Hi all,
After as much research here and elsewhere as I could do during the past couple of weeks, I'm unable to come up with any good leads on this...
I am trying to get an affordable USB sound card that, in conjunction with my Win XP 17" laptop, would allow me to decently run some spectrum analysis software (such as ARTA, Visual Analyzer, etc.). Decent bandwidth is obviously a must (therefore 192/24 over USB is highly desirable), as much as a very good noise floor, etc.
I mean, I'm pretty sure this immediately resonates with effectively everybody here interested in audio measurements. Having said that, it feels that in the past few years all affordable good sound cards / audio interfaces have ceased production - and I am mostly thinking of the E-MU cards, which after substantial reading I started exclusively focusing on. Are they even made anymore?... They seem to still be a subsidiary of Creative, with web pages for products and all that, but all online retailers in the US don't seem to carry anything E-MU anymore. I admit to potentially having lived in a cave in recent times regarding the topic at hand, but heck - what's going on?
And also - what else is there out there?
Thanks a lot for all pointers and thoughts.
After as much research here and elsewhere as I could do during the past couple of weeks, I'm unable to come up with any good leads on this...
I am trying to get an affordable USB sound card that, in conjunction with my Win XP 17" laptop, would allow me to decently run some spectrum analysis software (such as ARTA, Visual Analyzer, etc.). Decent bandwidth is obviously a must (therefore 192/24 over USB is highly desirable), as much as a very good noise floor, etc.
I mean, I'm pretty sure this immediately resonates with effectively everybody here interested in audio measurements. Having said that, it feels that in the past few years all affordable good sound cards / audio interfaces have ceased production - and I am mostly thinking of the E-MU cards, which after substantial reading I started exclusively focusing on. Are they even made anymore?... They seem to still be a subsidiary of Creative, with web pages for products and all that, but all online retailers in the US don't seem to carry anything E-MU anymore. I admit to potentially having lived in a cave in recent times regarding the topic at hand, but heck - what's going on?
And also - what else is there out there?
Thanks a lot for all pointers and thoughts.
to anticipate some thoughts - the QA400 is an interesting little device, but its input capabilities don't really look like instrumentation-grade (but rather similar with a typical soundcard, which is exactly what makes soundcards not seamlessly adequate for measurements). In that sense, I'd prefer Peter Millett's interface plus the soundcard I'm asking about, which seems like a more feasible scenario overall.
Most of my work is with tubes, so it really doesn't have to be stratospheric. Having said that, I'd like this to be at least a medium term investment (and I'm mostly thinking of investment of time to set it up and weed out issues, not necessarily money), and so be able to provide some rather generous margin of performance beyond what tubes would typically require.
Worth noting is that I will be using an HP 8903B as source (and other functions), which seems to exhibit a floor of about 0.003% or less.
It's very odd to hear that 96 is more of a norm than 192 - why this going backwards thing?
Thanks for pitching in, SY.
Worth noting is that I will be using an HP 8903B as source (and other functions), which seems to exhibit a floor of about 0.003% or less.
It's very odd to hear that 96 is more of a norm than 192 - why this going backwards thing?
Thanks for pitching in, SY.
It's not really going backwards if you understand that audio test and measurement isn't their market; their customer base is home recording and production for musicians. We're an amazingly small niche. So 192k is just a luxury for them, and the BOM money is better spent on features useful for their real market, like built in mike preamps and phantom power.
Is portability an important requirement for you?
Is portability an important requirement for you?
Portability?... Not much, aside from intending to be using this with a laptop. Actual performance and specs considerations (not intended to be used with a desktop is critical) are more important.
In fact (and may be a side note) I prefer a bit of weight to these things, so that cables don't pull this all around at every move. Additionally, a bench instrument kind of sensibility to gear choice like this is a plus (so a bit of ruggedness would be nice), if this puts any clarity in what I'm looking for. At the same time, bench space is at a premium, so there you go.
Thanks!
In fact (and may be a side note) I prefer a bit of weight to these things, so that cables don't pull this all around at every move. Additionally, a bench instrument kind of sensibility to gear choice like this is a plus (so a bit of ruggedness would be nice), if this puts any clarity in what I'm looking for. At the same time, bench space is at a premium, so there you go.
Thanks!
Unfortunately, I don't think Juli@ comes in USB variety. I've been looking at both JensH's device and the QA401 - keenly interested.
My running scenario - until I was left empty handed on soundcards - was to put together Pete's interface and get an E-MU 0202 USB or similar, for instance, but the latter seems to be pretty much unobtainium (as any other E-MU USB device).
Pete's interface plus a soundcard is still my choice currently, though the two other options you mention may come ahead depending on what I find out about them when I have all information.
Actual spectrum analysis, in a nutshell. I yet need to acquire an GPIB-USB cable to see what Peter Millett's software can do with the HP and a PC, and am pretty new to this area of instrumentation, but seeing harmonics and what's going on in the audio range (such as noise) with a DUT is a goal here. It doesn't sound like there is overly much overlap between all of these solutions, from what I'm reading on PM's website.
I guess that's an option, though not a prime choice, unless I'm keen on you reading about this in my obituary in the Tribune, if I get in my wife's hands when she sees the new addition to my lab...
I'm also thinking that, if I add something substantial to my lab (such as a desktop would be), it may be an HP 3562a (though the investment is obviously in a different bracket).
Agreed when it comes to EMU (Soundblaster) stuff. Today, I wouldn't buy an QA400 (unless they cut the price with a factor 2), this as I buy commercial ready made for consumption goods very seldom these days. I would buy an QA401 instead. It will probably hold for some 5 years before it as well will be outdated. Some of the driving forces for ever better figures have dissapeared due to todays global crises. So companies have started to consolidate their businesses and cut costs. Due to that suddenly 96k is all that you need... A figure that tasted bad for a year ago.
In comparison the ADC in the QA401 can do 768k even if only 386k will be used at first. When there is room for improvement there will be solutions
. Petes board, maybe it is time to make an overhaul as it has some years on its back. So maybe -125 to -130db would be achievable quite affordably. These are the figures JensH is aiming for if i remember right. If the QA401 ever will be upgraded to 768k i´ll give it a few more years...Regards
Last edited:
This is one option I've been exploring, but the HP8903B manual specs that the "scaled" output signal on the MONITOR out to be between 0.3V and 3V RMS, which seems to exceed the +6dBV upper limit of what the QA400 can handle.
(Frankly, I think the input levels that the QA400 is designed to be able to handle are at least very puzzling in terms of what this device is supposed to do. A major disqualifier to my mind)
Thoughts?...
- Status
- This old topic is closed. If you want to reopen this topic, contact a moderator using the "Report Post" button.