Heideana

No...you attach these devices to your computer with USB or Firewire and then you can input analog or digital audio into or thru your computer and/or output audio from your computer to your home theater, hifi or studio monitors...depending on your need. Also, the outboard box bypass alot of internal computer noise...At least that's my understanding.

I ended-up buying a Fast Track Pro ( http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/FastTrackPro-main.html) after getting a lot of help from folks in another thread. I don't know which chip the unit actually uses, but I'm pretty happy with it for the time being. I thought it would be quieter using a 9-volt supply, but it wasn't.

I've got a nephew-in-law that has paradigm's for his stereo. He always drools over my Klipsch when he comes over, although I can't attest to the RF-83...The difference you notice might be Klipsch's better efficiency and need for less power...

Having moved from RF-7's to Cornwall III's, I'd say the CW's are warmer sounding to me. On the other hand, the RF's are great for HT...you'll grin

My M-Audio Fast track Pro arrived and I got it up and running without any real glitches. I initially ran it off a hub on my monitor and had all kinds of background noise. However, the manual recommended running it off a dedicated hub, so I moved my USB connections around and started it up again which got rid all the high-pitch computer stuff and now I hear tape-hiss off older material instead...[]. I initially got messages about the device taking more power then the USB hub could provide and will be investingating the wallwart power supply soon... For the time being, I'm happy that I've managed to salvage an old Dell desk top and convert it into a audio server with the addition of this box and a 500 gig hard drive...I'm sure down the road I'll be upgrading it, but for the moment its' sounding pretty clean over my Cornwall III's and the bass is back that was missing when I used my Echo card in my laptop...[] I spotted this on the M-audio web site: http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/Conectiv-focus.html For folks interested in pulling vinyl over to digital, it might be an option...thanks for all the help...Hopkins

Thanks...I will. Also for explaination about ART vs. M-Audio - Lexicon. Btw. I see that I got xlr mixed-up with din...opps

Mike and all...thanks for the explaination about why an external sound card is better then an internal one a few days ago, along with various intracacies of getting audio out. After looking at CompUSA and web surfing this afternoon, I ended up going down to Guitar Center to look at what kind of external sound cards were available for recording, etc. in pro-audio. I ended up settling on this M-Audio Fast Track Pro USB unit that will be here next week http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?A=details&kw=MAFTP&is=REG&Q=&O=productlist&sku=393375 It has DIN, RCA and S/PDIF coaxial in/outs along with A/B source monitoring via 1/4" headphone jack and ability to easily interface with Pro Tools if I ever want use it for portable recording. The specs. look pretty good and was told it should be on par with the DAC's in my Digi002. I also learned that ART stuff is on a quality tier below M-Audio and Lexicon electronics, although I'm not sure how that translates into Creative Audio Audiogy and X-Fi lines... Did I make to much of a mistake? Thanks...Hopkins

What would the difference and/or advantage to using this type of device rather then a sound card? [:^)]

I did some more digging and found the new Echo-MIA and a new M-Audio card that would probably suite my needs, since I don't need the phono output. If I'm reading the specs correctly, the M-Audio card has a bit better specs, but don't know if that matters. I like the MIA's TSR output/input. http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Echo-MIA-MIDI-Digital-Audio-and-MIDI-Card?sku=247016 http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/MAudio-Audiophile-2496-PCI-Digital-Audio-Card?sku=701341&src=3SOSWXXA Thanks for any thoughts...[*-)]

Opps...Thanks Dr. Who, you're right! I thought it went both ways and it doesn't. If I understand the ART Phono USB unit, it does go both ways? If so, the price certainly isn't bad for a starter unit to play EAC files on my stereo. Do you think ART's DAC is ok for general hi-fi? It looks like the 1/8 mini-jack out on the unit is just for head-phones or where you thinking of using that out to plug into a computer speaker system? ARTcs_Specs0505_USBPhono+.pdf

Thanks for the recommendations! Jay, the xfi looks like a bit of overkill for my current needs, but would be a great thought for the HT video/audio server I'll eventually build I suspect.... I'm already using an ART stereo tube pre-amp in my little studio and like it a lot. Could I use their digital tube pre-amp http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/ART-DMPA-Pro-2-Channel-Mic-Pre-with-Digital-Outs?sku=180629 to convert the digital out from my audio server into an analog signal to feed into my Rogue TII or is that too odd? The Rogue has a pre-amp in and also uses a passive volume control...the ART unit would make a nice digital input for it if its' feasible.

