Hoontech C-port vs Terratec's EWS 88 MT

[_ronin75_]

Hia guys

Being from europe I kinda gave up on M0audio products ..
they're just way too expensive over here ..

therefore I was exploring the DSP200 (+- 375 euro's) and the EWS 88 MT (+- 275 euro's) coz they are both available here for about the same price
Hoontech CPORT DSP2000
pro's
has 2 balanced XLR's for and 8 unbalanced ins
con's
preamps are not top notch

Terratec EWS 88 MT
pro's
its cheaper
con's
has no xlr inputs , no phantom power , and only 8 (balanced / unbalanced I dont know) inputs with RCA jacks

If I go terratec I will have to buy a mic preamp or mixer ( I was thinking about the yamaha MG16/4 ) later if i want to record some condenser mics or some other device (input welcome guys )

what way would YOU go and why ....

 

[Swede]

In terms of quality I don't think there is much difference.

Beware of that there is no way of bypassing the preamps on the c-port and their sound is below-average.

 

[_ronin75_]

thats what I was afraid off
heard more signals like that on the board ..

but I might go for the terratec ..
pedulist had some probs with it, but in my pc configuration it might work fine ..

and can allways buy a mixer in my next upgrade I guess ..

anyone got an idea whether the terratec's ins are balanced/ unbalanced ? and if it actually matters a great deal ?

 

[Swede]

The ins and outs on the terratec are all on unbalanced RCA. I have a Delta 1010lt that also has mostly RCA connectors. To me it wasn't a big problem since I made a special multicable with RCA on one side and 1/4 plugs on the other. You really should try to avoid adapters, but if you have some skills with a soldering iron this shouldn't be a problem. Soundwise I belive balanced offers better noise rejection, but that the difference is very small when you keep your cables short. If you are new to mixing I doubt the terratec will be the weakest link in your chain.