aardvark q10
- Thread starter monster
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Bass Master "K"
New member
It flat out kicks ass.
I'd like to have a 2nd one.
Downside is phantom power applied to first 4 channels only. That isn't really much of a down side though.
IMO, the Q10 is a good middle-of-the-road card that will offer better results than most users can extract from it. I'm sure there are boxes at $1,000 per channel that are better, but...
Downside is phantom power applied to first 4 channels only. That isn't really much of a down side though.
IMO, the Q10 is a good middle-of-the-road card that will offer better results than most users can extract from it. I'm sure there are boxes at $1,000 per channel that are better, but...
I have two of the Q10's little brother - the 24/96 (same preamps/converters). The sound is WONDERFUL.
I prefer having two 24/96's because they provide reverb/compression/eq for monitoring, as well as phantom power on all 8 channels. The big downside is that you end up with two sets of outputs -which I solved by using a Samson C-Control box.
-lee-
I prefer having two 24/96's because they provide reverb/compression/eq for monitoring, as well as phantom power on all 8 channels. The big downside is that you end up with two sets of outputs -which I solved by using a Samson C-Control box.
-lee-
I can't believe it but it's the only thing I can find on the market that offers the flexibility I need at that budget. 8 preamps, MIDI capable, monitor/headphones, phantom power, analog outs. I need that many ins and I'll be mixing in the box....fits my needs perfectly and has gotten good reviews from what I can tell. Anybody know of anything else that compares (flexibility/price)? Anyone not like these?
DeadPoet
carpe diem
www.staudio.com : M-Port - 8 preamps, ADAT, wordclock, two MIDI ports,...
Aardvark is known for making some of the best audioclocks on the planet though...
Herwig
Aardvark is known for making some of the best audioclocks on the planet though...
Herwig
69ShadesofRed
New member
Like I had mentioned earlier I have no experience with the mic preamps as my setup is purely electronic. But, I moved to the Q10 from a Terratek card and man, let me tell you... what a major difference in sound quality!!! As if vail was pulled off of the audio. I also noticed vastly improved stereo imaging.
The only thing I had problem with was major MIDI timing issues while recording audio. Somehow it doesn't seem to be able to handle it very well. MIDI timing is OK as long as you're not recording audio. It could be my setup though, I am using Cubase VST 5.1 with AMD motherboard with nVidia chipset. It might work better with Pentium, as I haven't heard of this problem from others. The only way I was able to fix this was to get a separate MIDI interface... Thought I'd through it out there, just in case
The only thing I had problem with was major MIDI timing issues while recording audio. Somehow it doesn't seem to be able to handle it very well. MIDI timing is OK as long as you're not recording audio. It could be my setup though, I am using Cubase VST 5.1 with AMD motherboard with nVidia chipset. It might work better with Pentium, as I haven't heard of this problem from others. The only way I was able to fix this was to get a separate MIDI interface... Thought I'd through it out there, just in case
thanks Herwig on the heads up on the dsp3000- I was not aware of this unit and I'm interested. Can't find much review info on it, however.
hey 69shades your comments confirm that the converters/word clock on the q10 are up to snuff. My question now is about the quality of the preamps. I've heard mixed reviews- some say about the quality of a mackie mixer- some say not so good- and it does not appear that you can bypass them with external preamps. Since I will be using them heavily I would like to have the confidence that they are reasonable and I won't be looking to dump the whole unit soon due to mediocre preamps.
thanks....
hey 69shades your comments confirm that the converters/word clock on the q10 are up to snuff. My question now is about the quality of the preamps. I've heard mixed reviews- some say about the quality of a mackie mixer- some say not so good- and it does not appear that you can bypass them with external preamps. Since I will be using them heavily I would like to have the confidence that they are reasonable and I won't be looking to dump the whole unit soon due to mediocre preamps.
thanks....
The Q10 will accept LINE inputs... to me, this means one could use pricey preamps with the Q10 as line level devices.
To me, the Q10 is like an American series Fender Precision bass. Good sound, does the job well. No, it is not a Sadowsky, but it isn't as pricey, either.
One has to ask if they need more than an upper-middle of the road piece to do the job.
To me, the Q10 is like an American series Fender Precision bass. Good sound, does the job well. No, it is not a Sadowsky, but it isn't as pricey, either.
One has to ask if they need more than an upper-middle of the road piece to do the job.
DeadPoet
carpe diem
yo monster - I'm a C-port user (<500$). I have one card and I'm in search for a second one. They are ok sound cards, not the world's greatest sound but very good in terms of price/quality.
