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Topic: Soundcard with multiple stereo outputs (Read 4648 times) previous topic - next topic
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Soundcard with multiple stereo outputs

Currently I own a Soundblaster Live card. I don't care for 5.1 surround sound, so I used the kX project drivers to change the combined 5.1 output to 3 independent 2.0 stereo outputs. Reason? Now I can put the Windows sounds on stereo output 1, the videoplayer on output 2,... Those outputs are connected to my mixer so I don't need to mess with the Windows mixer if I want to change the volume. Listening to music and you don't want to be disturbed by the annoying ICQ or other sounds? Just set the channel 1 slider to 0 on the mixer... I really love this setup.

Right now I'm considering to build a new PC. I'd like to put in a sound card that has 4 to 5 independent stereo outputs. Since I don't game anymore and because of some issues with the Live/Audigy series I don't want a Creative card (besides, those have only 3 channels).

I looked at the M-Audio Revolution 7.1. As it seems the hardware allows what I need, but according to an owner of the card I spoke it's not possible to turn the 7.1 output into 4 independent 2.0 channels. Can anyone confirm this? If it would be possible, the M-Audio would be a sure winner because of the low price and above average quality.

If the M-Audio Revolution falls off, there's the Terratec EWS88MT. 4 independent stereo channels on the breakout box and 1 on the card itself. Just what I need, and for a very fair price. It got excellent reviews all over. I'm only concerned with the age (availability?) and the drivers of the card. I've had Terratec stuff before and was never impressed (more as in annoyed) with their drivers. If someone can convince me the drivers are good, the Terratec might be the card I want.

There's the M-Audio Delta 1010, but this card (with breakout box) is just too expensive. The cheaper Delta 410 is an option, but I don't like the cable clutter on its back. I think the Terratec EWS88MT has a clear advantage over the Delta 410 by having its D/A convertors outside the PC in the breakout box instead of on the card. Or is the Delta card far superior in quality?

Anyone knows other good cards with 4 - 5 independent stereo outputs (I don't care for inputs - 0 inputs is fine)? Important are good driver support (Windows 2000/XP - Linux is not necessary but would be nice), audio quality and a fair price (let's say max 400 EUR / $ 475). It must support 24/96. The price may go up, but then it will have to be an exceptionally good card

Soundcard with multiple stereo outputs

Reply #1 –
I own a TerraTec EWS88MT and the drivers are excellent as far as I can tell, never had any problems. The drivers are also updated quite regularly (the most recent drivers are from 2004).

Soundcard with multiple stereo outputs

Reply #2 –
EMU 1820m? 

The E-MU 1820M features:
  • Mastering-grade 24-bit, 192kHz converters - the same A/D converters used in Digidesign®'s flagship ProTools® HD I/O Interface
  • Flexible connectivity with 18 audio inputs and 20 outputs, 32 channels of MIDI I/O, Word Clock, SMPTE and MTC sync, plus a FireWire® port for seamless integration with your entire studio
  • Two premium TFPro™ mic preamps with Mic/Line/Hi-Z inputs with 40db of gain/attenuation and 48V phantom power - plug guitars, keyboards and microphones straight into your system
  • E-DSP 32-bit Multi-effects Processor offers you over 16 simultaneous hardware-accelerated studio-grade effects with no CPU overhead - plug-in architecture allows you to add new effects as needed
  • 32 Channels of zero latency Hardware Mixing/ Monitoring with super-flexible virtual patchbay - no external mixer needed
  • Full compatibility with most popular audio/sequencer applications with ultra-low latency WDM, DirectSound® and ASIO™ 2.0 Drivers
  • Powerful software studio package
I/O Configuration:
  • Two TFPro Mic/Line/Hi-Z preamps (w/48V phantom power)
  • Six 1/4" Balanced Inputs
  • Eight 1/4" Balanced Outputs
  • Turntable input (w/ground lug and hardware RIAA preamp)
  • 24-bit/192kHz ADAT In/Out (switchable to S/PDIF)
  • 24-bit/96kHz coaxial S/PDIF In/Out (switchable to AES/EBU)
  • 24-bit/96kHz optical S/PDIF Out (switchable to AES/EBU)
  • Two sets of MIDI In/Out
  • Four stereo 1/8" Speaker Outputs (configurable from stereo to 7.1)
  • Stereo Headphone Output
  • Firewire® Interface
Sync Configuration:
  • Word Clock In/Out
  • SMPTE In/Out
  • MTC Out
Break The Rules!!!

Soundcard with multiple stereo outputs

Reply #3 –
Try the Waveterminal 192X (optional with MI/ODI/O board for MIDI and 24/96 optical in and 24/192 electrical in/out) from EGO-SYS.

