I am about to purchase a new Vista PC when I read that, unlike XP SP2, Vista disables SPDIF Passthrough and is unfriendly towards playing music to an external sound equipment.

At present, I keep all my audio files (MP3, AAC, FLAC) in an XP PC, which is a Compaq Presario Dual Core with AC-97 onboard audio. This PC is digitally connected to Bose Home Theater System via coaxial cable , i.e. SPDIF out from the PC is connected to the SPDIF in on Bose. I use Winamp version 5.531 with DFX 8 as my media player. Under this configuration, I get good sound with no problem at all.

The new Vista PC I have in mind is also a Compaq Presario but it comes with Dual Core Quad processor and a newer ALC888S onboard audio.

Please advise whether Vista allows me to configure the music function in the same way as my existing XP SP2. I wish to get in Vista at least the same quality of sound, if not better.

Many thanks.