Welcome to this ridiculous hobby, @boulevard . Alright, let's do this step by step:
Tell me what's your source: vinyl? TV? computer? 8-track?
Outline your audio path. No paragraphs are necessary. Example: (music files) + (computer hard-drive) >>>>> (computer program playing the files [example: Windows Media Player, iTunes]) >>>>> (digital to audio converter [DAC... need something to convert the digital code to analog signal, exiting the...