Decent netbook/small laptop to use for music?

[Markeh]

I''m always on about getting a laptop or netbook, loading all our music onto it, and plugging it into the stereo. (My new Sony stereo has a PC in). I have around 10Gb of music on my own laptop, and we have a good 30Gb on the desktop machine, but we do have a lot of vinyl, that we're hoping to transfer to such a machine using a USB turntable.

Are there any netbooks/small laptops out there that have decent enough sound so that when plugged into the stereo it will not sound distorted at higher volume, and would have a big enough hard disk to take a LOT of music? Preferably one with XP or 7 (NOT 7 Starter Edition!)

I've also considered whether to get an oldish XP laptop with wi-fi from eBay/classified ads, and pick up a cheap external HDD. The one I have my eye on is an HP 320Gb one, for £55. Is this a better idea?

[Recursion]

If you care that much about audio qaulity, or can even tell the difference, then you need to get a desktop machine and get a proper sound card.

But if you are looking at Netbooks, look at the new version of the Samsung NC10.

[Markeh]

I'd ordinarily be looking at a desktop, but hurling one of them all over the place isn't a convenient solution.

[Recursion]

Then what you could do is get a netbook like a Samsung NC10 and then get a USB soundcard come to think of it, this would work pretty well IMO :P

[Markeh]

Right, I'm considering http://www.amazon.co.uk/Creative-Sound-Blaster-X-Fi-Go/dp/B001DA79UU/ref=pd_cp_ce_2 teamed with either an NC10, an Eee, or an Aspire One.

Its gonna come down to price in the end, probably, I'm not sure which one to go for though.

[syko2006]

Aspire ones are wicked machines! :D

Just make sure you get a 120GB hard drive non solid state.
Just thought I'd throw that in there incase you didn't know, I didn't mean to sound patronising. :)

[Cheryl]

right, I am using the Samsung NC10 (new version) it's great I got it for £259 in PCWorld about 2 months ago and have not looked back since, I also got £20 cash back from samsung also :) I was streaming iTunes into my stereo last night at a party in accompaniment with a WD My Passport 320GB, although having a 160GB internal HD I prefer the WD :)

[Markeh]

Well, I'm not THAT keen on Acer (too much bloatware, and I never found them reliable tbh), but I think its looking like an NC10. I shall have to do a bit of saving up xD

Syco> I was trying to avoid one with an SSD anyway, if truth be known.

[Recursion]

The NC10 is meant to be the best netbook around, my mate was using it last night for Spotify and to play movies onto a bigger monitor at a party

[Fehm]

off/t: I think you should send me all your music tbh :L

o/t: Look into soundcards?

[Markeh]

Right, I'm gonna consider investing in an NC10 with the USB Creative stick I posted earlier. Is this: http://www.pcworld.co.uk/martprd/store/pcw_page.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@0537587742.126236963 8@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccchadejffldgjjcflgceggdhhmdfhj.0&page=Product&fm=null&sm=null&tm=null&sku=641083&category_oid= the one I'm looking at?

Is there anyway I can have a remote set up and linked into it, for controlling volume, next/previous track, play/pause, and selecting albums? I am aware that with iTunes I could use my iPod touch as a remote, but that isn't convenient to me (I'm quite keen to keep hold of my iPod xD)

I'm not gonna buy a hard disk for it yet, anyway. I shall stick with the one built into the NC10.

[Boonzeet]

and pick up a cheap external HDD. The one I have my eye on is an HP 320Gb one, for £55. Is this a better idea?

I got a 1TB HDD for £75. 320 for £55 is a ripoff.

[Niall!]

Buy an Ipod.

[Tomm]

The iPod's sound quality is far from ideal.

[Markeh]

The iPod's sound quality is far from ideal.

Exactly the reason I'm saving up for an NC10. I do use my touch on the stereo (I did for new year), and although it sounds reasonable, I'd quite like to use a netbook/USB sound card combo instead, as the sound quality (and the amount of music I can store on it) will increase.