benjaminq
08-27-2006, 01:22 PM
Just for those who want to escape their lousy onboard chips in their Laptops ... I bought myslef a Terratec Aurion USB external soundcard. Price is around 45 to 50 EUR. It works right our of the box with MEPIS/Ubuntu. The kernel-module needed is usb-audio and I think every Distribution offers it per default.
Even the optical in/out works fine!
KDE mouseclicks to configure it are as follows:
- in KDE ControlCenter go to Sound/Multimedia, the tab Hardware
- there choose ALSA as sound system and "own device-file" (I hope it is called so, in German its "eigene hardwaredatei")
- own device has to read "hw:2"
hw:2 only if you did (or could not) not deactivate the internal chip in the BIOS. For some people it can also be hw:1, may depend. (Alternatively hw:2,0 or hw:1,0).
Then select in Kmix the device for which it should do the mixing (I have to select it every time, it apparently does not remember the setting, but defaults to the first chip in the System).
Further, amaroK, Kaffeine and/or Xine will want to be pointed to the same device (hw:2 or hw:1) in the respective settings. -> DONE.
The sound is really really a different and much better experience. I have a set of Focal iCub + Sib XL running here, that gave my stereo the boot. When you really have some bucks left (840 EUR for the iCub Sib XL combo) these speakers are really worth every dime. I can hear a big difference between the onboard AC97 chip and the external MK II Soundcard.
With the portable CD-player from Panasonic with optical out, you get the digital signal right into the subwoofers first class D/A module and a sound that really sounds like the producer in the studio meant it to be ...
Even the optical in/out works fine!
KDE mouseclicks to configure it are as follows:
- in KDE ControlCenter go to Sound/Multimedia, the tab Hardware
- there choose ALSA as sound system and "own device-file" (I hope it is called so, in German its "eigene hardwaredatei")
- own device has to read "hw:2"
hw:2 only if you did (or could not) not deactivate the internal chip in the BIOS. For some people it can also be hw:1, may depend. (Alternatively hw:2,0 or hw:1,0).
Then select in Kmix the device for which it should do the mixing (I have to select it every time, it apparently does not remember the setting, but defaults to the first chip in the System).
Further, amaroK, Kaffeine and/or Xine will want to be pointed to the same device (hw:2 or hw:1) in the respective settings. -> DONE.
The sound is really really a different and much better experience. I have a set of Focal iCub + Sib XL running here, that gave my stereo the boot. When you really have some bucks left (840 EUR for the iCub Sib XL combo) these speakers are really worth every dime. I can hear a big difference between the onboard AC97 chip and the external MK II Soundcard.
With the portable CD-player from Panasonic with optical out, you get the digital signal right into the subwoofers first class D/A module and a sound that really sounds like the producer in the studio meant it to be ...