Thasp - A big thank you for setting me on the right path here - I bought the card you suggested - using the line outputs the results are so-so. However using the toslink output the results are very nice indeed. I had a long and tortuous route to tack the cable to so I was then worried about the cost of such a long cable and the problems I might having making it turn corners. However I got 50ft of cable for 20 bucks from the link below and it works just fine. Listening to music online ( Napster), the sound is not quite CD quality but very good all the same. I can now sample endless quantities of new music for less than 20 dollars a month. Nice.
http://www.stsi.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=STSI_4&Product_Code=J823A-50
