Path: cdrom.com!barrnet.net!sgiblab!swrinde!ihnp4.ucsd.edu!agate!news.Brown.EDU!noc.near.net!news.delphi.com!usenet From: John Bunting Newsgroups: alt.cd-rom Subject: red book/sound bd/drive misconception Date: Sun, 13 Mar 94 15:11:46 -0500 Organization: Delphi (info@delphi.com email, 800-695-4005 voice) Lines: 26 Message-ID: NNTP-Posting-Host: bos1f.delphi.com Here is a good addition to your excellent alt.cd-rom FAQ: Q:Will all cd-rom drives play-back my Willie Nelson compact disc with equal sound quality? Why don't cd-rom drives advertise "oversampling" specs? Does the slowest/cheapest cd-rom drive play-back with equal sound quality? Does my sound board influence the quality of my Willie Nelson play-back? I'll take a stab at the answer. A:Your sound board has NOTHING to do with play-back of Willie Nelson or any other "red book" audio. All digital to analog conversion is done in the drive. The analog from the drive is patched through the sound board, but the sound board does not affect sound quality, other than perhaps amplify a bit. I use my cd-rom drive primarily as a shareware resource and for listening to "red book" discs while reading Usenet daily. I think a lot of people like me are being mis-led into believing that they need a high quality sound board and double speed drive for "red book" listening. They need NO sound board...just a set of good amplified speakers. The slowest/cheapest cd-rom drive will give equal "red book" sound quality. John Bunting jobunting@delphi.com Quincy, IL