audiophile soundcard

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Hey Everyone:

After doing some checking around (and getting advice from many of you), I've decided I want to buy the M-Audio Audiophile 2496. Now I guess I just need to decide if I want to get the in-board soundcard, the USB, or the firewire.

As far as I understand, the main advantage of the USB and firewire over the inboard card is portability. But do you sacrifice any performance by using an external box like that? Also, as I understand, the advantage of the firewire over the USB is a faster interface (less latency?) and generally more stable box (?). Is that correct... or is there other differences and considerations I'm missing?

Thanks,

Bob
 
Strictly on an audio performance basis - Any time I can keep the conversion out of the box (the actual CPU case) I'm all over it. I'll gladly sacrifice a bit of latency to keep my conversion away from all that potential electrical interference.

John Scrip - www.massivemastering.com
 
Massive Master said:
Strictly on an audio performance basis - Any time I can keep the conversion out of the box (the actual CPU case) I'm all over it. I'll gladly sacrifice a bit of latency to keep my conversion away from all that potential electrical interference.

John Scrip - www.massivemastering.com
Click to expand...

That's just silly. The Audiophile PCI card is extremely quiet as it is. The Firewire and USB versions are more expensive and latency will suffer.

You may be ok with extra latency, but most people who use DXi or VST softsynths wont.
 
firewire is faster

if you can't go pci, (which can be quiet), go with firewire, or one of the newer USB 2.0 products.

The USB 1.1 products will usually support only a single channel of 24/96 if 24/96 at all, due to the 12mbps max speed of USB 1.1, or fewer channels of 24/48 than other interfaces.

Firewire is 400mbps.
 
brzilian said:
That's just silly. The Audiophile PCI card is extremely quiet as it is. The Firewire and USB versions are more expensive and latency will suffer.

You may be ok with extra latency, but most people who use DXi or VST softsynths wont.
Click to expand...

I know the "card" is quiet... The interference in the case is not.

JS -
 
What are the symptoms assoiciated with interference in the case? I have never heard anyone complain about it before.
The fact that PCI bus speed is about 10 times faster than Firewire or USB2 makes me wonder how anyone can deal with the latency of non-PCI devices.
 
Agreed. Unless portability is a requirement, then PCI every time.
P as in Performance
 
The Lynx One is the proof that the converters don't need to be outside the computer case.
 
(Long blank stare)

Okay... Let me put it this way - I'm a big fan of a PCI interface. I use a PCI interface. I just want the converters outside of the CPU case. There is measurable and varying amounts of EMI in there. This is nothing new... And yeah, for the most part, it's not readily noticable. I'm probably just overly picky - Every dB of noise here is one too many.

And I'm not exactly new at this, so I understand the latency issue. However, when someone is asking about a 2-channel card...
 
i certainly don't have the experience that senor scrip has, and i've heard that the Lynx series of cards are very nice.....but let me throw in my 2cents here.

i have an audiophile 2496 (pci) and i have a delta 1010 (not the LT, but rather the one with the external rack mount converters).

there IS a difference between the converters and there IS a difference between the noise levels on the two, something along the lines of 12dB or so. granted, it's like the difference between -68 and -54, so it's not all THAT noticible, but the difference is definitely there.

certainly some of it has to be attributed to the difference in converters. but being a systems engineer by trade, i can't ignore the fact that computers are VERY noisy environments that are full of all kinds of interference.

IMO, anything you can get to reside physically outside of the box can only help.


cheers,
wade
 
gracias

Thanks eveyrone for your help. Neither latency nor a small difference in noise levels mean anything to me in anything but an abstract sense, since I haven't done any of this before. I'm sure as I play with things more, I'll have more of an opinion and will see all of your points. But for now, it doesn't sound like the difference between the many versions would justify the price difference in my world. So I'm going to go with the PCI. Thanks again for your help, and don't be hating.

Bob
 
yeah, if all you need is 2 simultaneous inputs (tracks), and you're just starting out, the Audiophile 2496 is a fine, fine, fine card.

you could really do a LOT worse.

in another year or two, you'll find you need more than 2 tracks, and you'll have a grasp on latency, noise floor, DACs, etc., and it'll be time to upgrade.


welcome to money-pit hell. :D


wade
 
mrface2112 said:
i certainly don't have the experience that senor scrip has, and i've heard that the Lynx series of cards are very nice.....but let me throw in my 2cents here.

i have an audiophile 2496 (pci) and i have a delta 1010 (not the LT, but rather the one with the external rack mount converters).

there IS a difference between the converters and there IS a difference between the noise levels on the two, something along the lines of 12dB or so. granted, it's like the difference between -68 and -54, so it's not all THAT noticible, but the difference is definitely there.

certainly some of it has to be attributed to the difference in converters. but being a systems engineer by trade, i can't ignore the fact that computers are VERY noisy environments that are full of all kinds of interference.

IMO, anything you can get to reside physically outside of the box can only help.


cheers,
wade
Click to expand...

Thanks, Wade - Vindication feels wonderful. ;)

Okay. Time for coffee.
 
mrface2112 said:
[B

i have an audiophile 2496 (pci) and i have a delta 1010 (not the LT, but rather the one with the external rack mount converters).

there IS a difference between the converters and there IS a difference between the noise levels on the two, something along the lines of 12dB or so. granted, it's like the difference between -68 and -54, so it's not all THAT noticible, but the difference is definitely there.
[/B]
Click to expand...

And a huge difference in price. The difference is more due to the fact the 1010 has better quality DACs than the 2496 being an internal card.
 
Experiment - My Apogee converters - No signal, but plugged into a line level from the CD deck...

Both situations - The exact same converter set.

Sitting on the rack: -87dB

Sitting ON (note: ON not even IN) the PC case: -83dB

MUCH higher quality converters, and yet they're still susceptible to EMI - Just like every other converter. I might add that they (Apogee) thought enough to keep the DC transformer 3 feet down the line. That's what - 10, 15 watts?

A computer chassis is running 300-500 watts. I stand by my statement.

Can we put this to rest now?
 
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