CMOT70: Does your monitor have some sort of audio pass through or even just a headphone output? Pretty much any monitor that has hdmi inputs has audio pass through. All you need to do is connect that to whatever you use for your PC audio...amplifier or powered speakers. Does not matter if your monitor only outputs stereo, as thats all the classic outputs anyway.
Well here's a strange tale. When I was looking for a new monitor, I searched a lot and eventually settled on a BenQ VW2420. But when I received the monitor I notice it had problems with the panel, so I returned it, and I got a second one. The second monitor had the same panel problems, but I also noticed that, because it lacked all air vents, it seemed to me to be overheating a bit too much. So I was forced to buy a different model. So I got a BenQ GW2420, and I was already miffed about the change, but when I received this new model, and I realized that it also had a USB hub on one side of the panel, which made it look aesthetically asymmetric, I was down right furious. Luckily, I could position it such, that I could hide this USB hub by having it face my desktop case, so it was a situation of out of sight out of mind.
I know I said I checked and mine didn't have audio out, but what I actually did was that I searched for the monitor model online and read through the specs. The problem was that I searched for the initial VW2420, which apparently got stuck in my mind, and that one does indeed lack audio out. But, during the weekend, I had enough free time and I checked my actual monitor, and it does have audio out, on the side with the USB hub, as you can see
here. What was even more surprising, this being the first time I plugged a HDMI device in the monitor, it turns out that the monitor also has speakers. They are completely unusable, producing extremely low quality audio, but that's another thing I had no idea about.
Considering the circumstances that lead me to buying this model, I must admit I was really lucky.
TL;DR: I can play my SNES mini on my monitor, and it is glorious. I spent all my weekend playing Zelda, Contra 3 and Castlevania 4. Damn! I wish I had more free time.
EDIT: OH! By the way, I received the European model, not the US SNES model, but since I like the look of the European model more, that's great for me.
One downside, is that apparently the US box included a big poster, listing all the games included on the SNES mini, while my box didn't contain any extra.
Also on the box I received, there's a
big yellow English + French message, which feels out of place considering the rest of the box art.
Another downside is that the European model lacks an AC adapter, the box containing only a USB cable. Using the USB cable I connected to my monitor/TV and it worked great. I guess I'll buy a generic AC adapter, eventually.
Overall I'm really happy with my SNES mini unit.
