Can anyone recommend a USB soundcard to use with my laptop for the
purposes of:

Listening to mp3s and wavs stored on the hard drive;
Recording stuff from various analogue sources - mainly records.

A remote would be nice, and I'm prepared to pay 150UKP tops.

TIA

Rob

Are you sure there isn't a soundcard already in the laptop ? I can't
remember seeing one without built in support, usually having 2-3 2.5mm
mini jacks on the side for spkrs/mic/line in.

--
Pete Cross

"Rob" wrote in message
...
Can anyone recommend a USB soundcard to use with my laptop for the
purposes of:

Listening to mp3s and wavs stored on the hard drive;
Recording stuff from various analogue sources - mainly records.

A remote would be nice, and I'm prepared to pay 150UKP tops.

TIA

Rob

On Tue, 1 Mar 2005 13:37:37 -0000, Pete Cross 1@2 wrote:
Are you sure there isn't a soundcard already in the laptop ? I can't
remember seeing one without built in support, usually having 2-3 2.5mm
mini jacks on the side for spkrs/mic/line in.

I've seen too many laptops with no line-in.

TCS wrote:
On Tue, 1 Mar 2005 13:37:37 -0000, Pete Cross 1@2 wrote:

Are you sure there isn't a soundcard already in the laptop ? I can't
remember seeing one without built in support, usually having 2-3 2.5mm
mini jacks on the side for spkrs/mic/line in.


I've seen too many laptops with no line-in.

In fact it has line in, but if I've got this about right, the quality of
onboard sound in general is not too good (the SB Audigy in my pc sounds
a lot better than the onboard sound) and I'd like a remote.

Have you tested with your pc speakers plugged into the laptop ? The inbuilt
speakers are likely to be 1" dia at max and indeed sound dreadful.

SB do a usb2 version of the audigy and also an Extigy usb model if you are
still not happy with the sound.
--
Pete Cross


"Rob" wrote in message
...
TCS wrote:
On Tue, 1 Mar 2005 13:37:37 -0000, Pete Cross 1@2 wrote:

Are you sure there isn't a soundcard already in the laptop ? I can't
remember seeing one without built in support, usually having 2-3 2.5mm
mini jacks on the side for spkrs/mic/line in.


I've seen too many laptops with no line-in.

In fact it has line in, but if I've got this about right, the quality of
onboard sound in general is not too good (the SB Audigy in my pc sounds
a lot better than the onboard sound) and I'd like a remote.

Rob wrote:
TCS wrote:

On Tue, 1 Mar 2005 13:37:37 -0000, Pete Cross 1@2 wrote:

Are you sure there isn't a soundcard already in the laptop ? I can't
remember seeing one without built in support, usually having 2-3 2.5mm
mini jacks on the side for spkrs/mic/line in.



I've seen too many laptops with no line-in.


In fact it has line in, but if I've got this about right, the quality of
onboard sound in general is not too good (the SB Audigy in my pc sounds
a lot better than the onboard sound) and I'd like a remote.

It may be a bit over your budget but go over to www.maudio.co.uk. As far
as I know, they still do a USB version of the Audiophile 24/96
soundcard. The PCI version ****es all over the Audigy and sounds as good
as a quality stand-alone CD player.

Silk wrote:
Rob wrote:

TCS wrote:

On Tue, 1 Mar 2005 13:37:37 -0000, Pete Cross 1@2 wrote:

Are you sure there isn't a soundcard already in the laptop ? I can't
remember seeing one without built in support, usually having 2-3 2.5mm
mini jacks on the side for spkrs/mic/line in.




I've seen too many laptops with no line-in.



In fact it has line in, but if I've got this about right, the quality
of onboard sound in general is not too good (the SB Audigy in my pc
sounds a lot better than the onboard sound) and I'd like a remote.


It may be a bit over your budget but go over to www.maudio.co.uk. As far
as I know, they still do a USB version of the Audiophile 24/96
soundcard. The PCI version ****es all over the Audigy and sounds as good
as a quality stand-alone CD player.


Many thanks all. The plan was to be able to get music in and out with
reasonable quality. I bought one of the SB Audigy NX USB boxes. I don't
know how good it is in ultimate sound, but it seems to do what's needed
and is certainly an improvement over the built in sound. The bundled
software is, predictably, very cumbersome and the remote a little
unresponsive.

Rob