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I only listen at work. I plug my STAX SRD-X and SRX-III directly into the CD-ROM's headphone jack. People look at me as if I'm nuts, but who cares?

MP3s ripped @ 256kps via LAME works great for jazz, rock/pop, and even chamber music. Audiograbber is a terrific front-end.

It really is just background music. Despite the rising quality of reproduction, you cannot be carried away by the music when you also work on your pc.

Sure would like to see more on computer-related audio in Stereophile.

In fact I'm building my home theater to run off my PC for both DVD and music. Later on as I can afford it, I'll buy conventional components so I don't rely on my computer to do so.

The Card Deluxe by DAL sounds better than my Arcam Alpha 7

THE COMPUTER IS NOW THE ONLY PLACE IN MY HOME THAT I LISTEN TO MUSIC

I listen to music on my computer, but it is a far cry from the big stereo, and it certainly isn't "high-rez." The PC is only for passive listening or background noise—kind of like a cheap radio you might keep in your workshop or garage, and about as effective as a white noise machine or chewing gum.

If you think that's audio, then that's what you deserve. I prefer music.

Yes I do. MP3, streaming radio broadcasts, and CD from both the ROM drive and HD. In the future, I plan to get an outboard AD converter and start making CDR copies of some of the LPs I own. The biggest problem with computer playback is the loss of fidelity compared to my stand alone system. Via the computer,16/44 CD playback exemplifies all of the bad aspects of the medium. For MP3 I've found that encoding at 392kb/s provides quality that is perfect for the car, along with a vast increase in storage capacity. Long term plan is to have a networked music server.

I listen to music all the time on my computer. As long as I am in my basement, my computer is on and the music is playing! I spent almost $1000 on my computer's audio hardware, and I got my money's worth in the first week, so you know I listen to it a lot.

My computer is part of my audio system. Its hard drive has largely replaced my cassette as a storage medium, one day soon I will replace my sound card with an audiophile version. However nothing can replace the sound of LPs.

As a tool, the computer is a useful sampling device for listening to new music. If i like the music (not the sound), i will buy the CD and play it on my audiophile system. I see no reason to use the computer except as a sampler, or as background music while im at it surfing. Why did i pay bucks for my audiophile system if i dont enjoy listening to it as my primary source?

i only have on-board sb128 chip! i have what i regard as decent hifi equipment in another room, but the convenience of having access to your music from a screen is a huge advantage.

I'm not really impressed with the sound of the harmon/kardon speakers that came with this and the sound has a thinness

Sound sucks compaired to a "real system", but it is better then listening to mouse clicks and keyborad strikes. Mostly mp3's, just background music mostly.

I'm converting 20-year old plus cassette recordings that are irreplaceable to CD format. Coupling a high-rez sound card to a reasonably high quality cassette player has turned out some remarkably good CDs.

Only to listen to Online Radio stations that I cannot get in my area. The sound quality although listenable; is no where near the quality of my Mid-Fi stereo system.

if volume is not turned up too much, it sounds good from my flat panel iMacs speakers.

That Windows start up jingle sounds great on B&W speakers and a Sound Blaster Audigy ;) I'm not into digital speakers. For about 5 bucks Radio Shack has stereo phono to RCA adapters. Just be sure to get video shielded speakers if you plan on having the speakers close to you monitor.

Computers can produce better sounding music than audio systems because they're smarter.

I currently listen to two songs on my computer that are only available as MP3 downloads. As soon as the artist releases his CD containing these songs, I will purchase the CD for listening on my audio system and delete the MP3s from my computer.

This is OK for back ground music at work but does not compare to good equipment.

Long ago I hooked up my sound card to a vintage Kenwood integrated amp (their first solid state model) and a couple of decent mini-monitors. Yet, with a home office and my Martin-Logans in the next room, I really don't listen to music much from the computer. Mostly just for streaming video, internet "radio", etc. Yet, I DO see the potential if I were in an office somewhere "divorced" from my beloved "e-stats".

Why would I?

I use a hard disk playback front end. All CD's are encoded using exact audio copy into wave format played via Apple's itunes firewire interface with motu pro audio device to mcintosh mc 2102 to living voice avatar obx loudspeakers. I figure if it's good enough for musicians to record onto, it's good enough to use for playback.

Whenever I think of music on the computer I think of Napster and the like. Need I say more?

As a software developer, this is pretty much a requirement.

all day long at work. helps drown out the drivel.

all day long at work. helps drown out the drivel.