Comparing Delta 1010LT and Terratec EWS88MT...

James Argo

James Argo

Fancy Rock N' Roll
Both are great I think... but hey, the price ain't even close. Street prices :

Delta 1010LT = $279
Terratec EWS88MT = $399

So, what's actualy the big differential betwen them (except the breakout box of the EWS88MT) that counts? Does anyone know any link to fair comparation on them ? Let me know :) Thanks a bunch...

;)
Jaymz
 
Can't speak for the quality of either James but I believe the EWS88 is as good as discontinued now, so you should find them cheaper.
For example, Sounds Live www.soundslive.co.uk have the 1010LT for £265 and the EWS88MT for £279 (was £399!) here in the UK.
Terratec have a new "pro" range coming out and all but the DMX6fire of their older models are now deleted from their web catalog.
 
I can't give you a review of them, but I can give you a few thoughts. Just ignore my rambling if you're not interested.

Here in Sweden you can pretty much get them for the same price.

Terratecs new Phase88 seems to use the same drivers as the EWS88MT. They do seem very close in specs. There's a very recent drivers on Terratecs site. But the EWS88MT will probably be discontinued very soon as Jim says, that is a consideration.

The 1010lt and EWS88MT use almost the same hardware, except that the Terratec has the converters in the box as far as I know. So theoretically it should be a little less noisy. On the other hand the 1010lt has one balanced input (or a mic preamp), and if you use that it ought to at least even the scores. The 1010lt also has a clock in/out, on the other hand the EWS88MT has an extra 18-bit audio out (could be used for softsynths).

I haven't seen to many reviews on the 1010lt. And I don't think I would consider it a big brother to the Audiophile or Delta 44 & 66. So reviews of those probably say nothing. It's more on its own path (together with the 410?).

The reviews I've seen on the EWS88MT has generally been very favourable - but most reviews are a bit dated. They think it's a very good card for the money (and it was twice the money then). I've seen one bad review on the EWS88MT - and even that one wasn't a disaster (I'm talking "magazinetype" reviews here.)

Don't forget to compare the included software by the way - maybe that can push you in a direction. I think the 1010lt would win that round.
 
Jim Y and Beltrom...

...thanks for the thought, fella :) My case, I need to buy new card handling 8 analog in and out. I already have mixers (two!), preamps, etc. necessary, so these features don't have to be on the card. Delta 1010LT came to my mind first, I've used Delta 66 before, so I know at least M-Audio quality to expect. But hey... no dealer of M-Audio in my country. So I called my aunty in USA to find me one, but she has not found it yet... (She's bussy and didn't know that much about computer stuff...) So I'm thinking an altervative, which is sold here, Terratec EWS88MT. I know this card is great, just curious, why they still sell it for $399 if it has similiar features with the Delta 1010LT. So, I'm looking for fair comparation and infos about them. If my aunty hasn't found it yet by October, then I'll have to go with the Terratec.

Whay don't you buy it online, Jaymz ?

Nope... been there already when purchasing my Delta 66 ~two years ago. The cost of shipping and import tax etc... in my country for electronic stuff is soooo high (300%!!!!) . If my aunty can get it, it can be delivered to me as a "gift" so no tax required. Anyway, thanks alot for those info, fella :) I appreciated that so much :) Keep posting if you have anymore thought...

;)
Jaymz
 
If you decide for the EWS88MT I really think you should look around. Webprices here in Sweden for the EWS88MT goes from $350 to $550. Some stores seem to be out of the loop. I even have one of Terratecs official distributors a few miles down the road, they don't match the $350 - more like $500. It's a real strange business.
By October you might not have the choice of the EWS...
But there'll be other cards...
Hitech studio stuff is always getting better and cheaper - so missing on the EWS might be a blessing in disguise...
 
Just don't read that 1010-review as a 1010lt-review. As nice as the 1010lt is - it's no match for its big brother. The note in the review about EWS88MT having 10dB less dynamic range is almost certainly true on the 1010lt also. Actually I would like to see measured specs on those two cards...
 
Sorry I'm late...

