Connecting a CD ROM to a Soundcard
 

Hi all,

I'm trying to directly connect my CD ROM to my soundcard so that I don't need to use digital audio extraction to play my CD's. I posted a thread last year about how to play a CD when somebody told me that I needed this cable. You can see that thread here.

What I want to know is how expensive these cables are and if I have multiple CD ROM's, do I need more than one cable? Also, is it really difficult to find out where I need to make the connection? Thanks in advance for any help you can give me.

These cables are not expensive at all, they should cost about 4-5 euro.
Where to connect this cable should be shown in your sound card docs or motherboard if you have an integrated sound system. Some card have a very small tag close to the plug.
I suspect you cannot connect more than one drive to the analog plug (I've never seen a card with two).
Hope this helps
Ciao

They're cheap - if you buy them online you'll probably end up spending more on shipping than you will on the cable. I'd suggest just going to a local PC store, they're sure to have them. Or you could ask your friends if they've got spares -- J.W.

Thanks for all the help guys.

Just one more thing before I go out and get one: What are they called?

Thanks again!

I would just describe one as "that little cable that runs from the CD to the soundcard". To be honest, I don't know if they have an official name, but if you describe them that way, the store should know what you're talking about. It should only cost maybe $1 or $2, maybe $3 with tax. Good luck with it -- J.W.

I just got back from the local Radio Shack, or whatever they call it now since the buy-out, and they directed me to a cable that was $15 (Canadian, ~$12 U.S.). I couldn't believe it from what you guys have told me and from looking at the little thing.

Is this a Radio Shack thing? I'm going to check another store tomorrow, but does this sound ridiculous to anyone else? Thanks for all the help.

That is a ripoff. Check out these cables from Newegg. As I said, you'll pay more in shipping than they cost. -- J.W.

Thanks for all your help.

Okay, so I found a local store that sold these cables for $3 each.

I have an integrated sound card and I found two ports that would take this cable; one already had a cable in it, the other empty. When I put the cable in the empty port, I didn't get any sound from the cd drive. When I replaced the cable that was already plugged in with my new one, I did get sound but with some odd fuzz in the background when not playing music. Can these be the correct ports? I only found one port in the back of the CDROM that would take the cable.

I know it's hard to help because this is a hardware question, so any help would really be appreciated. Thanks.