It does seem as if the M-port (+/- 1000$) is a slow seller, the C-port is much more popular as it seems from user groups and discussion boards. The ST-Audio company was just recently bought by ESI Systems which could mean a whole new line of cheap sound cards (I've heard FireWire rumors if that could interest someone)
Herwig
It does seem as if the M-port (+/- 1000$) is a slow seller, the C-port is much more popular as it seems from user groups and discussion boards. The ST-Audio company was just recently bought by ESI Systems which could mean a whole new line of cheap sound cards (I've heard FireWire rumors if that could interest someone)
Herwig
69ShadesofRed
New member
RE the preamps. From what I've read the consensus seems to be that they are neutral rather than w/"character". This may be a good or a bad thing depending on your tastes and needs. As far as external preamps go, you can definitely use them. The connectors on the Q10 are combo XLR/1/4" balanced. If I am not mistaken the 1/4" inputs are the line inputs and XLRs are hard-wired to the preamps, I will check on this when I get home. But as it is, as long as you connect your preamps via 1/4" TRS inputs you'll be sailing.
jdier
New member
Monster
The Q10's sound great. Before you get one though, send an email to Aardvark with your exact specs of the computer you want to run it in. I mean EXACT. The cards do NOT WORK with all chipset/processor combos, so you really need to make sure you have a system it will run well in.
The people are Aardvark are ~pretty~ good about getting back to you after reviewing a computer spec (1-4 days response time,) but you really need to have them review your computer.
I have two of them in a dual AMD machine and I have a lot of crashing with them (system purchased BEFORE they posted that they did not support dual processors)
They sound great. Besides my problem with the crashing the only other thing I wish was that they had trim knobs on the insert box.
The Q10's sound great. Before you get one though, send an email to Aardvark with your exact specs of the computer you want to run it in. I mean EXACT. The cards do NOT WORK with all chipset/processor combos, so you really need to make sure you have a system it will run well in.
The people are Aardvark are ~pretty~ good about getting back to you after reviewing a computer spec (1-4 days response time,) but you really need to have them review your computer.
I have two of them in a dual AMD machine and I have a lot of crashing with them (system purchased BEFORE they posted that they did not support dual processors)
They sound great. Besides my problem with the crashing the only other thing I wish was that they had trim knobs on the insert box.
AMD boards based on the nForce chipset are doing very well, according to tech support at Aardvark. IMO this is the chipset platform of choice for AMD machines. VIA is not in the running.
A higher level Intel chipset offers great compatibility and stability, and always at the Intel price point. Getting a Pentium processor with a non-Intel chipset is pointless all the way around.
The trick for boards with lots of PCI slots is both more expandability and less IRQ sharing. The now-extinct ABit KG7 boards offer a wide variety of unique IRQ combinations depending on which slots you populate.
My next DAW board will be the ABit NF7-S 2.0 board built on the nForce chipset. I have an investment in PC2700 DDR already, so I will match an XP-2600 (or close) 333 FSB processor, so I can run the memory and processor synchronously. I prefer Matrox G450 cards for their stability and exceptional 2D performance. They play well with the other children and tie their own shoes. And no grief from drivers. I normally pair the Matrox with a Turtle Beach Santa Cruz for the same reasons of great stability, but not in a DAW.
I'd like to have a pair of Q10 in my DAW.
A higher level Intel chipset offers great compatibility and stability, and always at the Intel price point. Getting a Pentium processor with a non-Intel chipset is pointless all the way around.
The trick for boards with lots of PCI slots is both more expandability and less IRQ sharing. The now-extinct ABit KG7 boards offer a wide variety of unique IRQ combinations depending on which slots you populate.
My next DAW board will be the ABit NF7-S 2.0 board built on the nForce chipset. I have an investment in PC2700 DDR already, so I will match an XP-2600 (or close) 333 FSB processor, so I can run the memory and processor synchronously. I prefer Matrox G450 cards for their stability and exceptional 2D performance. They play well with the other children and tie their own shoes. And no grief from drivers. I normally pair the Matrox with a Turtle Beach Santa Cruz for the same reasons of great stability, but not in a DAW.
I'd like to have a pair of Q10 in my DAW.
re: the preamps
I'd have to totally agree with what's been said. The preamps on mine are very nice and neutral. I've got a couple of outboard preamps I plug into the Aardvark when I want some color, but most of the time, I want accurate - and that's what they give me.
I also work with a Mackie D8b board -- and I prefer the preamps in the Aardvark. They seem to have a lot more "top end" without being colored or garish. (Its so hard to describe sounds with words!) Not that the ones in the Mackie are horrible, I just prefer the Aardvark's.
-lee-
I'd have to totally agree with what's been said. The preamps on mine are very nice and neutral. I've got a couple of outboard preamps I plug into the Aardvark when I want some color, but most of the time, I want accurate - and that's what they give me.
I also work with a Mackie D8b board -- and I prefer the preamps in the Aardvark. They seem to have a lot more "top end" without being colored or garish. (Its so hard to describe sounds with words!) Not that the ones in the Mackie are horrible, I just prefer the Aardvark's.
-lee-