Today's laptops generally tout rather good audio quality on the output or playback side of things. This is due to the widespread interest in using laptops for the playback of DVDs, mp3's etc.

If you are not interested in *recording* music via analog inputs, it is very likely that a laptop purchased reently will be able to play back via the earphone jack with good quality sound.

Here is one thing I've found to be the case when people don't get the kind of sound out of the built in soundcard -> Failure to open the Software Playback Mixer for the built in soundcard and TURN THE FADERS FOR THE MASTER AND WHATEVER INPUT THEY ARE PLAYING BACK ALL THE WAY TO THE TOP when using the earphone jack as a line input to an amp.

Without the Volume turned up to where it can drive the Line Input hard like that, the typical response is to try turning up the hardware Volume on the amplifier - which will not result in the proper gainstaging and result in a rather "thin" sound. rule of thumb with Audio line is that you want to DRIVE it, not try to "suck" the audio out at the other end.

I've tried a few blindfold tricks on some of the musicians I work with, and the results back up what I've said. They cannot tell the difference between the onboard sound on my laptop and several different outboard USB and one pcmcia sound device when playback thru amp is the issue. Funny thing is that when I've let them SEE the outboard device looking as if it is hooked up to the board and working, yet I'm actually channeling the earphone jack to the board instead, then they smile and say they told me so. Musicians are a funny lot.


--Mac