XITEL HiFi-Link for PC and Mac

It didn't work for what I wanted it but installation was very simple and quick.

My setup:Windows 2K with low-end PCI soundcard.Sennheiser 280 pro headphones plugged into line out from the soundcard.What I was looking for:I work in a noisy office, and so I like to put on headphones to listen music, but also just to reduce the office noise. What drove me nuts was the hissing, crackling, popping I'd hear as I'd move windows around, start applications, type on the keyboard, click the mouse, and otherwise use the computer. I believe the origin of this noise is electromagnetic interference (EMI) from the electronics inside the computer. (processor, PCI bus, hard drive, etc)The results with Xitel:1) Absolutely no more of the annoying noises.2) Had to turn up the volume to get soundlevel I am used to. I think this is a result of the xitel only being powered off the USB, which doesn't have a lot of power. This is why I only gave 4 stars.3) I can hear the music much better. This is a mixed blessing -- when one of my lower sample-rate MP3s come on I can hear it. I have good headphones, so this might not be a problem if you don't.4) If anything I'd say the influence of this processor is to create very clean, sharp music. Doesn't add warmth, like my NAD stereo amp.Conclusions:Does what is says it is going to do. Probably very useful for a home media pc. Definitely recommended if you want clean audio from a low-end soundcard. Might consider getting an headphone amplifier if you are in an office setting.

...you probably don't need one of these.I'm feeling like an idiot right now because I bought this thing BEFORE I tried plugging my computer straight into my stereo. D'oh!!!A 1/8" stereo plug-RCA adapter and RCA cable from Radio Shack do the same job as this thing. Just plug it into your computer's headphone jack, and you're all set. I did a side-by-side comparison between this thing and the stuff I bought at the Shack and there's NO discernible difference. I guess there are some situations where interference inside your computer and/or a weak sound card will make this not work so well, and in this case I'm sure this product would be perfect; it definitely works as advertised. But I would HIGHLY recommend you try the Radio Shack version for $12 before you buy one of these.

All computers have a digital to analog converter that turns the digital file into music. Some are better than others at this. Since computers don't typically have great speakers, it's a place where computer manufacturers can save a few bucks. If that's the case with your computer, the Xitel HiFi-Link might very well be an improvement. If your PC has a high quality sound card, you probably won't hear a difference. It's not magic. But if you've got poor sound quality, it's a solution.

So you've digitized your CD collection or listen to internet radio, but are tired with the tinny sound of your computer speakers. "Why can't I use my stereo that's located just 15' away," you ask yourself? Having bought a DVD/CD player that can read .mp3 disks was a reasonable stopgap, but what about internet radio?If this sounds like you, the HiFi-Link is a must have.There are three items in the box: (1) a USB cable for your computer to the HiFi Link, (2) the HiFi Link, and (3) a 30' long RCA cable for between the HiFi Link and your stereo. Hookup was reasonably simple (I did get a message that a certain file was not found during installation, but the HiFi-Link still worked). The HiFi Link is small - about the size of fat candybar - so you can stuff it anywhere easily out of sight. The sound quality is great.On the downside, using the HiFi Link requires you to change your multimedia default sound output to "USB device" instead of your soundcard; this means that everything will play through your stereo (computer games etc) unless you toggle the sound output back to your sound card. A minor inconvenience for the overall utility of digital music on your home stereo.

I beg to differ with other positive reviews here. I'm using a 700mhz iBook with OS X. The operating system saw the device right away, and it worked flawlessly. The sound quality, however, was much, much worse than my home CD Player/NAD amp/B & W speakers. The sound quality out of the Xitel unit was very close to the sound quality coming straight off the analog headphone jack of the iBook. My thought when I heard the unit was, "[a few of my hard earned bucks]something that boosts my levels a little, but sounds no better..." I'm sorry Xitel, you'll have to do better than this. Try at least to sound as good as a $50 portable CD player, and then I'll be interested.

Even if I selected this item as a mistake (intended to get the other product to record at PC from LP's); the relative I got it for was pleased with the sound quality he got at his stereo from the PC's MP3's.

Product installed in an instant. The cable it comes with is long and of extremely high quality. I didn't expect to hear much difference bypassing the soundcard so I was in for a pleasant surprise. From the back of my iMac to a moderately priced amp/subwoofer hooked to two old Yamaha NS-10s, the background noise was inaudible so when the signal hit it nearly blew me out of my chair. Tunes are crisp and clear, and like I said, the most remarkable thing to me is that even at ear shattering volumes, this device makes NO noise so when music begins to play you are startled. The same company has a higher line version of this but I think that is for people who want to play DVDs with 5.1, etc. But for simple two channel music of every kind this is the device I recommend.