digital mic pre's a/d vs. soundcard a/d

  • Thread starter Thread starter OldCopper
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OldCopper

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Now that we are seeing digital output mic pre's like the DBX 386 I wonder how that all shakes out in relation to A/D conversion. Is there a difference in the process or componentry between one of these amps and a Gadget Labs or Delta card?

It seems like it would be one less task to ask the computer to do if the signal was turned digital at the mic pre level.

Any thoughts or experiences? Thanks!
 
Scenario 1: mic->preamp->preamp analog out->card analog in->card's A/D->PC
Scenario 2: mic->preamp->preamp's A/D->preamp digital out->soundcard digital in->PC

As you can see, the computer's CPU isn't involved in converting the analog signal to digital in either scenario. When the signal arrives at the PC, it is already in digital format. The quality of the converters and preamp's involved are the only issues.
 
I would also say that the AD converters in the 386 are better than the converters in most, not all, sound cards.
 
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