Which USB sound card?

S

sathyan

New member
My current USB sound card (Creative Audigy 2 NX) has stopped working so I need to replace it. Playback quality is my main concern. I use this system for mixing and effects but not recording (WAVs imported from another system). So I just want to listen with good quality.

OS: Windows XP
PC: IBM Thinkpad T40 1.5GHz, 1 GB RAM

I was trying to find a USB to SPDIF coax device so I could just use my TC Electronic m300 as a DAC (I'm sure it beats what one finds in many USB sound cards). But I don't see any inexpensive devices which output SPDIF COAX. So I need a device with a decent DAC and analogue stage.

Budget: I had hoped to spend around $100

Products I'm considering:
Creative X-Fi 5.1 (use for stereo only) $60
E Mu 0202 $130
M-Audio Fast Track $100

Any comments on these? Other suggestions?

thanks,
Sathyan
 
Check out the Alesis MultiMix4 USB, Alesis MultiMix8 USB 2.0 or a few USB audio devices at Line 6 with different configurations and number of inputs

Those SB X-fi are a POS, no matter the specs.
 
If one is not interested in the USB device's recording features, for playback only (WDM drivers/DAC/analogue output stage) is it worth stepping up to the E-Mu 0404/M-Audio Fast Track Pro over the E-Mu 0202/M-Audio Fast Track?
 
sathyan said:
If one is not interested in the USB device's recording features, for playback only (WDM drivers/DAC/analogue output stage) is it worth stepping up to the E-Mu 0404/M-Audio Fast Track Pro over the E-Mu 0202/M-Audio Fast Track?
Click to expand...
I think the difference between the 0404 vs 0202 is 0404 has one set of analog and one set of digital (SPDIF) I/O vs just analog for 0202
I believe similar with M-Audio versions you mentioned
 
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