is this the best way to connect

[nandac]

i have a boston acoustics duo-i ipod speaker system.

i am trying to hook it up to my laptop to listen to the music files on my external harddrive (which is also hooked to the laptop).

the duo-i has the stereo connections for aux - to connect to external sources.

i currently have the cable which hooks into the headphone jack of the laptop and the other end hooks up to the aux stereo connections on the duo-i.

my question is if this is the best way to hook up the laptop to the duo-i for optimal audio performance?

would the usb port on the laptop be a better source for improved sound performance?

if so is there a usb to stereo connection kind of cable available?

i am not looking for a dac to connect these two. looking for other cheaper options.

appreciate any insights on this.

 

[baijuxavior]

If you want to improve the sound quality, then invest in a USB DAC or sound card. Cheap usb cards are available in ebay, but do not expect great sound quality. usb sound card | eBay

 

[nandac]

actually doesn't the ipod speaker system have a built in dac? it should right? so why shouldn't i be able to use that?

 

[Vivek Rao]

The Boston cannot pull out the digital files from your laptop directly and process them through its DAC.
The best option is to sync your entire library to your ipod (classic 160/120 gb) and then play through the Boston. Directly from the laptop you would need an external sound card/DAC.