2. Can anyone recommend a good decoder? Years ago I used the AEA PK-232.
These days I'd like to buy a decoder that covers as much of the used
formats
as possible. Key for me will be simplicity though. I don't want something
with a manual or operation that's so technical it won't be fun. I want
something that is as "plug and play" as possible.


You can find the free sound card programs here.

http://www.muenster.de/~welp/sb.htm