Sound card with Optical In/Out

I'm looking for a Sound Card that's similar to SB X-Fi but has Optical In/Out. These things are hard to find on a sound card.

 

check in this head-fi forum. It's a lot of audiophile overkill stuff, but ask nicely, and you'll get an answer.

Do you want a PCI card? or USB, or other?

 

Why optical? The SB Live! USB has both coax and optical digital outputs. I'm using one, works great.

 

because the best connection from my laptop to my digital piano would be the optical and I've been recommended the optical. I really need a card that has optical In so it can receive the audio signal from my piano into the PC. I prefer a PCI-E card, but dunno if thats possible.

 

When it comes to quality, freedom from EMI and ground loops, and maximum connection length, you can't beat an optical connection.

 

I agree with Lupin... unless you have some unusual circumstances, I doubt you notice a difference between SPDIF coax and SPDIF optical.

If you really want, though, E-MU has some good cards for music recording.

 

If you have devices sensitive to EMI connected to your computer, optical can help reduce EMI. Digital amplifiers inherently produce significant amounts of EMI as they work by switching power at high frequency. A coax connection can potentially conduct the EMI back to your computer while an optical connection stops EMI. Granted, the EMI is small but every bit helps.

 

thanks. Maybe I should invest in a desktop after I graduate from college and invest in a desktop as my source. The laptop's sound quality is bad enough.

 

I have a desktop with an xfi, and there is no comparison between it and my laptop.

 

S/PDIF is S/PDIF. It only carries digital data.
A laptop with a S/PDIF output will have the same quality as a desktop with a S/PDIF output of the same sample size and sample rate.

 

can anyone recommend me where can I buy this optical cable?

I've been recommended the Turtle beach Audio Advantage SRM USB Sound Card. is it good?

 

Any good electronics store should have it. Should be about $15 or so depending on length.
As for the card, make sure it has the correct type of S/PDIF output you want. Then make sure the sample rate and sample size are high enough. Keep in mind that standard definition audio is 16bit/44.1kHz-48kHz and high definition audio is 24bit and 96kHz or higher. Also make sure it's supported by ALSA.

Exactly what laptop do you have? Many of the recent ones have S/PDIF output.