Dflip Posted October 31, 2004 Share Posted October 31, 2004 Not the best place to post this, it is also in Soundcards, but this site gets a lot more action. Some of you are using M Audio soundcards and am seeking opinions as to which one would best suit my needs. Any opinions on either the Revolution 5.1, 7.1 or Audiophile 2496 soundcards? I am looking to upgrade the card in my computer to run a set of ProMedia 4.1's. I may also want to record LP's onto the computer. My guess is that I would need to use a y-splitter to input the sound from the turntable. If I was going to stick to a two channel system then the 2496 is good, but I want to be able to use the 4.1 ProMedias. I do not use the computer for gaming, it would strictly be for audio use. Thanks in advance. Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meuge Posted October 31, 2004 Share Posted October 31, 2004 It's not that easy. You can't just run the signal from the turntable to the soundcard. Since phono preamps have equalization, you'll need to use a phone preamp (whichever you are already using) first. As for the sound cards, they're very good. I have the Revo 7.1 and it's the best sound card I've ever owned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erukian Posted November 1, 2004 Share Posted November 1, 2004 If your looking for bang for your buck, all the rave on every forum about soundcards is focused on the Chaintech 710 newegg it, it's cheap, and it has the same chip as the M-Audio/Audiophile 24/96 cards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dflip Posted November 10, 2004 Author Share Posted November 10, 2004 I sprung for the Revolution 7.1 and it is installed. The sound is a very nice improvement over the sound card that came with the computer. The ProMedia 4.1 sound very nice now and can put out more loud, clean power than before. The subwoofer can actually be used now, it used to distort when it was barely turned on. Thanks for the advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOSValves Posted November 11, 2004 Share Posted November 11, 2004 The Audiophile 24/96 is only 2 channel. I have one and love it ! Mine is installed in a dedicated music server for 2 channel music and archiving vinyl which I never have time to do but it works very well with my Blueberry preamp. Craig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffinator Posted November 11, 2004 Share Posted November 11, 2004 Frankly, to my ears there's just no subsitute (for 2-channel listening, haven't seen a true surround implementation of this) for a digital I/O card (Terratec EWS88D, which I used to have, and EMU 1212D, which I currently own, as examples) chained to an outboard DAC. I use an Alesis AI3 in my implementation, and it sounds miles better than any soundcard's internal DAC system. The problem with on-board DAC is the amount of EMI the card is subjected to by being in the same metal box as a 1+Ghz CPU. You can't hope to get a stable signal through that system without mountains of jitter errors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrot Posted November 11, 2004 Share Posted November 11, 2004 People get excellent results every day with soundcards in computer slots. You're more likely to get EMI that might possibly create jitter from cables and connectors running outside the computer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meuge Posted November 11, 2004 Share Posted November 11, 2004 ---------------- On 11/11/2004 10:59:58 AM Griffinator wrote: Frankly, to my ears there's just no subsitute (for 2-channel listening, haven't seen a true surround implementation of this) for a digital I/O card (Terratec EWS88D, which I used to have, and EMU 1212D, which I currently own, as examples) chained to an outboard DAC. I use an Alesis AI3 in my implementation, and it sounds miles better than any soundcard's internal DAC system. The problem with on-board DAC is the amount of EMI the card is subjected to by being in the same metal box as a 1+Ghz CPU. You can't hope to get a stable signal through that system without mountains of jitter errors. ---------------- You're absolutely correct. Using analog outs from my Revolution 7.1 was one thing. Going from that to the MSB Link III using the soundcard as a digital source was more than an improvement... it was a stupendous change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffinator Posted November 12, 2004 Share Posted November 12, 2004 ---------------- On 11/11/2004 11:23:03 AM paulparrot wrote: People get excellent results every day with soundcards in computer slots. You're more likely to get EMI that might possibly create jitter from cables and connectors running outside the computer. ---------------- Paul, I don't mean to be disrespectful here, but you're flat wrong. Every single day, all over the professional recording industry, people that use computers in Digital Audio Workstation deployments use outboard DAC's because on-card DAC's sound like crap comparatively speaking. Are you going to argue with 10,000 professional recording engineers? Frankly, I'm surprised at you. I never expected you to be a "it's good enough, since I haven't heard the superior alternative" type of person. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrot Posted November 12, 2004 Share Posted November 12, 2004 ---------------- On 11/12/2004 10:12:48 AM Griffinator wrote: Are you going to argue with 10,000 professional recording engineers? ---------------- Yes, that would be fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrot Posted November 12, 2004 Share Posted November 12, 2004 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffinator Posted November 13, 2004 Share Posted November 13, 2004 Well you go ahead, bro. Let me first introduce you to George Massenburg, who does nothing but DVD-A and SACD new recording work and uses a 24/384K output system to monitor his work. This also happens to be the George Massenburg that either recorded and/or mastered a great many albums you have in your collecion of "perfect" audio reproductions from the 60's and 70's. In short, a legend in the industry, a man that even armchair listeners like yourself have no choice but to respect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrot Posted November 13, 2004 Share Posted November 13, 2004 Armchair listener? What an insult! LOL! I am surprised you are willing to lower yourself to my level to even have this discussion, O great one. Anyway, what a professional mastering engineer may choose to do is not relevant to the discussion at hand. 24/384K--are you talking about video? Clock rate? