What is the Audio Cable on the back of the CD/DVD/CDRW drive used for?

[x86]

I am sorry for this VERY rudamentary question, but when I unplug the cable, it sounds the same. Please tell me the purpose? My guesses are that it frees up the IDE channel or that there is a "better" quality.

By the way, if you have a VERY cheap cable without the guiders, which way do you install it?

Thanks

-x86

 

[Viper GTS]

It's an analog audio feed, used to connect to the CD audio in on your sound card.

If it still plays CD audio when it's disconnected, you're using digital audio via the IDE channel.

The digital feed will sound better than the analog.

Viper GTS

 

[sohcrates]

<< By the way, if you have a VERY cheap cable without the guiders, which way do you install it? >>



shouldn't matter....as long as it's the same on both ends. if no "guiders" on either end, just make sure soundcard and cd-rom, etc. have wires oriented the same

 

[JohnnyPC]

<< shouldn't matter....as long as it's the same on both ends. if no "guiders" on either end, just make sure soundcard and cd-rom, etc. have wires oriented the same >>



You're left and right channels will just be swapped. It's it cool that some people don't even know what a once standard connection is/was used for. I only realized that I didn't need the audio cable up until a couple months ago...how things change!

 

[ViralCryption]

Are you serious? I better get up to speed on this new stuff. Every system I have put together in the last decade I always use audio cable going to the soundcard. Since when is this no longer necessary? Well my CD-rom drives are several years old on my two machines at home, so maybe they still need them. When I get a DVD drive I'll leave off the audio cable and see if it does indeed work.

 

[smp]

. It's it cool that some people don't even know what a once standard connection is/was used for.

heh, I just bought one