Thread: anything wrong with hooking up xm AND radio to same line-in?

Originally Posted by ComputerGeek

if you don't want to use an input switch then it seems that your best option is to use the MP3car USB XM tuner. at $50 it's not a bad deal (beats buying a new sound card ).

thats what i have.. the audio doesnt go over usb though it still needs to be plugged into a line-in.

How about other input connection like CD-IN, AUX-IN, ... Not sure if your card has that, but my SB Live! Value has those inputs.
But I think making one yourself is much cheaper. All you need is a 4PDT or 3PDT relay and couple of male/female 3.5mm jack/plug.
Or go to walmart game/audio/video section and pick up a Video/audio selector box + 3 set of RCA to 3.5mm cables and call it a day.

Matrix has a good point. If your sound card is PCI, it should have some sort of CD-ROM audio in, from the old days before audio came over the IDE cable. Perhaps you could hook in there?

Originally Posted by Sonicxtacy02

Originally Posted by ComputerGeek

if you don't want to use an input switch then it seems that your best option is to use the MP3car USB XM tuner. at $50 it's not a bad deal (beats buying a new sound card ).

thats what i have.. the audio doesnt go over usb though it still needs to be plugged into a line-in.

crap.. I didn't even notice that...

oh well, I guess we're back to the source selector switch box then. the MK-1 accepts 3.5mm plugs and it's only $23

Originally Posted by jontz

If your sound card is PCI, it should have some sort of CD-ROM audio in, from the old days before audio came over the IDE cable

can that be used as a separate input that could be switched back and forth between line-in and CD-in?

Yep...just go into the windows mixer and mute the one you aren't using at the time.

hmmm... that would get aggravating after a while. it would also be hard/dangerous to do while driving.

a physical selector switch would be much better (and safer) IMO

well my problem is i cant use a pci sound card as my case is about 6" x "8" x 2". I need an external sound card with an aux-in or cd-in. If i could find one i'd buy that before the selector. Muting the line that needs to be muted is done through the front end (in my case Road Runner)

Originally Posted by ComputerGeek

hmmm... that would get aggravating after a while. it would also be hard/dangerous to do while driving.

a physical selector switch would be much better (and safer) IMO

I didn't say it was a good idea, just that is was a possibility.

I only have about one good idea a year, and it's too early to waste it