Karaoke Forums

Let me up front on a couple of things. First, I am NOT using my laptop to run my Karaoke gigs. However, I am using my laptop to provide transitional music. It gives me one less piece of hardware to worry about (that is changing out my music CD's during a gig) and puts 6,500 songs at my fingertips (and if the ASCAP boys showed up I could prove ownership to 99.9999%).

Anyway, because this wasn't a "high fidelity" application, but background music at low volume, I was just using the audio output on my Gateway laptop. The sound card has SPDIF so it's not a slouch, but the 1/8" to RCA to 1/4" just wasn't cutting it.

I couldn't find the Creative Labs MP3 connector ANYWHERE. My need is immediate so eBay wasn't an option so I went to CompUSA. I picked up the xitel HiFi-Link for $49.95.

It comes with a USB cable, a "black box" and then connects from a, ack, 1/8" stereo to RCA. It comes with a pretty darn high quality audio cable that is THIRTY FEET LONG. Wait, it gets better - no drivers, no software, no disc, no nothing.

Setup. Ummmmm, plugged it in and it just worked. Installed off of the Windows XP drivers (I'm running XP Pro with SP 2). It also configured itself as the primary output device for audio.

The sound quality is about 1000% better than through the factory soundcard - still not up to par for hosting Karaoke, but for the background transitional music - DAYUM. Coming with the audio cable, and at 30 feet to boot was a major plus. Even at Radio Shack if you could buy such an animal it would probably be $15 to $20 - so the price of entry is really around $29.

Only downside, I've had to push the volume controls on the laptop to 100% for WAV, SPEAKER, and in WiMP. Still it seems like bang for the buck a really good toy for playing MP3's through your mixer that requires zero technical knowledge to implement.

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Despite the internet rumor, Karaoke is not Japanese for "drunk buffoon with microphone."  However, "rotation," is Japanese for wait your damn turn!