PC connect to audiophyle system

I second the Squeezebox. It's a great little product.

Yes, it does have (analog) RCA outputs. It also has optical and coax digital outputs for using your own DAC.

Wired will always be more reliable/secure, etc, and 80 ft of cable should cost less than $20. (See http://www.pacificcable.com/PatchCables.htm, for example of Cat 5e cables in long lengths.) However, depending on the situation with walls in between receivers, distance, etc, you might find wireless to work very well for you, too. And it's no extra cost with a cable. The Squeezebox will do both wired and wireless.

Michael

Isn't someone offering mods for the Squeezebox?

Sufentanil, thanks for the endorsement and good information. Is a Squeezebox even necessary? Could I not directly hardwire my PC to the preamp at the sound system as long as the cable has an ethernet end for the PC and RCA jack for the preamp?

I have been using a Red Wine Audio modded SB2 for about 3 years and streaming it wirelessly with no issues. If you rip cd's to a lossless format, it is impossible for me to tell the difference between it and a Musical Fidelity cd player I used to have. In fact it might be better. This is recorded audio's future.By the way I use an outboard tube DAC in the chain.

Sar, I'm not sure I understand your question. You want to find a cable that has an ethernet jack on one end and an RCA on the other? That's won't happen, because it's vastly different signals that are transmitted by each of those types of connections. (Ethernet works by sending data through 4 pairs of wires.) That's where the Squeezebox comes in to play. It acts as the interface between your music server (your computer) and the stereo (by offering analog and digital outputs that your preamp or DAC can understand).

There are also USB DAC's, which is also an option, but not if you're going to be 80 feet from the computer. Ethernet, on the other hand, has a range of 100 meters.

Michael