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffinator Posted November 13, 2004 Share Posted November 13, 2004 24 bit 384Khz is the ADC/DAC standard for SACD and DVD-A production shops. George swears by his. The "armchair" comment wasn't an insult, Paul, it's the reality. If you've never worked in the industry, you're strictly a listener. I've done a fair bit of recording, mixing, and mastering, and continue to do it more now for fun, as the career wasn't a particularly viable one in this part of the country... And the reason that professional audio engineers' choice of playback systems is relevant is because you, me, and every other audio fanatic on the planet are all trying to acheive one goal - perfect reproduction. Why wouldn't we take a lesson from the audio production people (who DEPEND on hearing what's actually there) on how to best implement a computer in our playback systems, if that is our intended goal? But hey, that's cool. You've got a proud reputation for being argumentative and contrary for the sole purpose of creating tension, and you've got to keep it up. Go right ahead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrot Posted November 13, 2004 Share Posted November 13, 2004 Let's see if I've got this straight: I am just an armchair listener, whereas you are a professional, even though you're not really, so therefore you must be a more discriminating listener. It takes at least two to be argumentative and contrary, so if the tension bothers you, just agree that I am correct, that people get excellent results every day with soundcards in their home computers, and then there will be peace and tranquillity. I'm after hi-fi, but not perfection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvel Posted November 13, 2004 Share Posted November 13, 2004 There aren't ten thousand professonal recording engineers, and listening to most recordings will quickly reveal that. You are comparing apples to oranges anyway. Most external gear costs more, for a reason. Just making it external doesn't automatically make it a bit (no pun intended) better. I get NO noise off of my Audiophile 24/96 card, and it resides in a box with dual 1.6 Ghz Athlons. Even if it does sound better, you spend more money. Okay, so you get an external card. Then you need to spend money on a digital i/o card. Firewire? USB? Dedicated i/o card? More money that most people aren't going to hear the difference with anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffinator Posted November 13, 2004 Share Posted November 13, 2004 ---------------- On 11/13/2004 1:13:53 PM Marvel wrote: There aren't ten thousand professonal recording engineers, and listening to most recordings will quickly reveal that. You are comparing apples to oranges anyway. Most external gear costs more, for a reason. Just making it external doesn't automatically make it a bit (no pun intended) better. I get NO noise off of my Audiophile 24/96 card, and it resides in a box with dual 1.6 Ghz Athlons. Even if it does sound better, you spend more money. Okay, so you get an external card. Then you need to spend money on a digital i/o card. Firewire? USB? Dedicated i/o card? More money that most people aren't going to hear the difference with anyway. ---------------- LOL - Marvel.... We've already had one casual listener tell you how much of a difference using a digital pass-through from his surround card has made for him. Don't tell me you don't hear a difference - my DAC is dirt cheap by most studio standards, and I can still hear a dramatic difference between it and the analog outs on my soundcard. Fer chrissakes, people, we're not talking about speaker wire here. But hey, that's cool. You've got your M-Audio 24/96 card, you're happy with it, go on your merry way. But don't go telling everyone that most people can't hear a difference between an external DAC over a soundcard's internal DAC, because you're flat wrong, and I can line up at least 500 people that I know personally that will back me up on that point, because they all hear the difference, and so do I. It doesn't cost a fortune to get external DAC involved in your PC-based sound server. My setup cost me all of $600. If that's too rich for your blood, so be it, but don't say it doesn't make a difference just because you don't want to spend the extra money. Oh, and to answer your question about the connection - Firewire and/or USB as interfaces are unnecessary wastes of money. SPDIF or ADAT are perfectly acceptable alternatives. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffinator Posted November 13, 2004 Share Posted November 13, 2004 And, BTW, Paul.... ---------------- On 11/11/2004 11:23:03 AM paulparrot wrote: You're more likely to get EMI that might possibly create jitter from cables and connectors running outside the computer. ---------------- Do you even know what EMI is? I doubt it, because if you did, you wouldn't make such a blatantly ignorant statement. No one has ever suffered increased EMI from a cable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike stehr Posted November 13, 2004 Share Posted November 13, 2004 Electro Magnetic Interference? I (think) if anything, it would Radio Frequency Interference. Who knows..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrot Posted November 13, 2004 Share Posted November 13, 2004 ---------------- On 11/13/2004 1:43:24 PM Griffinator wrote: Do you even know what EMI is? I doubt it, because if you did, you wouldn't make such a blatantly ignorant statement. No one has ever suffered increased EMI from a cable. ---------------- I love it when an ignoramus calls someone else ignorant. Keep up the good work, Mr. Pro. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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