System restore will probably work or: You can do the exercise below. Go into Services (right click on My Computer, select Manage. Open Services and Applications and select Services). Scroll down the list till you see Windows Audio and double click on it. Service Status should say Started. If not click on the Start button, Apply and OK. Windows xp also has a good sound trouble shooter built in.. Click start, click control panel, over on the right you should see help & support click it - window opens towards the bottom you will see "Fixing a problem" click it 3rd one down where it says "Games, sound, video, click it - window opens 3rd one up from the bottom where it says "Something is wrong with the sound on my computer" click in the circle and choose next and follow the prompts

Most likly suspect would be defective solder connections on the main circuit board. This is a common problem in "all electronic equipment", more so in equipment that generates a fair amount of heat. The expansion/contraction of the circuit board will eventually cause microscopic cracks in the solder, around the component lead. This effectivly takes some parts out of the circuit. A large resistor, with high current, will even crystalize the solder, in some cases. When the solder is crystalized, its resistance increases, causing the voltage to drop. This problem will increase, due to EPA ruling that "lead" based solder will no longer be allowed. There are several "no lead solders" available, but their connection properties have not been tested over time. Eventually a good lead free solder will be developed, but untill that time, the customer is the "guinea pig". pw

Here's an enclosure you can buy for example: https://www.homecontrols.com/homecontrols/products/pdfs/NV-Nuvo/NBRKICBC-Specifications.pdf It's not the light gauge speaker wire that's the issue, it's the speaker cones catching fire and accelerating to the ceiling and creating more fire above. So wireless speakers will not resolve the problem. Its fire code they have to be boxed in where you live apparently. Looks like you will have to dig out the drywall in the ceiling to install, not a huge job, but inconvenient.

The sound quality of a particular source is not something that's subjective in any way. There's nothing about a digital copy of a recording that compromises the sound source. In fact, it's the opposite, a high percentage of today's recorded music is done (at the studio level) ultimately in digital form. Though it may pass through analog equipment, thought to give warmth to the sound, along the way. The problem is with CDs and other formats. A CD has a limited amount of memory space. When the CD standard was set back at the dawn of time, it was decided to fix the bit and sampling rates at a point that would allow about 70 minutes of content. To get there requires "mastering" and down-sampling of that leaves more than half of the sound content behind. The bit rate standard is about 1400 bits per second, that's what's needed to fit within the capacity of the memory to reach 70 minutes. MP3s and MP4s (the Apple equivalent) take that already compromised sample and reduce it further with compression and further down-sampling - the top MP3 or equiv rate is about 320bps. Streaming music is usually at 128bps or less. Less than 25% of the original source content, if made from a CD, which itself is already a compromised source. . Analog sources have more capacity and so more of the master is present in a vinyl record. There a comparison with digital photography. A commercial photographer, or indeed even a photographer hired to take pictures at a wedding or other social function, will use one of several RAW formats for images. A typical image might be 50 million bits - 50 Mbs for each picture, or larger. For a family event, some of the RAWs I got approached 100Mb. Someone standing next to the photographer taking the same scene with a point and shoot camera or smartphone is going to have a file of 5-10Mbs, max. How could that be? Because the common jpg or gif formats sample, compress and downsize the image to produce a smaller file. Does it matter? Sure. You can produce large images/large print sizes with a RAW file. Any image from a RAW within a relevant range will be quite clear and sharp. With a jpg or gif, as images get much above a compact size, the image will become blurry because of the missing "data" from the image.