1010 vs 1010LT

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mellowman

mellowman

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Hey
I have been a avid reader of this forum for some time now but have yet to really jump into the crowd properly (possibly due to a fear of being told to jump straight back out!)

There is one question that i cannot seem to find already answered and that is what are the benefits of the M-Audio Delta 1010 over the 1010LT apart from its breakout box and balanced Line-ins/outs. Are they really charging double just to add another lump to the rack?

I was wondering if you couldn't just wire up the 1010LT to a patchbay (in an open config) to act as a breakout box and have lots of dosh left for a nicer preamp than that of the 1010 like the Focusrite Octopre.

Toby
 
The A/D convertor chip in the 1010 is supposed to be superior to the LT's, and there are supposedly advantages in having the conversion performed outside of the PC case, less chance of RF/electrical interference. Could be a better SNR in the 1010 too, you need to check the specs.

Unless you have golden ears, you're unlikely to hear any difference due to the above, or the unbalanced cables.
 
Cheers, I think I heard that the conversion was still happening on the card but im definitely no authority to be disagreeing! All I know is that for an amateur like me there isn't any need for all the fancy stuff - so the LT it is.

As for golden ears, now that would be pretty damn great, would certainly solve alot of financial issues right now lol.

Thanks again for taking the time.

Toby
 
Bulls Hit said:
The A/D convertor chip in the 1010 is supposed to be superior to the LT's, and there are supposedly advantages in having the conversion performed outside of the PC case, less chance of RF/electrical interference. Could be a better SNR in the 1010 too, you need to check the specs.

Unless you have golden ears, you're unlikely to hear any difference due to the above, or the unbalanced cables.
Click to expand...

The 1010LT has two crappy preamps that you can disable, while the 1010 doesn't have any. The 1010 is balanced, while the 1010lt isn't (except maybe the first two channels through the XLR connectors). The 1010 has slightly better SNR, largely for that reason.

Converters on the 1010 are outboard, AFAIK, while in the 1010LT, they're inside your machine, with all the noise potential that this can cause. The 1010LT has some noise problems in its output if you have the newer version that is notched for modern motherboards (with the 3.3v notch punched on the card edge) in my experience.

If you can, go with a cheap FireWire card and an outboard interface. You'll be happier in the long run, particularly with the whole PCI->PCIe transition in progress.
 
I've never really looked at firewire for the interface, it always seemed overpriced but just having a look now those prices are becoming far more reasonable.

Any suggestions on the best firewire interface, i really didnt want to go over £250 (about $450) but if any come with a set of good preamps then i might be temped.

And just to show how little i know about it, are the any latency problems with firewire (the reason for my primary choice of PCI).

Cheers
Toby
 
I have a 1010LT which I mostly love. I do, however wish I would have bought the 1010. My reasons are simple logistics. The LT is a very cramped area (for my setup), even though it goes directly to a patch-bay. In retrospect the 1010 would be much easier to work with.
 
Hey Mac, Do you find any problems with the unbalanced inputs? I understand it could cause problems with noise but over a short distance i cant forsee it being a problem.

Also although i will be buying a better multichannel preamp shortly are the mic pres that are built on really that bad.

What is your set up, and what latency figures are you getting from the card?

Toby
 
Firewire interfaces are getting more competitive now. Check out the presonus units - Inspire, Firebox, Firepod. They all include pretty decent preamps and the portability is great
 
mellowman said:
Hey Mac, Do you find any problems with the unbalanced inputs? I understand it could cause problems with noise but over a short distance i cant ; it being a problem.

Also although i will be buying a better multichannel preamp shortly are the mic pres that are built on really that bad.

What is your set up, and what latency figures are you getting from the card?

Toby
Click to expand...
No, I have no problems with the the unbalanced inputs. The runs to the patch-board are only a couple of feet. I use the XLR pres as balanced line inputs from my board, so I can't really say what their like as microphone inputs, but in the way I use them their fine. The setup as a whole does not exhibit the noise and such others have commented on.
I also don't exactly know what my latency figures actually are because I can't hear any delay when multi-tracking real instruments and vocals and I tend to freeze tracks before using virtual instruments, so its not an issue with me. It's a good card and I hope that helps.
My setup is in my signature. ;)
 
Excellent guys, I've bin battling with my maths to see if i could stretch the budget to a fw interface, but it really isnt within my capabilities at the mo, and impatience is starting to set in.

I was thinking of getting the 1010 with breakout box until i realised that i will actually be recording 11 channels of audio in the immediate future and as such I believe that getting two 1010LT cards for the same price as the 1010 is big enough a bonus to overlook the negatives!

