Laptop to integrated amp

WickedSharp

Scratchy and crunchy is how I like it
I'm thinking of sending my son off to college next year with some small-sized gear....
I've rubbed off on him some and he like the old gear!

Teledyne AR A-03 integrated amp (45wpc at 4ohm) ---> Smaller Advent Loudspeakers

I assume he'll have a new laptop by then and will use that as his primary source for music.

Q) What are people using these days to get from the USB port on a laptop to the CD/Aux input on an amp?

Not looking for the ultimate in sound quality, but simple and reliable and "pretty good sound" would be great.
 
Assuming he wants to go the speaker route ... vice headphones.

A common option is Laptop USB out >USB DAC > RCA out

... another option powered speakers w/ built in DAC ... like Audioengine A2+ (below) ... no amp in this case.

th
 
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A common option is Laptop USB out >USB DAC > RCA out

... another option powered speakers w/ built in DAC ... like Audioengine A2+ (below) ... no amp in this case.

th

Thanks, I guess I'm asking for a solid USB DAC recommendation then....
 
I'm looking at the Apple Airport Express right now.... It would help with printing too.
How to get from analog optical output to RCA though....
 
For "pretty good sound," what's wrong with the simple 1/8" headphone out on to RCA?

Although using the headphone out works and is certainly very economical, IME using a USB DAC sounds better. You can get a USB DAC for as little as $30 (Behringer UCA-202/222). The Behringer also has the added benefit of being an ADC. That allows using it to "digitize" LP's and tapes.
 
For "pretty good sound," what's wrong with the simple 1/8" headphone out on to RCA?

If the laptop has a mini jack line in, that's the cheapest solution. My current laptop only has line out, no line in.

I've had one of these CREATIVE X-Fi USB Sound Blaster Sound cards for 7 years - works great! AND, totally avoids the hum and hiss that's often found in low-end laptop built in sound cards (with analog out jacks).

http://us.creative.com/p/sound-blaster/sound-blaster-x-fi-surround-5-1-pro
 
I'm looking at the Apple Airport Express right now.... It would help with printing too.
How to get from analog optical output to RCA though....

It's a combo jack. It will output analog audio via the standard 3.5mm to RCA cable such as I linked in earlier. Or, you can get a 3.5mm optical to toslink cable to get digital output, but then you need to put that signal into a DAC to get analog audio to feed into the stereo system.
 
Lots of advantages....his laptop won't be tethered to the stereo so he can use it anywhere in his apt., he can go about other business on his laptop while he is casting music, any music he finds on the internet he can cast to the stereo (Pandora , internet radio stations,etc.) and he can cast his local content to the stereo, etc......
 
Chromecast support is only via Chrome browser under Windows, though some Win 10 apps will be here soon. Most Android apps and many iOS apps do support it, so you could run a server on the laptop and control it with a phone. I assume he'll have wi-fi available? Something we seem to take for granted these days (11 wi-fi connected devices in my house at the moment... only three via Ethernet)
 
Just plug a $35 Chromecast Audio into the integrated amp and let him cast his music to the system wirelessly from the laptop or his phone.

If he's staying in a dorm, using campus wifi, this might not work. Campus wifi often requires a browser to log in first, which Chromecast doesn't have, so it won't be able to connect to wifi. Chromecast connects directly to Internet music sources.
 
Is he an Apple products kind of kid, or will he have a Windows laptop and an Android phone? What are his musical sources going to be?
 
He's an iPhone kid, but has also been a PC guy for gaming/desktop through high school.

I found a Airport Express on OfferUp for $15. I'll get that tomorrow and then build a cable to hook it up to the amp. We can play with that and see if he likes it.

I think it comes down to whether he will stream from an app like Spotify on his iPhone, or build a library of music on a Windows laptop and play via some windows app.

If he doesn't like the AE, I'll keep it and use it for the printer.
 
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