Hobbes2k

I just started my project, gathering parts doing a lot of research. I will be building my CarPC out of an old toshiba laptop. and I definately need to put better sound quality out.

I was going to wait untill next year to put a good system in my truck but
I just bought this from bestbuy for one heck of a good boxing day deal.
a 5 channel JBL GTO5355

http://www.jbl.com/car/products/prod...at=AMP&ser=GTS

now I am not trying to build the ultimate surround sound system, but I do care about the quality of the sound coming out. Since it is a laptop, I need to buy a USB sound card.

I found these in a quick search

Sabrent USB-SND8 8-Channel USB 2.0 External 7.1 Sound Box
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...644&CatId=2771

or this one

Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 USB (70SB109000000)
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...926&CatId=2769

I am currently torn because one is a name brand, and the other one has more features for less money.
But aside from this the one major question that I am wondering about is now that I have this Amplifier coming in the mail. will it take a DAC signal from a USB sound device and amplify it properly. Or should I have paid more for a 2 channel amplifier and lose any hope for a surround system?

Or am I on the wrong track completely?

I was rushed into buying this, and I was under the assumption that an amp is like my receiver in my living room, but from what I can tell, this might not work.

MP3Car.com

 

rgarjr

Why do you want 5.1 sound? What are u gonna listen to the most? I listen to mp3's on my car so just a regular 2 channel soundcard does it for me.

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My carpc worklog

Hobbes2k

at this point I have changed my mind on the surround sound, and decided 4.1 would be best. 2 left, 2 right, and one sub. since that is primarily what the amp is designed for. and the way my truck is set up. I don't really need 5.1 sound.

But i am still wondering if my amp will take the output from a passive souce (soundcard line out) and amplify it properly. or does it need to be from an active source? (car radio speaker out). Because from my understanding amps are designed to take the speaker out, aren't they?

Sorry if my wording is weird, but that is how is was explained to me.

jessekilner

check your amp model number on google or the manual that came with it.. and look for input sesitivity for the amplifier. laptop average is around 200mv output which is generally enough for most typical amps as there rated for 200mv input sensitivity. This is'nt always the case but yes you can run the headphones output to the amp input. I run a HP laptop but I recently actually took apart the PC and rewired off the speakers to RCA cables so I get more voltage output than 200mv. Signal to Noise ratio is a major factor in millivolt inputs and likely to get engine noise if low S/N. Running higher output voltage fixes this problem (engine noise) most people on these forums run there pc to a headunit which then boosts it output to around 4v. Another area your are not considering is anything running 4.1, 5.1, 7.1 is resampled and uses CPU!! this is a major factor especailly on 2.2GHZ and lower. Search the forums as some had lockups or not resuming music after standby or even not able to control volume from the RR software... which really sucks....I mean bad!!!! I would recommend any usb 24bit quality but keep the setting to the 2 channel so the CPU is'nt getting eat up.
Use a Y splitter for cables and go into a 4ch amp that has crossovers and fading levels for side, so you can adjust the image or phase for front and back. plus no need for a headunit so your screen can be bigger I went with the 10.4".. If I sound too confusing just let me know Im known to jargon often. I would recommend a line driver if you have no feedback engine noise but want some boost. but line driver will amplify noise if it's already there. just my two cents...

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Did it.. Done it... now I got to keep the neighbors kids away!!

Hobbes2k

thanks, that makes a lot of sense, I can't tell from the online manual for my amp what the input sensitivity is. But my lilliput head unit has 4x45w out and rca input. So one way or another it should work. Both are coming this week.

as for surround, I have abandoned that idea. For me it would be useless, and kind of a waste of effort. So I will use the onboard audio on my laptop as it really isn't bad. and like you said, save some CPU load. I am already worried that all the other USB devices will take up too much cpu.

shatteredzman

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO DO NOT BUY THIS PIECE OF JUNK!!!!!!!!!!!
I JUST got done taping the shipping box up to send this heap of garbage back! I found this post while searching for a good replacement. I can not stress this enough, DO NOT BUY THIS!
I was plauged with the blue screen of death from the start. I couldnt get 5 minutes from this damn thing before a blue screen of death kicked my ***. Even on a brand new clean install of windows this thing blows. Creative will not help you with your problems, in fact they are notorious for their "solutions" such as "remove a stick of ram, you dont need 4 gigs anyways".

Check newegg.com for the card, my review will show up there eventually and it has my struggle with this POS written in more detail.

MP3Car.com