Ripping your favorite CD or swapping MP3s over the Internet may expand your personal music library, but really, what's the point if the sound from your PC barely rises above the tinny whine of an AM radio?

Audiophiles with a taste for technology can now enjoy their digital downloads in surround sound stereo thanks to the HiFi-Link from Xitel Pty Ltd.

The HiFi-Link is a 20-bit digital-to-analog converter that connects your PC to your stereo, bypassing the soundcard to deliver the pure digital signal without any degradation of sound or quality.

HiFi-Link runs with all Windows and Mac media players, including Windows Media Player, iTunes, Real Audio Player, MusicMatch and Winamp so Internet radio stations can be broadcast via the stereo, as well as digital recordings.

Set-up is easy, just plug the link into the USB port on your desktop or laptop computer and then plug the device - using the 30-foot studio-quality cable included in the price - to the RCA input on your stereo.

The company also offers Pro HiFi Link to homebound remix masters and studio professionals. Pro HiFi-Link has the same analog capabilities as the HiFi-Link, but adds an advanced digital rendering engine for better sound and quality control.

HiFi-Link $49.95

Pro HiFi-Link $99.95

http://www.xitel.com/

-- Anthony Duignan-Cabrera

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