'd be jitter was that just for coax or optical as well?
Click to expand...
Jitter applies to optical cables as well.
But there is a catch there..... the practical limit for a S/PDIF optical cable without a repeater is like 18 feet IIRC
 
azrael201 said:
i dunno about the apple morpheus i'm skeptical even though those reviews are a bit too positive
Click to expand...

i own one and i use to sell them this might be the only apple product that ill back :D :p
 
Well depending on what type of control solutions you want I say go with the HTPC idea. You dont even need a whole HTPC setup...just find yourself an old PIII or somethin with XP on it and network your two computers. Cat5e and an old box like that is much cheaper then anything else.
 
it'll take me a while to get some parts together but i think that's probably the most practical. Maybe i'll just use onboard and just pull out my Audigy 2 Platinum and stick it in an old PIII ...just feels like it's out of place.
 
You can always do it old-school and run audio transformers :D. Im sure that would give far worse quality.

Mister X said:
Yea 40' is way to far for even a Digital cable run.
(jitter is gonna be a big problem)
Click to expand...
Jitter? What do you mean by jitter? :confused:

I ran a 25' cable out to my amp, just 1/8th inch headphone to RCA. I didnt notice any problems, but I usualy dont notice things.
 
bob said:
I ran a 25' cable out to my amp, just 1/8th inch headphone to RCA. I didnt notice any problems, but I usualy dont notice things.
Click to expand...

lol, ignorance is bliss in your mind and on your wallet

maybe 40 is pushing it? Maybe i should try it and then return the cable when poop hits the fan
 
The PIII will seem outta place but you can think of somethin creative I am sure. I actually found an old desktop case (the kind that sit sideways) and painted it black and it fit right in. You can get super complex with this stuff or keep it simple...your choice. Its been awhile since I messed with it but I am pretty sure there are programs out there that remotely run various MP3 progs from a networked computer. If you run an extra cat5e with your cat5e used for networking you can extend IR capabilities to your main rig and remotely control the main rig which is remotely controlling (via IP) your faux HTPC. BUT (of course there has to be one of those) I am currently in an apt setting myself and I have two radio shack 1/8" stereo jack extensions (25ft apiece) hooked together running to my Denon amp in the living room. So your looking at 50+ ft of wire right there. That has a connection at the PC (1/8" ext) running to another 1/8" ext (connection number 2) which runs to an 1/8" to RCA Audio Converter (connection 3) that finally hooks into my CD input on the Denon. Team this up with a ground breaker to get rid of the damn hum and your good to go! Only pops and cracks I ever notice is when there is extensive network activity but I attribute that to the poor onboard NIC of the PC connected to the amp, that PC is networked to my main rig which stores the MP3's on an external (firewire) HDD.

Sorry that was a bit windy but through many trials and errors of this myself I found that this is by far the cheapest way to get it done. At least til I am through with school....and you dont even want to get me started on my plans for A/V and PC hookups throughout my home!!
 
let me get this straight, you have a computer connected 50ft away which is not your main computer that just stores mp3s? I think I would rather have digital audio if i must have wires running across my apt, but yes that would be prohibitively expensive.
 
Mister X said:
Jitter applies to optical cables as well.
But there is a catch there..... the practical limit for a S/PDIF optical cable without a repeater is like 18 feet IIRC
Click to expand...

yea, that's about right... i wouldn't go much farther over 15...

from the op:

"you have to admit it would be terribly inconvenient to burn cds just to listen on the HT"

nah, i wouldn't admit that... burn 'em while you are surfing... :)

but then again, it's unlikely that i'd spend 280 to listen to mp3's on my ht to begin with... if i didn't have the stuff in a lossless format, i'd buy it (and, i know, end up spending a LOT more in the end)... but that's my (somewhat) irrational bias against lossy music formats... :)
 
azrael201 said:
let me get this straight, you have a computer connected 50ft away which is not your main computer that just stores mp3s? I think I would rather have digital audio if i must have wires running across my apt, but yes that would be prohibitively expensive.
Click to expand...

Well I have a seperate computer that I use for other tasks and that just happens to be the computer that is connected to my "theater" setup. There is no reason you cant have your theater hooked up to your one and only computer via the stereo 25' extenstions. You did say you were in an efficiency which is why I assumed you simply wanted to hear your tunes in another end of your place. My wires are ran under the baseboards at the perimeter of my apt so I dont see any wires anywhere. If your worried about high fidelity (you did say your rather have digital if you have to run wires) I wouldnt be hooking up ANY mp3 source to a theater setup. There really is no cost in the extension setup...maybe 20 bucks.
 
Well, I was thinking... You can run the speakers out for quite a ways, if you use heavier gauge cable.

Ehh. Oh well. As long as it sounds good to my ears.
 
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