Sound card for recording: Any Suggestions!

Obviously He needs a card with a good ADC. Something from m-audio (not the revolution), or an EMU.

http://www.hifi-foru...um_id=120&thread=185

I had put one up for sale a few months back.
Still around.

The card is brand new - have box and all associated cables & CD's etc. List price was Rs. 15/- K.

I would recommend the ESI Juli@
You can find it in India here:
http://www.bharatmus...incatid=E&ProdID=296
It has a bit of an edge over the rest due to excellent drivers for both Mac and PC. It offers 192 khz @ 24-bit. You can get a pair of matching monitors as well.

bhagwan69 schrieb:

http://www.hifi-foru...um_id=120&thread=185 I had put one up for sale a few months back. Still around. The card is brand new - have box and all associated cables & CD's etc. List price was Rs. 15/- K.

Thanks Bhagwan. I promptly told him about your card as soon as I got your PM. Your card's great, but it's got a lot of channels and consequently more expensive. He just needs 1 stereo input for tape. Therefore, he's unwilling to spend so much just on a hobby!

I heard that you wanted the Lynx. What were you planning to record?

particleman schrieb:

I would recommend the ESI Juli@ You can find it in India here: http://www.bharatmus...incatid=E&ProdID=296 It has a bit of an edge over the rest due to excellent drivers for both Mac and PC. It offers 192 khz @ 24-bit. You can get a pair of matching monitors as well.

Like the specs. High quality 24-bit 192kHz ADC: 114dB dynamic range
Will definitely consider this. Do you have any practical experience with this card? BTW, local price is expensive. Might have to get a relative to import this.

bhagwan69 schrieb:

http://www.hifi-foru...um_id=120&thread=185 I had put one up for sale a few months back. Still around. The card is brand new - have box and all associated cables & CD's etc. List price was Rs. 15/- K.

Hi Bhagwan,
Please tell me the difference between your M-Audio and the Juli@ (besides more channels). When recording from an audio tape, what is the tangible advantage of these sound cards over the Realtek integrated audio? Will the quality be noticeably better on speakers costing around Rs 30,000?

zhopudey schrieb:

Obviously He needs a card with a good ADC. Something from m-audio (not the revolution), or an EMU.

Zhops, how's the Emu? Do you have any practical experience with recording using it? I'm a bit sceptical of consumer sound cards like Creative Audigy etc as they are more suited for gamers.

Whoa! Don't mix emu with creative EMU is the professional line, and has nothing to do with the audigys and x-fis.

An EMU or a Juli@ would be excellent for recording. No comparisions with realtek, audigy or x-fi.

Neutral schrieb:

Like the specs. High quality 24-bit 192kHz ADC: 114dB dynamic range Will definitely consider this. Do you have any practical experience with this card? BTW, local price is expensive. Might have to get a relative to import this.

Sorry, no personal experience with this card but have definitely heard only good things about it from professionals and had bookmarked it for future purchase. Onboard Realtek sound processors tend to have high levels of noise (here I speak from experience), low-grade electronics and of course have cheap connectors to add to the problem.

I'd also suggest the EMU 0404 which should be in the vicinity of Rs. 5-6,000:
http://www.emu.com/products/product.asp?product=10447

Guys,

Any suggestions for a good external sound card I can use with my Laptop ? ( PCMCIA or USB )

USB would be more convenient, since I can hook it up to my Desktop too.

Balanced i/p o/p not a priority...

Amp_Nut schrieb:

Guys, Any suggestions for a good external sound card I can use with my Laptop ? ( PCMCIA or USB ) USB would be more convenient, since I can hook it up to my Desktop too. Balanced i/p o/p not a priority...

The only decent "USB" sound interface I can think of is the M-Audio Audiophile USB external sound interface. It's a 2-in/2-out box which does 96/24 and AC-3/DTS passthrough.
http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/AudiophileUSB-main.html

However, if you want a better option -- and this is probably a more acceptable solution -- you need to go with the ESI QuataFire 610 interface but please note it is Firewire only (but assume your laptop probably has a Firewire connection).
http://www.esi-pro.com/viewProduct.php?pid=16

Please note I have only suggested interfaces I know to be available in India - if you plan to shop abroad then its a whole new ball game.

EMU 0404 USB

Thanks a BUNCH, guys.

Yes, my laptop Does have Firewire, though will check if its the 4 pin or 6 pin variety.

Also, the laptop runs Vista, and the M Audio has Vista Drivers...

Can you guys please provide indicative prices ? Yes, I plan to shop in India only... As Far As Possible.

Thanks again.

BTW, my budget is Sub Rs 10K

The application is occasional recording of cassettes.

If the sound is Really good, and listnable on a decent stereo, for HDD playback, I could streatch that budget to Rs 15K.

Dear Ampnut,
These guys list a few toys, they are in Mumbai and will be worth a call.

http://www.promediain.net/files/index.html

Regards
Anil

Thanks, ani.

Interesting Toys ...