Anyone know how well the two LT cards work together eg any sync problems?

Thanks again to anyone whos replied, you've all been absolute legends.

Toby
 
mellowman said:
Excellent guys, I've bin battling with my maths to see if i could stretch the budget to a fw interface, but it really isnt within my capabilities at the mo, and impatience is starting to set in.

I was thinking of getting the 1010 with breakout box until i realised that i will actually be recording 11 channels of audio in the immediate future and as such I believe that getting two 1010LT cards for the same price as the 1010 is big enough a bonus to overlook the negatives!

Anyone know how well the two LT cards work together eg any sync problems?

Thanks again to anyone whos replied, you've all been absolute legends.

Toby
Click to expand...
With the latest drivers (obviously) two will sync quite well. :)
 
mellowman said:
Hey
I have been a avid reader of this forum for some time now but have yet to really jump into the crowd properly (possibly due to a fear of being told to jump straight back out!)

There is one question that i cannot seem to find already answered and that is what are the benefits of the M-Audio Delta 1010 over the 1010LT apart from its breakout box and balanced Line-ins/outs. Are they really charging double just to add another lump to the rack?

I was wondering if you couldn't just wire up the 1010LT to a patchbay (in an open config) to act as a breakout box and have lots of dosh left for a nicer preamp than that of the 1010 like the Focusrite Octopre.

Toby
Click to expand...

The sonic difference between those cards it negligible. As for the patch panel idea...BINGO! That's what I've got going on. Works great. By the way, the IN's on the 1010LT accept balanced or unbalanced signals. I've got 3 delta cards running together...no problems at all with synch.
 
Im currently using a REALTEK AC97 Audio card built in my Motherboard as a recording soundcard. Would I see good change or results if I get a 1010LT ? Im planning to get one.

Also, My Mixer is around 1 foot to 2 feet from my Computer. Do you think getting the 1010 would be a better fit ?? Im scared of Buzzings @_@ but is the 200 dollar difference worth it ? Thanks :D
 
Sound improvement and flexibility will improve. My patchpanels and desk are about 20 feet from the computer. Between the PC and the patchpanels I'm using shielded snake cables. No buzzing, no issues.
 
I can get Shielded cables ?? even though my connection is unbalanced ??

If i use shielded cables, what if it passes to like a Power cord or something??
 
What I meant was, the Snake is shielded. On one end (the patch panel end), the shield is tied to my rack ground buss. The Delta1010LT uses RCA connections (except for inputs 1 & 2 which are XLR).

The snake breaks out with RCA's on the PC end, the other end is 1/4" TR which goes to the backside of the patch panels. The snake shield/drain wire is tied to the equipment rack ground buss. To be honest, there really isn't needed but I figure what the heck...it's there use it. No noise with or without it.
 
Sorry bout the absence of any reply, bin hiding out at the missuses place n she hasn't got internet access.

Thanks Punkin, reports from someone with the gear is (obviously) far more useful than having hearsay repeated over and over. My eventual aim too was to have 3 of the cards lined up and its great to hear that there are no issues with this.

my rack/mixer et al is only a metre or two away from my comp so i believe it is safe to assume there will be no problems at all with noise (yay!).

Thanks all

Toby
 
mellowman said:
Sorry bout the absence of any reply, bin hiding out at the missuses place n she hasn't got internet access.

Thanks Punkin, reports from someone with the gear is (obviously) far more useful than having hearsay repeated over and over. My eventual aim too was to have 3 of the cards lined up and its great to hear that there are no issues with this.

my rack/mixer et al is only a metre or two away from my comp so i believe it is safe to assume there will be no problems at all with noise (yay!).

Thanks all

Toby
Click to expand...

What hearsay? Its stated clearly in the 1010lt specs and on M- Audio site.. :confused:
 
I was in no way reffering to replies on this topic, merely to so many sites that are mixing pots for some of the most ubsurd myths and least accurate information. I'm fairly certain that there is a form of chinese whispers being played on many forums.

All the information here has been given, through either user experience or via finding fairly advanced spec sheets that would take me hours to trawl through. Every member of this site has been nothing but informative and i can't thank you all enough.

Sorry if i caused any undue irritation!

Toby

p.s. As i mention this it has dawned on me how much a phenomenon this place is, surely there are at least a few assholes on this site, am i wrong!?
 
Just thought i would say having read through the thread that comment of mine could have sounded focused on members of this board. Sorry!
 
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