I am piping mp3 music from my laptop to a stereo downstairs using a 3.5 mm phono cable hardwire that runs from the laptop earphone socket into RCA cable and into the stereo. I am using the Gmote app on my Android 2.1 phone as a wireless remote to control the laptop as a server. The length of the cable is 5 metres.
It all works OK except that there is a noticeable lack of bass in the music (less than when I plug my phone straight into the stereo and play mp3's from there). I am guessing that the sound card in the laptop is not too flash and I am thinking of getting an external sound card. I have tried turning up the bass on the laptop's soundcard equaliser but it doesn't make a lot of difference.
Don't know much about external sound cards and would appreciate any comments on type, model, performance etc. It seems that you can get them as either USB or that go into the PCMCIA slot? Is this approach likely to fix my lack of bass problem?