Amp_Nut schrieb:

Can you guys please provide indicative prices ? Yes, I plan to shop in India only... As Far As Possible.

The QuataFire 610 is 21,000 and the Audiophile USB is 11,200. However that link Ani provided seems to list quite a few more mobile audio interfaces from M-Audio.

Although this breaks your budget, have you considered something like this (around Rs. 27k):
http://www.oreillyne...crotrack-review.html
Not only portable but you also eliminate the laptop! You can find it at Atria Mall in Mumbai.

particleman schrieb:

I'd also suggest the EMU 0404 which should be in the vicinity of Rs. 5-6,000: http://www.emu.com/products/product.asp?product=10447

Thanks Particleman
Will check the EMU out. The price looks attractive too.

Amp Nut,
Do share your feedback on musicality of sound cards vis-a-vis CDP if you take your card before I do. Hard disks are jitter free!

Anyone in mumbai uses an entry level CDP? I can bring my sound card along for a shootout

I've compared it against a Citypulse DAC and an Odeon Lite DAC. My card came quite close to the Citypulse, but was easily bested by the Odeon Lite. My card costs $100, the Citypulse is around $400, while the Odeon Lite is $1,000.

Hi zhopudey,

You have a sound card for a laptop ?

I would LOVE to have an a-b comparision.

Sorry... not inclined ( or practical ) to move my Desktop next to my Hi Fi ...

Although this breaks your budget, have you considered something like this (around Rs. 27k): http://www.oreillyne...crotrack-review.html Not only portable but you also eliminate the laptop! You can find it at Atria Mall in Mumbai.

Interesting product, though I wonder about its 'Audiophile Quotient'

My next 'Looking Forward to .. ' audiophile product is an iPod with a Digital Output ... My Gut feel is that it wont be too long in comming.

Ofcourse the d-pod wont record... and recording is what this thread is about

Amp_Nut schrieb:

Hi zhopudey, You have a sound card for a laptop ? I would LOVE to have an a-b comparision. Sorry... not inclined ( or practical ) to move my Desktop next to my Hi Fi ... :.

Sorry, mine is a pci card.

Neutral schrieb:

particleman schrieb: I'd also suggest the EMU 0404 which should be in the vicinity of Rs. 5-6,000: http://www.emu.com/products/product.asp?product=10447 Thanks Particleman Will check the EMU out. The price looks attractive too.

Need your help guys. Please.
Checked out the EMU 0404 and noticed these things:
1. No headphone out
2. No mic input
3. No support for low sampling rates like 8, 11, 22, 32
4. No support for 96KHz for hardware sound effects
5. No 'genuine' 192KHz support
6. And of course no consumer convenience like surround sound, Dolby Digital etc.

What am I to do? Is an upgrade really worth it? You guys who actually use these cards please tell me if there are any workarounds for these issues. If possible, do answer pointwise. Is there a soundcard which gives 'pro' recording + basic necessities?

Well, what will you do with dolby digital in a stereo card?

Amp_Nut schrieb:

Interesting product, though I wonder about its 'Audiophile Quotient'

For audiophiles there are better options, like this Korg MR-1 (uses a SACD-like approach of 1-bit, 2.8 Mhz sampling):
http://www.oreillyne...hi-def-recorder.html
(and its big brother the MR-1000 does 5.6 Mhz!)

zhopudey schrieb:

Well, what will you do with dolby digital in a stereo card? :P

The DD in a DVD has to be decoded to stereo right. Or the card should at least offer passthrough facility. I was reading that some cards don't support D3D and games won't sound correct. Bit scared whether a pro card is really my cup of tea.

No, all decoding is done in software.

My EMU supports all games just fine. But if you want fancy effects like EAX, then you're better off with something like the Auzentech Prelude, or the Asus Xonar. But the sound quality thru analog won't be as good as an EMU or Juli@

zhopudey schrieb:

No, all decoding is done in software. My EMU supports all games just fine. But if you want fancy effects like EAX, then you're better off with something like the Auzentech Prelude, or the Asus Xonar. But the sound quality thru analog won't be as good as an EMU or Juli@

Which EMU? 0404?
What about the lack of support for low bit rates (less than 44KHz), mic input, and headphone out? How do I manage without these?

Well, you won't be using headphones and speakers at the same time, will you?
Use the onboard audio for mic. And why do you need lower bitrates?

zhopudey schrieb:

Well, you won't be using headphones and speakers at the same time, will you? :P

LoL Actually, I keep both headphones and speakers connected simultaneously. And switch from one to the other as per requirement.

zhopudey schrieb:

Use the onboard audio for mic. And why do you need lower bitrates?

MP3s are often recorded using 22KHz only. All youtube videos have low bitrates. Game sounds are low bitrates.

How do I use the onboard audio for mic? It will be disconnected/ uninstalled after I install the pro soundcard drivers. Right?
I wish I could run both the audio card and integrated audio simultaneoulsy but I doubt it is technically feasible.