So everyone knows of the old Creative E-MU 0404 and 0202. They give pretty good performance for the price, here's some results I've had, pretty decent!
But they are very old now and mine stopped working. Surely there must be some newer options with perhaps even better performance these days? Or cheaper? Or smaller?
Does anyone have any recommendation and/or example measurements?
But they are very old now and mine stopped working. Surely there must be some newer options with perhaps even better performance these days? Or cheaper? Or smaller?
Does anyone have any recommendation and/or example measurements?
I asked this same question not too long ago and was recommended the Focusrite 2i2. Costs about 120 quid.
QA401 is a much better option but will set you back around 350 quid. There have been some problems with Windows 10 recently though, but this may have been dealt with by now. (There is a big thread on QA400/401 on here).
I saw a tatty old QA400 go on ebay for about 250gbp so they seem to hold their value well.
It really depends on your budget and what you want from it (casual use etc).
QA401 is a much better option but will set you back around 350 quid. There have been some problems with Windows 10 recently though, but this may have been dealt with by now. (There is a big thread on QA400/401 on here).
I saw a tatty old QA400 go on ebay for about 250gbp so they seem to hold their value well.
It really depends on your budget and what you want from it (casual use etc).
You can seek through here
Звуковые карты
Site is in russian, but they do add Rightmark RMAA measurements to soundcard reviews. And Goolge translate can make enough sense of the rest also if needed.
And pro soundcards here
ProSound: Soundcards
Звуковые карты
Site is in russian, but they do add Rightmark RMAA measurements to soundcard reviews. And Goolge translate can make enough sense of the rest also if needed.
And pro soundcards here
ProSound: Soundcards
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So why would this be a better option, given the driver issues and triple price, and locked-in to their software?
Am I missing something?
Jan
Focusrite has also higher-end Clarett USB line of products, especially 2Pre model boasts very high performance and probably could even outperform QA401 in some cases? I acquired 4Pre model due to its more high-quality in/out analog channels. I also have E-MU 0404 USB interface which sometimes works (I have had enough of it). I'll try to compare it in loop-back using STEPS when I find some time.
I didn't phrase it particularly well.
The Focusrite isn't a dedicated 'Audio Analyser' whereas the QA models were designed specifically as such. Perhaps buying an off-shelf-right-tool-for-the-job is better?
The Focusrite has a higher distortion level compared to the QA. I've seen a comparison on another forum with THD 0.003% vs 0.0006%. Lower noise floors were reported on the QA401 versus the Focusrite at -113 to -120dB versus -100 to -110dB and crosstalk at -130dB versus -60dB etc.
As I said, it depends on the purpose - if very accurate measurements are critical, then price might not be a disadvantage compared to some of the higher end equipment out there. Windows 10 driver issues are usually bypassed by either using a 'legacy OS' (win 7 etc) or by using a virtual machine.
Personally, I'm waiting for the 2i2 to go on sale again because for that price, near enough is good enough for what I want to do.
(Referring to the improved 2i2 rev.2)
Thanks. Interesting site. From there I found the Creative Sound BlasterX G6. It looks promising.
Nice. The Focusrite 2i2 looks very affordable.
Yes, all these things make me think twice about using it also. Clearly it has great performance but it costs considerably more, no ASIO support, can't use on Mac, can't use as normal sound card, only an old version of Windows etc.
Interesting. Focusrite Clarett 2Pre costs about ~350 EUR. Can you post some Arta measurements?
Yes I will do it.
I have Clarett 4Pre USB and E-MU 0404 USB exactly. There is also one cheaper Presonus which I will send back in next week and I need to look at it what exactly it is... It is also possible to me to include RME Babyface PRO in this comparison but I need to borrow it back from a guy to which I sold it a week ago.
If I manage to pin everything together it could be interesting to you? EDIT... I've just found old E-MU 1212m PCI but I don't know if it even works...
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Thanks, yes these are important numbers.
I have had a QA400 but what turned me off was that I could not use any of all the available soundcard test software like ARTA, TrueRTA, Virtins, what have you. The QA sofware was very limited, don't know whether that has changed with the 401.
BTW The 'dedicated' to audio is for me not a good argument; inside they all use those 'audio' ADCs and DACs anyway ;-)
Jan.
OK so a few options...
