Just acquired an Aardvark Direct Pro Q10

Josh N.

New member
I know this is OLD equipment, but I've just acquired an Aardvark Direct Pro Q10. Neat looking unit.

I'm not sure if it works or not. This is a computer interface so I'm assuming it does, as computer equipment in my experience doesn't generally go bad (assuming the PCI card hasn't suffered from ESD).

The only thing I'm missing is the DB25 audio cable that goes with it. But I'm not sure if it can be any DB25 audio cable, or if it has to specifically be made for this unit. I'm smart enough to know not to use a computer DB25 cable (serial). Or not.

The Hosa DBD 25 looks attractive due to the $30 vs. $150 cost for a DB25 audio cable.

Does anyone have any experience with using aftermarket audio cables with this kind of equipment?

Incidentally, I have a more up to date Focusrite USB interface that does a great job..I'm more interested in this for possible resale value (if any). Maybe for an older system for the sole purpose of recording, if the performance isn't horrible.
 
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If the Aardvark is similar to the Echo Layla boxes (which I think it is)...the DB25 is a data cable, not an audio transmission cable.
So any old computer DB25 should work if the wiring is "straight" 1-to-1.
If you have the Aardvark manual, it should tell you how the pins are wired or if you need a specialized cable.
 
Unfortunately, all the manual indicates is to "not use any cable other than the one supplied", which is sometimes manufacturer sales scare tactics, so the manual isn't much help here.

If anyone can confirm for certain that this is supposed to be a data cable vs an audio cable this would be a big help, and a relief to say the least.

I just looked at the Echo Layla and it looks similar, except that it doesn't have the power connector. I assume this unit draws power from the card.
 
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If anyone can confirm for certain that this is supposed to be a data cable vs an audio cable this would be a big help, and a relief to say the least.

You have the info in front of you.

The audio is passed via the 1/4" I/O.
The DB25 connects to the PCI card and there is only digital data passed on it. There is no analog audio going in/out of the computer on the DB25 cable.

I'm kinda curious what computer OS you plan on using it with?
I don't think you will find drivers for it with OS past Windows XP.
 
I'm confused now. Audio passes through the 1/4 out? How does it get to the computer then? There is no 1/4 in on the card..just the db25 connector.

I'm currently looking for an Intel core 2 quad system with 2.83 ghz clock. Will be running XP for it. But not if the cost is too much more.

I suppose I'm really curious to find out if recording is better with this and an older system, or with my Focusrite Scarlett Solo and newer i5 system. I believe the original cost for the Q10 when it was new was close to $1000, so that tells me that the Q10 had to be pretty damn good. Or expensive junk. The reviews seem good...

The multiple inputs and outputs are what first attracted me to it, as my Focusrite only has 2 in, 2 out. This may come in handy if I want to record more than just myself... again if the quality is there. The fact that it only supports XP at best is what has me worried about final quality..XP systems aren't known for lightning speed, and the reason I purchased a Focusrite Scarlett Solo and a Dell Optiplex 7020 for recording.
 
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I'm currently looking for an Intel core 2 quad system with 2.83 ghz clock. Will be running XP for it. But not if the cost is too much more.

Make sure it's a DDR3 system or it comes with all the ram you'll ever need.
DDR2 is a hard thing to buy now.
 
I'm confused now. Audio passes through the 1/4 out? How does it get to the computer then? There is no 1/4 in on the card..just the db25 connector.

The conversion from audio to data take place within the unit, and the db25 cable conveys data to the card.

I believe the original cost for the Q10 when it was new was close to $1000, so that tells me that the Q10 had to be pretty damn good. Or expensive junk. The reviews seem good.

The price may simply be indicative of the relative newness of the gear at the time. When I started recording, blank CDs were 3.50 each. Now they are 35c. I expect it would have been a decent unit, but I don't expect it would outshine the Scarlett.


The fact that it only supports XP at best is what has me worried about final quality..XP systems aren't known for lightning speed, and the reason I purchased a Focusrite Scarlett Solo and a Dell Optiplex 7020 for recording.

The speed of XP systems is not determined by XP, but by the the processing capacity of the computer. Run an i7 on an SSD and you will not be bothered by speed, even if you can only access 4gb of RAM.
 
Ok, so $40 for a top quality "XP era" CPU and Mobo..not too bad. Might be worth playing around with. Unfortunately I've read the resale value dropped almost immediately after the company disappeared. Feel sorry for those who shelled out the big bucks for it.
 
Old thead, but as an Aardvark enthusiast & owner of several Q10's & Aark 24's, I'll give a reply for the sake of archive value.

As far as the Aardvark host cable, it may be that a non Aardvark cable could work, as long as the pins IN/OUT are the same. I bought a generic one to try, but in testing the pins, they weren't the same on the one I bought, so I didn't bother trying. I just found a spare used one on eBay, that's what I would recommend doing, even if you have to buy one of the other 3 items ... (break out box, cable, PCI card). all this stuff can be bought so dirt cheap anyway.

For the record, I've been using my Aardvarks on 4 nearly identical self-built Win XP Pro 32 bit machines, with ASUS P5KC & P5KC-E motherboards, Intel Core Quad 2 Q9650's (12M Cache, 3 GHz, 1333 MHz FSB). They've been very solid & reliable with this combination.

Only other machine I've run them on was a self-build Win XP machine, using ASUS A7V266-E with a 1.6 GHz AMD single core CPU, with 3 GB ram. It ran 'ok' with the Aardvarks, but wasn't powerful enough for running my Cubase projects.
I would recommend the ASUS PK5C combinations above, over the A7V266-E by far! Though it would be great to find a cmbination of even more cores with higher speeds, I haven't done that experimentation, may be a very long road to go, with a lot of time & money wasted.

If someone was going to build a machine specifically for using your old Aardvarks, it's best to stick with components that were designed for Win XP 32 bit & can actually rin the Aardvarks on it. I've seen people install Win XP on newer machines, but there's a fair amount of obsticles to overcome, and then I don't know what obsticles are involved for trying to run Aardvarks on (other than you need PCI with 5 volts, most likely 32 bit as well).

I've also attempted to see if I could run it on 3 off the shelf Win XP machines, a Dell, an HP & a Gateway, not sure why, but the Aardvarks would NOT work on any of them.

Steve F.

 
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That ^ might be of interest, also if anyone knows where to get a cable or the pinouts for one the guys on the SoS forum will!

Dave.
 
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