Tracktion Software

debaser · Post by **debaser** » Mon Mar 07, 2005 8:21 pm

hi all.
i have a audiophile 24/96 pci card.
but i would like to have a more professional (yeah, ok, semi-professional) card. with balanced input. and great AD-DA converters. i don't need preamps and i don't need more than 2 input.
what should i buy? something under $400

thanks a lot.

marco

rockstar_not · Post by **rockstar_not** » Mon Mar 07, 2005 8:30 pm

Marco,

The M-audio website says that the 2496 indeed has balanced analog i/o.

What don't you like about the card? I'm curious, since I'm shopping for something very similar to your request.

-Scott

2496 product sheet

debaser · Post by **debaser** » Mon Mar 07, 2005 8:41 pm

mmm....i have the audiophile 24/96 not the 24/192

what do i don't like?
nothing

i love this card.
but now i'm working on a music project with a man who has is own studio and the soundcard he uses sounds a lot better than mine! i think he has a nuendo audiolink card.

spacefox · Post by **spacefox** » Mon Mar 07, 2005 9:42 pm

debaser wrote: what do i don't like?
nothing i love this card.
but now i'm working on a music project with a man who has is own studio and the soundcard he uses sounds a lot better than mine! card.

Have you A/B tested the cards on the same system? otherwise you can't know if it is the card or some other component (maybe even the material, circumstances, volume etc.)

C00kie · Post by **C00kie** » Mon Mar 07, 2005 9:53 pm

Yeah, do some real testing before you say the Nuendo card is better than the Audiophile. For example RMAA (RightMark Audio Analyser: http://audio.rightmark.org/index_new.shtml )

Then you have the figures that can show you any flaws. If there are flaws that is... Probably you will not notice any difference with balanced connections.

Monitoring speakers and acoustics of your room have curently a larger part in "the sound" of your setup than the AD/DA converters.

Mr. Tingle · Post by **Mr. Tingle** » Mon Mar 07, 2005 10:07 pm

Am I right in thinking that the nuendo cards were the RME multiface with a different cover?

RME AD converters do have a good rep.

Beno · Post by **Beno** » Mon Mar 07, 2005 10:57 pm

Yes, the Nuendo cards are rebranded RME cards. And the RME cards are awesome. Rock solid drivers. But we have the Audiofile cards in a lot of our demo machines and haven't had anything but good results from them.
Ben

rockstar_not · Post by **rockstar_not** » Mon Mar 07, 2005 11:28 pm

debaser wrote:mmm....i have the audiophile 24/96 not the 24/192

what do i don't like?
nothing i love this card.
but now i'm working on a music project with a man who has is own studio and the soundcard he uses sounds a lot better than mine! i think he has a nuendo audiolink card.

Oops, sorry about that. I use a RME Digi96 Pro at work with Tracktion end-of-2004 freebie download and no problems. It's a discontinued card, however. I also use this card with Head Acoustics ArtemiS sound analysis software that we use with our Binaural Head Microphone (a very cool transducer).

Maybe the 192 is what you want - seems to have the specs (2 ch, balanced i/o, etc.)

I guess I hijacked your thread in a way since the 192 is one that I'm seriously looking at right now.

-Scott

valley · Post by **valley** » Tue Mar 08, 2005 12:33 am

C00kie wrote: Monitoring speakers and acoustics of your room have curently a larger part in "the sound" of your setup than the AD/DA converters.

That is extremely good advice!

I spent some effort trying to tame my room (with limited success). Even subtle differences in positioning of absorbers radically altered the sound of playing material.

Lunch Money · Post by **Lunch Money** » Tue Mar 08, 2005 2:05 am

A 2496 certainly does NOT have balanced analog I/O, rockstar_not. A signal is carried on RCA cables, which aren't balanced.

Greg

Improv · Post by **Improv** » Tue Mar 08, 2005 4:27 am

Lunch Money wrote:A 2496 certainly does NOT have balanced analog I/O, rockstar_not. A signal is carried on RCA cables, which aren't balanced.

Greg

You're both right. The 2496 does not have balanced I/O:

http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_ca/A ... focus.html

However, he was talking about the new Audiophile 192, which DOES have balanced analog I/O:

http://midiman.com/products/en_ca/Audio ... -main.html

Hope that helps!

AndrewSimon · Post by **AndrewSimon** » Tue Mar 08, 2005 5:14 am

what should i buy? something under $400

Gina3G by ECHO

Nice built in pre for mic and instruments, excellent DAC's and one of the most solid drivers out there.

And above all, full support of their product.
My first generation Gina card that came out in 1995 with win95 drivers still gets regular driver updates
for win95, win98, win98SE, winMe, win2K and winXP.

Now how many companies are out there that will invest money in developing drivers for a product that has been discontinued 7 years ago?

Lunch Money · Post by **Lunch Money** » Tue Mar 08, 2005 5:37 am

Good call.

Here's a question-- since they're both from the Delta family, will I be able to simultaneously use a 2496 and a 192 at the same time, with ASIO drivers?

Greg

rockstar_not · Post by **rockstar_not** » Tue Mar 08, 2005 1:17 pm

This one looks like it stacks up pretty nicely against the 192 card.

Echo's miamidi

http://www.audiomidi.com/common/cfm/pro ... m?pid=3568

Or EMU 1212?

http://www.audiomidi.com/common/cfm/pro ... m?pid=4810

Or Terratec Phase 28?

http://www.audiomidi.com/common/cfm/pro ... m?pid=4066

These seem to all fit the bill of the request of the thread.

Any experience with these cards and T?

-Scott

haydxn · Post by **haydxn** » Tue Mar 08, 2005 1:31 pm

i use the Delta44, it has 4in 4out (all balanced) and it sounds great. it's pretty cheap nowadays (£180 or thereabouts). the 66 is the same but with digital IO in addition to the 8 balanced connections. a great card.

Tracktion Software

KVR Audio

OT: looking for something more "pro" than the audi