newbie question on connections.

[Saggas]

well i don't post here often but try to have a read about once a week.

i finally got off my backside and got myself a component system and did away with store bought systems.

its not much but its a start (hey im at college! )

currently ive got an older yamaha natural amp (circa about 1982) was gonna upgrade to an older luxman but just don't quite have the cash atm.

i have some new speakers coming in the post, some diy bookshelf speakers (my first attempt at a kit speaker).

now my question is this.

currently my main input is a pc playing mp3's into the aux on the amp. It sounds quite harsh, so i upgraded to an older soundblaster audigy platinum sound card.

it sounded better. i was wondering would upgrading to an m-audio usb dac sound even better? or would that be total overkill for my basic setup? could i benefit from using a hardware equaliser (the software eq's all seem a bit crap) ?

also the m-audio's from what ive read have multiple in's and outs. does that in fact mean i could have use more than 1 line out at once? and say run a 2nd amp and set of speakers in another room?

thanks in advance

[artto]

If you're running MP3 I don't see how any of that would help, not even upsampling ~ which I despise ~ but some people like it.

I don't think you're going to be able to use more than a single in/out at the same time. You'd have to split the single signal to the two systems.

I use an E-mu 0404 PC card that has all kinds of analog and digital breakouts and the basic routing features in the software just won't let me do the things you've described.

MP3 is no where near 16 or 24 bit resolution at normal CD sampling rates.

[Canadian_Dude]

Try finding or, if your card has it, the digital outputs. I always found that the digital output sounded better for some reason.

[Saggas]

thanks for the replies guys.

artto, i was waiting for that to be said. i think ive finally convinced myself mp3 isn't as great as it cracked up to be.

I can justify a cd player, but not the copious amounts of cd's to go in it. just yet. Has anyone tried any lossless formats like flac?

Canadian_Dude. currently the amp is connected via a 3.5mm heaphone jack, i dont have a 3.5mm digital line out, I didn't think that would make much of a difference as the amp in all its glory is analogue.