Topic: Sound card

Hi,

What is the best sound card to play Pianoteq?

Which one do you use or dream of?

Thanks

Re: Sound card

You forget that you also need an amplifier (perhaps several), loudspeakers, a room, and an electricity supply. You will need to budget for all those. You will find the last two items the really expensive ones.

But if you are serious, I can give you a tip - look for older houses in the country (assymetric rooms) which are away from a town or village - that way the fewest number of people get to share the final step-down transformer which drops the mains electricity down to the right voltage (least garbage on the electricity supply).

I bet you think I'm joking.

Re: Sound card

To my opinion, if the source is excellent, the end result will be ok with appropriate equipment in the chain.
If the source is bad, even with the best PS, amps...room... the result will be poor.

This little box seems superb:
http://www.presonus.com/firebox.html

Any experience with an USB or Firewire sound box?

Regards

Re: Sound card

In my hunt for a mac sound card there seemed to be three levels.
A) Minimal 2 in 2 out USB kind i.e. handles stereo in and stereo out.
B) multiple in/out USB/Firewire kind with good analog/digital converters i.e multi channel in and out.
C) Hi end multiple in/out with hi end analog to digital converters.
I went for something made by TC Electronics a Konnekt 24D as it was kind of in between A and B.

Unless you are dealing with broadcast/professional audio production, i'd figure something in the A and B range will sound just fine for musical purposes. There are plenty from Roland, M Audio, TC Electronics, Presonus etc etc.

Check out Sound On SOund magazine. They will have a lot of reviews of audio interfaces - firewire, pc card and usb types.
good luck

Last edited by jeffbart (04-08-2007 09:41)