Hi...I've been using Echo audio cards in my computers and I'm getting ready to think about purchasing another one for the digital audio server I'm putting together. Is Echo a pretty good brand or does anyone have any suggestions about other brands/models? I'm just looking for stereo out, but want the output to be up to "hi fi" standards...

I saw his obit in the NY Times this am and felt really sad...he was so far ahead of his time, kinda like the metrosexual/bisexual freak before Bowie. The first Pink Floyd hit he wrote was about a transvestite...it was relic by the time I was in high-school. Then there was all those sci-fi guitar sounds and the shiny metal telecaster as I recall... May his soul rest in peace

Thanks Mike! That's what I needed to know!

They sound pretty interesting! To bad they don't seem to have any albums out...

Hi and thanks for replys guys. I'd already set-up EAC for FLAC per hydrogenaudio reccomendations, but was very confused about how to save files. The CUE files didn't seem to be any help, but just selecting all the tracks on a CD and copying them to my HD with hydrogenaudio recs gave me artist folders with album title sub-folders that had all the tracks saved as wav files with all the artist, track and album info in the name of the file. Or I could save the album as a single file with the CUE sheets that didn't seem to do anything in EAC. When I play the files back with WMP, its' a bit tricky trying to navigate playing "albums" without what I understand are tags in either size file. My real goal is to start loading all my cd's onto HD so I can put together a digital music server down the road. It seemed that EAC was the best tool to use for copying CD's if I want to make sure I have an exact copy for future use since it seemed you could output the EAC files into whatever format you wanted down the road. I've been saving as uncompressed files using secure mode... Any thoughts/suggestions greatly appreciated!

I decided to rip my CD collection over to a hard disk using EAC as uncompressed files and move towards using the files for playback. I'm not interesed in ripping new cd's, but would like to determine the best way to extract cd's so I have all the album information. Should I extract cd's as a single wav file with a cue file or as individual wav files? I'll probably use Windows Media Player 10 and seem to have a problem getting the album/artist info to showup with EAC extracted files....

Wow...cutting the CW II sounds like a classic "administrative oversight" mistake!!! Thanks to all all of you for calming my "jittery nerves" about the CW III and especially to everyone who kept telling Klipsch to bring the CW back into production. In terms of listening, its' like a dream come true, although it makes me a bit overcritical when I'm listening to my RF-7's on our HT set-up.... In the meantime, I'll keep listening until the big boys start to write up more intelligent reviews and comparison to its' predecessors...

Wow! I didn't realize Klipsch wasn't advertising their Heritage line, but then I haven't been reading audiophile magizines for a long time. Its' too bad if their not... Jay's right on the CW III's price, I picked mine up for $3000...

It is really kewl how they disappear into the background....[H] Oldbuckster, other then wondering if their third iteration is really an improvement or not, I'm really happy that I bought new instead of old. Fresh components that I can burn in myself with, hopefully, a refinement in design is a joy to listen to...[8-|]

Thanks all...sounds like I'll have to wait for a CW II vs. III report. In the meantime, I think Thanks also Oldbuckster for the compliment. I'm really happy with the CW III's and feel like my search for the ultimate speaker is over (at least for now)...curiously, the CW III's seem to disappear into the background and I don't even really think of them as being there, unlike the RF-7's which felt (and looked) a bit more in my face or my memory of early 70's La Scala's. The sound is really refined and warm...must be the bottom end.

I'm a newbie Heritage owner. thanks to everyone's steers! I'm curious about the differences between the Cornwall models. Can anyone comment on how the three Cornwall models sound different from each other? Thanks for any thoughts...Heideana

Thanks for the reposnses. I'd been hoping the CWIII were selling like "waffles"!

HI all. Does anyone know how well the new "Heritage" series is selling? I keep hoping like hotcakes....

Can anyone tell me if I can hook up a 5.1 pre-amp/receiver to 2 mains and a center speaker and get 3 channel sound by turning off the surrounds without losing material? Silly question I suspect, but I don't know the answer and I'm trying to sort out the best way to add a center channel to my 2-channel system in my music room.