PC to Stereo Receiver

[Eljambon]

I recently hooked up my PC to my Receiver via digital out and the sound quality is quite poor. I've tried fiddling with the equalizer, bass and treble, but it is only a marginal improvement. Music through my cd player (directly connected to my receiver) and even just the plain computer speakers sound better. Hardware is as follows:
ATI Hi Def Audio Device and Realtek Hi Def Audio
I'm running a Monster Fibre Optic Cable
My receiver is a Denon AVR1801

 

[soundguruman]

It could be a bunk fiber optic cable. Do you have any other device with a fiber optic output to rule out the PC as being the problem?

 

[ddawson24]

Unless the fiber optic cable is pinched it's probably not that. I would guess it's either the source music you are playing or it could just be the audio card that you have. I wouldn't even adjust the bass and treble on the computer. Let your Denon home receiver do the sound processing. Denon makes good stuff and it will do a far better job.

 

[astrallite]

ATI high definition device? You might want to use your hdmi port for audio instead if your receiver supports it.

 

[Eljambon]

Thanks for the responses. Unfortunately, I have nothing else to test the cable with.
I noticed a similar reduction in sound quality when I hooked up my ipod via RCA cables. I tried the ipod via RCA cables on a newer NAD receiver and the sound quality was equally as poor; the music sounds distant, thin and lacking in the richness I enjoy from my cds.
I rip the majority of my music in wav file, so I don't think its necessarily that either.
Unfortunately, my receiver is before the days of HDMI, but I'm skeptical as to how much difference that would actually make.