warble said:
As for the Aark being a bit more cash, isn't it like $200 more? I looked at that too, but was trying to keep my costs down and still get decent quality.
Warren
Yes, The Aark is about $200 more than the Gina. Below are the specs for each, which I just copied off of their websites. To be honest, I don't know what half of this means. However, if I am reading them right (possibly not), the Aark has clock I/O but the Gina has a slightly better signal to noise ratio, which may be completely inaudible to most of us. Gina typically comes with Cubase software, whereas Aark comes with Cakewalk Pro-Audio 9. But since software has little to do with fidelity, that shouldnt be much of a concern. The biggest contrast though is in driver support: Gina typically works well with VIA, Aark is pretty safe with Intel. Still, that's not cut and dry either, anyone shopping for a soundcard should always send an email to the manufacturer to find out if their individual configuration will work. Just because Aark doesnt have driver support on their site for VIA chipsets, that doesn't mean the Aark won't work. They are just trying to please as many people as possible.
FWIW, many people on this site have been very happy with the Gina 20 and I have heard nothing bad about the Gina 24 in comparison. If you do get the Gina 24, I'd be willing to bet that you'll be quite satisfied with its performance and fidelity.
Aark 24
True 24 Bit A/D D/A.
Eight 1/4" TRS Analog I/O
Switchable +4 dBu/-10dBv
.002% THD+N
ADAT® Optical I/O
ADAT® Sync
S/PDIF Digital I/O
MIDI I/O
TOSLINK Optical I/O
Word Clock I/O TASCAM® TDIF I/O (optional)
AES/EBU I/O (optional)
10 Channel Full Duplex Simultaneous Rec/Play
Monitor Mixing Software
Easy and Flexible Signal Routing
Shielded PCI Host Card w/ 24bit DSP
19" Rack Mount (optional)
Expanded I/O with additional Aark24
Win 95/98 & Steinberg™ ASIO Drivers
Gina 24
THD+n: <0.0012%, 20Hz-22kHz A-weighted (plot)
Crosstalk: <0.0004% Crosstalk
Nominal Input Level: +4dBu or -10dBV (software configurable)
Maximum Input level: +18dBu or +4dBV (software configurable)
Input impedance: 10KOhm
Analog Output
8 Balanced TRS connectors
Accepts unbalanced signals
Frequency Response: 15Hz-22kHz, ±0.25dB (plot)
Linearity: -120dBFS-0dBFS, ±1dB (plot)
Dynamic Range: 110dB A-weighted
THD+n: <0.001%, 20Hz-22kHz A-weighted (plot)
Crosstalk: <0.001% Crosstalk (plot)
Nominal Output Level: +4dBu or -10dBV (software configurable)
Maximum Output level: +18dBu or +4dBV (software configurable)
128x Oversampling converters
24 bit data resolution maintained throughout signal path
Multiple sampling rates supported: 8k, 11.025k, 16k, 22.05k, 32, 44.1k, 48k, 88.2k, 96k
S/PDIF Digital Input/Output
Up to 24 bit resolution
Optical-TOSLINK-Lightpipe connector
Coaxial connector
Consumer/Professional Switch
44.1kHz and 48kHz sample rates supported
ADAT Digital Input/Output
8 Channel 24 bit input/output over TOSLINK connection
44.1kHz and 48kHz sample rates supported
Digital Sync
Can sync to S/PDIF or ADAT
Esync in and out for syncing to other Echo cards
Headphone Output
High quality ¼” headphone jack
Volume control on front panel
On-board 24-bit Motorola DSP for mixing and monitoring
Bus mastering PCI host interface