need spdif input soundcard advice

  • Thread starter Thread starter CrayPhish
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CrayPhish

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I have a fostex FD4 (spdif output) and am looking for the best value in a soundcard for transferring data to my PC to burn CDs. Thanks in advance for your advice!
 
If you know........what are the prices of these units these days? Thanks-
 
That Gina 24 is a nice card and worth the bucks if you need or will need the extra inputs...however if you just need stereo inputs, check out the Delta Audiophile 2496 by M Audio...149.00.....
 
thanks for the info

I was looking for something in that price range (under $200) that was simply a spdif input and nothing fancy off of the board. Any others out there? Where's the best place to order the delta audiophile from? Thanks again
 
doesnt soundblaster have a s/pdif card for under 100 bucks?
 
Ametth,

I believe the Soudblaster Live does have S/PDIF, but the digital transfer you get through it is some kind of sampling, so it plays with your signal quite a bit...at $150, the Delta Audiophile will give him a true digital transfer, not to mention 24bit/96hz capability, and the same quality converters used in the Delta 44/66....

CrayPhish,
I've been it at Guitar Center for $149....Bayview Pro Audio online has it for $159 but they'll beat anyone elses online price you can find...and where the hell are you from with a name like that...
 
Thanks for the info Gidge! Thats very interesting...I'll have to look into that.
 
I wish I could say I was from the delta or something interesting like that, but I'm just a good ol boy from the midwest.
 
another option

Anyone have any experience with the ECHO "MIA" card? I found it for $199.
 
While you are at that website, check out the Delta Dio 2448 and Delta Dio 2496....these cards will give you 24bit digital transfers, but thats its...you can only record from digital sources..they dont have analog inputs and A/D converters like the audiophile and the mia...if digital is all you want , try one of these...the 2448 goes for 89.99 at Mars Music online....if you think you'll eventually need analog inputs, go for the Audiophile or Mia....Audiophile and Mia's spec's are pretty similar, but Mia has balanced inputs....other than that, they are pretty similar...
 
thanks for pointing that out

I am focused on digital but the versatility would probably be nice in the future. I guess if I ever need something analog that's not coming from my 4-track I could always use my soundblaster value card..........:(
 
another (probably stupid) question

would I be able to hear a difference in my end product using the 2448 instead of the 2496? (sampling rate at 48 khz vs 96 khz) Is 96 considered the standard these days, or does it go higher? My experience with MP3s has been even 96 is not a very good sounding end product comparatively....................just showing my ignorance!
 
the 96 on mp3's is kps(or something like that)and has to do with encoding quality, different from the 44,48, and 96 hz you see on soundcards...im pretty new to this myself, and trying to answer your questions about hearing the difference would open up a can of worms....myself, I cant hear the difference...do a search of the BBS and you can hear arguments of the pros/cons...i do know this, if you record at 24 bit/ 96hz, you are talking about eating up some serious storage space....If you are leaning toward the Delta Dio, I would say the 2448 would be my decision...almost bought one myself until the Audiophile came out...it was $60 more, but I need quality converters because SBlaster type cards just dont cut it in that area....
 
each answer brings more questions.....

The audiophile won't cut it for me because I need the optical inputs too. The price on the 2448 is much more to my liking but if I'm going to have to replace it in a year because I'm unhappy with the sound quality I'd rather spend the $ now. Digital conversion isn't really a factor since I have the digital 4 track I can convert anything on the fly by using my 4 track as a pass through.

So if anyone else is reading this thread and has experience with the sound quality difference between 48 and 96, please respond.

Thanks for all the info gidge!
 
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