BluesMeister my fellow Cake baker. Thanks for the links :) Althought they seem a bit "outdated" but very informative and usefull !!! I mean I went to other sites, but they copy paste each other review, so the ones you gave are like fresh review to me...
Thank you so much, mate :)

Beltrom, that's actualy what I was looking for. Fair comparasion, benchmark and review for both card just like what we got in PCAVTech Sound Card Technical Benchmarks :)

The good news is, my uncle looks for the Delta 1010LT for me now!!! :) So I probably will have it if he can find it somewhere in San Fransisco. I'm still thinking of Terratec for my other PC (MIDI machine) to be coupled with SBLive!, and may be I will get lil' brother of the EWS88MT... The EWX2496 !!! :)

Thanks guys...
;)
Jaymz
 
James Argo said:
I'm still thinking of Terratec for my other PC (MIDI machine) to be coupled with SBLive!, and may be I will get lil' brother of the EWS88MT... The EWX2496 !!! :)
Click to expand...

Wouldn't it be better to stay with one brand?
1) If you later decide to put them in 1 puter they would probably sync better and have less hassle (I think both the Deltas and EWS's are made to run together up to 4 cards - even the small ones - but I'm not sure).
2) The manufacturer has a better chance of and is more inclined to helping out if you have only cards from him,
3) You can to a further extent use the knowledge you've gagined - including look and feel of control panels f.e.
4) Only one manufacturer to keep up with, and probably less apps/discs to keep track of.
5)...

Of course, most of these points could be reversed if you prefer to gain knowledge in sound technology instead of making music...
(not a joke)

Please tell me to shut up and mind my own business...
 
Beltrom said:
Wouldn't it be better to stay with one brand?
1) If you later decide to put them in 1 puter they would probably sync better and have less hassle (I think both the Deltas and EWS's are made to run together up to 4 cards - even the small ones - but I'm not sure).
Click to expand...

I think so, but in my town, they only sell Terratec EWX2496 for "pro" analog 2 in 2 out card. And they sell it cheap :) I have one PC left (PIII866 - Win98SE) for internet & MIDI work only, and I'm thinking of spreading it's capability (The EWX2496 comes with Giga Sampler LE!)... Anyway, we got BluesMeister to ask here if I have any difficulties :D If I get the EWS88MT, then I'll get only one card. But if I go with the 1010LT, then I can have two cards (with the EWS2496) for the price :D

Beltrom said:
2) The manufacturer has a better chance of and is more inclined to helping out if you have only cards from him,
Click to expand...
As I mentioned before, we don't have any representative dealer for M-Audio card in my country... so, if I have a problem, then I'll still have to solve it alone (or by internet :) ) like any old days...

Beltrom said:
3) You can to a further extent use the knowledge you've gagined - including look and feel of control panels f.e.
Click to expand...
Sure, in fact, it will be good for me to learn both cards :)

Beltrom said:
4) Only one manufacturer to keep up with, and probably less apps/discs to keep track of.
Click to expand...
I get what you mean, but I think it won't be a problem since I will put them in separate PCs.

Beltrom said:
5)...Of course, most of these points could be reversed if you prefer to gain knowledge in sound technology instead of making music...
(not a joke)
Please tell me to shut up and mind my own business...
Click to expand...
Shut up... :D :D :D

errr, the problem with me, I like to deal with both. In one side, I'm musician with simplicity in mind, but in other side, I think it will be good to learn something by experience. And may be I can master them both and inform you guys in future about these cards... :)

Anyway, I still have to talk with missus about purchasing two cards, since I plan to upgrade my SONAR to vers. 3 :) Financial issue these days... easy come, easy go... :(

Thanks for you all, mates :)
 
Jaymz

There are some issues with GigaSamplerLE that you should be made aware of:

1) GSLE is no longer supported by Tascam.

2) GSLE is a crippled version of the program. It limits you to two inputs, so you can't record during playback.

3) If you install GSLE, you must run your sequencer from inside GSLE - you cannot run Sonar independently unless you un-install GSLE.

4) It ran perfectly on my humble Celeron 466 with 128MB RAM. However, you can NEVER have too much RAM for GigaStudio (that's GigaSampler's big brother).

5) The bundled samples are awesome. So you need a sample-streaming sampler like Kompakt or VS3 to take advantage of those wonderful Giga samples.

I was both amazed and extremely dissapointed with GSLE.

--
BluesMeister
 
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