Soundcard with multiple stereo outputs

Reply #4 –
Jasper: Thanks! Seems like the EWS88MT is the best choice at this moment. The Delta and ESI cards sure look pretty, but the problem with all those cards is that they are aimed towards harddisk recording. I don't need all that. I just want 4 - 5 high quality outputs. All the rest like ASIO suuport, phantom power, inputs,... are of no use to me. This makes the cards needlessly expensive. Too bad there don't seem to be cards aimed towards my specific needs.

schalti: The WaveTerminal 192X has only 3 analog stereo outputs. The fourth is digital. I can't do much with a digital output. The ESI WaMiRack 192X on the other hand looks quite impressive with 4 stereo outputs. Too bad it costs 600 EUR putting it just out of range. The Terratec EWS88MT about the same, for a much lower price. Of course the ESI will use better D/A convertors, but the EWS88MT got very good critics concerning audio quality. Thus even the EWS88MT will be a considerable improvement over my current Creative card.

master: I already have an Emu card (my Creative Soundblaster Live ). While I'm quite sure the professional Emu series have little to do with Creative's consumer products, I'd rather go for M-Audio or ESI. I've heard nothing but good about M-Audio and ESI's drivers and hardware. It's just that they are a bit expensive

Soundcard with multiple stereo outputs

Reply #5 –
Quote
master: I already have an Emu card (my Creative Soundblaster Live ). While I'm quite sure the professional Emu series have little to do with Creative's consumer products, I'd rather go for M-Audio or ESI. I've heard nothing but good about M-Audio and ESI's drivers and hardware. It's just that they are a bit expensive

Well, 1820m is not SB Live. So far the feedback from forum are positive.

From Fixup @ RMAA Forum,
Quote
For $199, it is a killer. Unless the 0.2dB drop started from 10KHz to 20KHz bothers you, I see no other reasons to spend $700 for a Lynx L22. No need to mention the CardDeluxe, MIA and M-Audio.



From Sduibek @ HeadFi Forum,
Quote
Oh, wow. I would definitely put this card in the realm of "best PC Audio card" now.


Both are 1212m users, which utilise the same ADC and DAC chip as 1820m.

On the rolloff frequency start from 10kHz, here is what ICHi from E-MU said at The Unofficial E-MU Forum,
Quote
First off, let's set the facts straight, the rolloff of 0.5db is measured in a Loopback, that means the DA is also additively contributing to all data... The ACTUAL rolloff if you did the analysis on a true analysis tool like the Audio Precision 2(http://www.audioprecision.com/ what we use) that can analyze AD and DA discretely you'd find that the rolloff is closer to .05db. This is not audible and to add to Eddie's comment, it's a well known statistic that most people over the age of 15 can't hear past 15K.

The reason we start the filter so early is to most effectively kill all aliasing noise at the nyquist(22.05K) If you don't start the slope early enough, you will never make it to 22.05 with the cutting power necessary to make a difference. So we could have given you your .05db but then you'd have more harsh hi end noise. What would you choose?

In regards how it sounds, what is your reference for comparison in regards AIR? If it's what your hearing in your head when your singing then well that's not a proper reference. If you have a recording of the same mic with the same setup in the same room with your voice in the same condition then that would be a fair comparison.

Here's some food for thought... How much 12K EQ are adding to get your AIR "back"? What is that in relation to our measured rolloff? Take something that you think has AIR, now put a filter on it and dial in .05db slope at 12K....hmmm....

Proximity effect is one thing to always be aware of, the other is the limitations of your microphones and other parts in the signal chain and the other is getting to really know what your voice sounds like and how you like to make it sound. These are 2 different things.

Best,
ICHi
E-MU Systems
Break The Rules!!!

Soundcard with multiple stereo outputs

Reply #6 –
Thanks for the reply! I wonder, has the Emu 1820m the same resampling issue as Creative's cards (resampling everything to 48 kHz) or is it based on a completely different audio processing chipset? Its features make me think it's based on an emu 10k chipset.

Otherwise it looks like an interesting card / breakout box. There's one thing I don't really get. The specs say 20 outputs, but do they mean 20 connectors or really 20 hardware channels? I mean, can I use both (for example) the 4 stereo 1/8" outputs AND the 8 1/4" balanced mono outputs at the same time (thus 16 different channels or in my case 8 different stereo channels)? Or is it just that there are a lot of different connectors for the same outputs?

It's priced at over 500 EUR here, but if it really has 16 analog outputs it's of course the clear winner. The M-Audio Delta 1010 has only 8 analog outputs and is 200 EUR more expensive.

Soundcard with multiple stereo outputs

Reply #7 –
For the 20 outputs, please refer to my previous post on the I/O Configuration.

Regarding resampling issue, this is what I read from ICHi written @ RMAA Forum.
Quote
We can do true 96K with ASIO. Our current limitation at the higher sample rates is with WDM drivers.

Quote
There is no resampling in the Digital Audio Systems I/O, DSP signal paths and ASIO implementation. The only time resampling could happen in a Digital Audio System is if a WDM consumer application that has no notion of sample rate serves us up data that doesn't match the current sample rate. When this happens WDM driver mechanisms will silently SRC(sample rate convert) the audio so that it will just play.

Quote
Come on guys, I have written this like 5 times already. The DSP is NOT, it is NOT sample rate locked. It is controlled by the clock subsystem and will move to whatever sample rate the system is currently set at. So if you set it to 44.1 it's running at 32 bits, 44.1, set it 48, it's running at 32 bits, 48 so on and so forth.


ICHi is now frequently visiting The Unofficial E-MU Forum. If you have any question, you can drop a line there.
Break The Rules!!!