Multiport Soundcards - Suggestions?

J

jonobacon

New member
Hi folks,

I want to spend as little as possible on a decent multiport soundcard which can go into my mixing desk.

I have seen the DSP2000 C-Port for around £250 (which seems quite cheap) and I have seen the Delta 1010 that looks quite expensive.

I also have a VIA chipset on my mobo.

Any suggestions?

Jono
 
I've used the C-Port for a while and am very happy with it. When I upgraded to Win2000, I had a nightmare of a time getting it to work, but it's working again and I'm very happy with it. If you're using Win2k or XP, you may have to disable ACPI (Windows power management garbage) to get it to work. Not that difficult, as long as you know that going in.

The only thing ...the pre's suck. I've been told that the D/A A/D conversion is a bit better with a Delta 1010. If you're using the mixer for individual pre's (like I do), then you might want to look at the Delta 1010LT (it's considerably cheaper than the Delta1010 because it doesn't include the breakout box (which you won't need if you're using a mixer for pre's).

If I remember correctly, the Delta1010LT is about $380 (USD), the C-Port about $400, and the Delta1010 is about $600.

I'm not sure about the VIA chipset, so I'd double check with whichever company you choose to buy from.
 
I have owned both and have run both at the same time in a via M/B with NO Problems (win98SE).

If you can afford the Delta then I think it is slightly superior to the C-Port.

Do not be swayed by the Mic-Preamps on the C-port they really are Crap (no gain and noisy).

I used to use my Delta with a Beh Mx2004a on the insert sockets and got very good results total price about £700
 
Thanks for the feedback folks. One thing I am a little unsure of is this talk of Pre's - what do you mean by this?

Also, the thing that put me off the C-Port was that the jacks ae unbalanced - isnt this bad as it lets in a load of hiss and noise?

Finally, is the Delta 1010LT axactly the same as the 1010 apart from the inclusion of the breakout box? Is the actual card the same?

Cheers,

Jono
 
the delta1010 and delta 1010lt aren't the same, and they don't sound the same either...the delta 1010 has the best akm a/d converts on it and they are in the breakout box which helps b/c there is no computer noise...the delta 1010lt has codecs not akm convertes. its not a bad sounding card at all, but it doesn't sound anything like the regular delta 1010...
i own a delta 1010 got it cheap too($350-brand new) but thats just b/c i knew the right ppl, look on eabyand ubid.com...you should be able to get a delta 1010 under $500

the cport is a good sounding card, one of the best cards for the $$$. noise.. i'm not really sure.. i have a friend that records with a cport, all his recordings have good quality.. it has the same akm converters as the delta 66 i belive.
 
I wasn't aware that the Delta1010 and Delta1010lt were that different - that's good to know (I almost bought the 1010LT).

Anyway, when we're talking about "pre's", we're talking about mic preamps that are built into the unit (these bring mic level signals up to line level signals). There is a LOT more involved with mic preamps than this, but that's the basic idea.

- I do know that the Delta1010LT has mic preamps built-in (I think 2 of them), whereas the Delta1010 does not, but don't let this sway you either. Chances are, you're going to want to record more than 2 microphones at a time, so you're probably going to want a mixer. And yes, the C-Port's built-in preamps do suck (I don't bother with them at all).

As far as the C-Port goes, yes it does have unbalanced jacks, but I haven't had any noise problems yet, and I've recorded some very soft, whispery female singers with a large diaphragm condenser). I'm not sure why it's not even a little bit noisy, but it's not (maybe it has something to do with the breakout box).

Hope this helps...

Sean
 
I have the c-port too.Yes the pres are crap,I use an audiobuddy or mixer for that.The unbalanced connections on the breakout box are not a factor if the cable runs are just a couple of feet,like in my situation.
 
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