Subject: Re: Philips USB speakers - avoid
To: None <current-users@netbsd.org>
From: Thor Lancelot Simon <tls@rek.tjls.com>
List: current-users
Date: 05/24/2001 12:07:45
On Thu, May 24, 2001 at 11:34:11AM -0400, Brian Hechinger wrote:
> 
> i think the lesson here is leave the wankerware USB /SPEAKERS/ for the wanker
> winders users.  honestly, what feature did these things have that a normal set
> of speakers with a standard lo-gain input and a set of knobs does have?

A DAC that's not inside the fantastically noisy environment of your PC, of
course.

Some of the USB speakers, even the ones with really cheap, crappy analog
sides (e.g. the LabTec ones) have very, very good DACs.  You can unhook the
wire that runs to the amp and plug them into a decent power amp and speakers
and get much better output quality than just about any other sub-$1000
solution for your PC.

There's an Altec-Lansing model that has a good DAC and decent small amp and
speakers built into it; I know a few NetBSD developers use them.  If you want
a set of "multimedia speakers" for your machine, this is a nice way to go;
much better than separate sound card and decicated amplified speaker set.

-- 
Thor Lancelot Simon	                                      tls@rek.tjls.com
    And now he couldn't remember when this passion had flown, leaving him so
  foolish and bewildered and astray: can any man?
						   William Styron