ARainer

Thank you for the advice. My laptop is actually a work laptop so I couldn't just upgrade it. However, they were planning to give me a new one (then, well, I said no out of honesty since I did not think I needed a new one). If I ask for a new one now, I don't see why my work would say no. And I'm sure the new one will have Windows 7.

Looks like the general consensus is that I should go with one of the followings: SB Touch, HRT Streamer II +, and rDAC. Could anyone please tell me what sort of internet connection I will need for the SB Touch? I can hook up my blackberry to my laptop as a modem and get internet but it is very slow (150kbs - in the words of JC, I have seen icebergs moving faster than this). This way I will have internet connection for the sake of connection. Edit: Realhifi did state that I might not need internet connection though. The Streamer II+ is a good solution from what you guys have shared. Will it require a lot of setup? I don't mind but just want to know since I'm fairly ignorant when it comes to this sort of thing. The rDAC is a bit out of my price range but I'm sure one of my kidneys would be worth at least as much somewhere on the black market.

Eloise, My apologies. Nothing fancy, just an 3 year old HP with Windows XP. It's a work laptop so not much I have done with it.

Ajax (or anybody who can help), How would I "ensure your laptop is correctly set up and bypasses the operating system"? Thanks.

My friend went ahead and last night brought me Creative external a sound card which he got for ~$120. I set it up on my laptop and he sound seemed even worse than what I have been using for the last couple of day, namely speakers + amp + an old Sony DVD player which I use to play CDs until I have a proper setup. Now a sound card is really out of the question. I will look at several DAC options that you guys have kindly recommended. If I understand correctly, David and Ajax both said that a player on my laptop will make a difference (do correct me if I'm wrong). I was wondering that yesterday. Currently I'm using Winamp and unsure if this has any negative impact on the sound quality.

In regards to the router, the "trouble" is I don't have internet at home. I download from Rhapsody at work then listen to my music at home. 10 hours of internet at work almost everyday, I don't see the need to be plugged up to the virtual world for more than that.

I'm sure this question has been asked more times than anybody would care to remember so please bear with me... I have recently purchased a pair of B&W 684 speakers and a Marantz PM5004 amp. I don't have a CD player. Most of my music is on my laptop (I am a Rhapsody subscriber so this is the primary source of my music). How do I run music from my laptop to my system and maximize the potential of my amp and speakers? A friend of my suggested an external sound card and a decent RCA cable. Would this be the best option? My budget is probably limited to $300. Thank you so much for your help.