Behringer U-Phoria UMC202HD
Focusrite Scarlett 2i2
Focusrite Clarett 2Pre USB
Clarett 2Pre USB | Focusrite
Line out: THD+N Outputs 0.00075%, Dynamic Range Outputs 119 dB A-weighted Line in: THD+N 0.001%, Dynamic Range >119 dB A-weighted
Creative Sound BlasterX G6
Details: Sound BlasterX G6 7.1 HD Gaming DAC and External USB Sound Card with Xamp Headphone Amplifier for PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC. - Creative Labs (United States) DAC Dynamic Range: 130dB (A-weighted), THD+N: ~0.0002% ADC Dynamic Range: 114dB (A-weighted), THD+N: 0.0006%
ESI U22 XT
ESI - U22 XT
Steinberg UR-22Mk2
UR22mkII | Steinberg
Steinberg UR-22Mk2
UR22mkII | Steinberg
Creative E-MU 0404 / 0204
http://www.creative.com/emu/products/usbinterfaces/
Others: https://m-audio.com/m-tracks/2x2 https://www.native-instruments.com/en/products/komplete/audio-interfaces/komplete-audio-6/
Behringer U-Phoria UMC202HD
- Cheap
- About 60 EUR
- Not amazing performance (see above)
Focusrite Scarlett 2i2
- Cheap
- About 130 EUR
- Pretty good performance (see above)
Focusrite Clarett 2Pre USB
Clarett 2Pre USB | Focusrite
Line out: THD+N Outputs 0.00075%, Dynamic Range Outputs 119 dB A-weighted Line in: THD+N 0.001%, Dynamic Range >119 dB A-weighted
- Not cheap
- About 350 EUR
- Unknown performance
Creative Sound BlasterX G6
Details: Sound BlasterX G6 7.1 HD Gaming DAC and External USB Sound Card with Xamp Headphone Amplifier for PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC. - Creative Labs (United States) DAC Dynamic Range: 130dB (A-weighted), THD+N: ~0.0002% ADC Dynamic Range: 114dB (A-weighted), THD+N: 0.0006%
- Reasonably Cheap compared to QA400 or Focusrite Clarett 4Pre
- About 140 EUR
- Unknown performance
- Has ASIO in and out
- 32-bit / 384kHz
ESI U22 XT
ESI - U22 XT
- Cheap
- About 90 EUR
- Unknown performance
Steinberg UR-22Mk2
UR22mkII | Steinberg
- About 115 EUR
- Can't find specs
- Unknown performance
Steinberg UR-22Mk2
UR22mkII | Steinberg
- About 115 EUR
- Can't find specs
- Unknown performance
Creative E-MU 0404 / 0204
http://www.creative.com/emu/products/usbinterfaces/
- About 140 EUR on eBay
- No longer sold new
- Great performance
Others: https://m-audio.com/m-tracks/2x2 https://www.native-instruments.com/en/products/komplete/audio-interfaces/komplete-audio-6/
How about Focusrite Scarlett Solo? Not expensive, but seems to have good specs.
Once thing I like about the "Solo" is that is has completely separate mic (with phantom power) and line/instrument (without phantom power) inputs. There is no chance that I am testing some line level DUT and power up the unit with the +48V on, sending potentially damaging DC back up the line.
Also, despite the RCA (unbalanced) jacks on the rear, the max output voltage is actually a relatively high +16dBu (4.8V RMS), so it can drive anything well into clipping (even pro amps).
The "Solo" supports 24bits at up to 192kHz sampling rate and is cheap at just over US$100 compared to US$439 for the Clarett 2Pre. It's also less than the similar Scarlett 2i2 (US$150) which offers 2-in/2-out balanced connections (sometimes a plus). It's similarly prices but IMO a notch up in performance from the Behringer UMC202HD as long as you do not need 2 balanced inputs and balanced outputs.
The Clarett 2Pre does have better specs in terms of distortion and S/N ratio but is it really worth 4x the price???
Once thing I like about the "Solo" is that is has completely separate mic (with phantom power) and line/instrument (without phantom power) inputs. There is no chance that I am testing some line level DUT and power up the unit with the +48V on, sending potentially damaging DC back up the line.
Also, despite the RCA (unbalanced) jacks on the rear, the max output voltage is actually a relatively high +16dBu (4.8V RMS), so it can drive anything well into clipping (even pro amps).
The "Solo" supports 24bits at up to 192kHz sampling rate and is cheap at just over US$100 compared to US$439 for the Clarett 2Pre. It's also less than the similar Scarlett 2i2 (US$150) which offers 2-in/2-out balanced connections (sometimes a plus). It's similarly prices but IMO a notch up in performance from the Behringer UMC202HD as long as you do not need 2 balanced inputs and balanced outputs.
The Clarett 2Pre does have better specs in terms of distortion and S/N ratio but is it really worth 4x the price???
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Yes, a proper audio analyser unit is often better. However, the QA400/401 are problematic because they don't work as USB audio devices, which means you are locked to the vendor software.
The RTX6001 is a great tool (but not cheap).