# Squeezebox



## Nick77 (Oct 19, 2006)

I am wanting to use my pc as a transport for music on my HT system. Would I just need a sound card with digital outputs or would I need to invest in a squeezebox?


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## Otto (May 18, 2006)

Nick77 said:


> I am wanting to use my pc as a transport for music on my HT system. Would I just need a sound card with digital outputs or would I need to invest in a squeezebox?


Hey there, Nick,

I use Winamp to play FLAC files directly from my PC through an optical connection to my pre/pro. No need for a SqueezeBox if you don't want/need one. I think they are pretty cool, but I just don't have a need for one. There's another thread around here where I describe my setup in more detail. Lemme know if you have any specific questions.


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## Nick77 (Oct 19, 2006)

Otto said:


> Hey there, Nick,
> 
> I use Winamp to play FLAC files directly from my PC through an optical connection to my pre/pro. No need for a SqueezeBox if you don't want/need one. I think they are pretty cool, but I just don't have a need for one. There's another thread around here where I describe my setup in more detail. Lemme know if you have any specific questions.


Otto thanks for the input. So Winamp is software and you already had an optical out on your computor? I am just using my onboard sound and do not have an optical out. Would I need a entry sound card or high end card to get optical out? Thanks for sharing your success, I didnt really want to invest in the squeezebox. I just noticed I do have spdif-out on my pc. Is that an available output of digital quality and how do I make that work? Adaptor? Thanks


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## Otto (May 18, 2006)

Hey there,

Yep, Winamp is free software. If you use FLAC files you can use another free plugin. I bought a cheap soundcard with an optical out. I don't care about DACs or frequency response as long as I can get the bits. Never had a problem with it other than goofy drivers. It was $10 on eBay. Definitely not high-end.

If you have S/PDIF out on your sound card (using either a coax connection or a 1/8" jack), you don't need the optical, as long as you have S/PDIF in on your receiver/pre/pro. I'm not sure how to make your particular model work. It will probably be an option under the soundcard stuff in Control Panel, or it will be selectable as part of the software your drivers installed (I'm assuming Windows here). Poke around and see if you can find it.

Good luck.


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## Guest (Nov 15, 2006)

What the soundbridge and SqueezeBox give you is an interface to the music and a remote to control volume and songs etc. That may or may not be important if you PC is near the stereo and you don't mind using the keyboard/mouse to get at your songs but its useful if you're using the SoundBridge in another room etc.


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## Nick77 (Oct 19, 2006)

Andrew Pratt said:


> What the soundbridge and SqueezeBox give you is an interface to the music and a remote to control volume and songs etc. That may or may not be important if you PC is near the stereo and you don't mind using the keyboard/mouse to get at your songs but its useful if you're using the SoundBridge in another room etc.


Thanks for the info. So I decided to give itunes another try to buy and arrange my music. I also ordered a 25' spdif cable to reach my avr. So I am going to give this a try using rca digital connect from pc to avr. I will post back with results. Am I missing anything? I will have to deal with cable later if all is a success.


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## Nick77 (Oct 19, 2006)

Well I got my cable and got it hooked up using the spdif out on pc. It works but not very high quality. The noise floor is a little high but mostly it cannot handle the bass. 
I guess my next step is to find a decent sound card. Anyone having any good results with any particular card?


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## Otto (May 18, 2006)

Hi Nick,

I think something's wrong. If you are using a digital signal, you shouldn't get noise and bass problems. I would expect digi-noise and dropouts, but not that kind of stuff. I'd keep working on it.


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## Woochifer (Oct 19, 2006)

The Squeezebox has a built-in 802.11g wireless receiver, so you can stream your audio files that way if you use a wireless router.


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