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Subject:Just how good are the Audigy cards?
Posted by: Midas
Date:9/27/2002 1:35:15 PM
I recently found out that my brand new M Audio Audiophile 2496 soundcard is not compatible with VIA 133 chipset so I am looking into other options. Are the audigy cards good pro quality cards? |
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Subject:RE: Just how good are the Audigy cards?
Reply by: bgc
Date:9/27/2002 1:39:36 PM
I just bought an Echo Mia card for one of my systems and it's working very nicely. Drivers are rock solid. Might need to check for the Via chipset compatability. I have a Card Deluxe in an AMD system with Vias and it's fairly stable. (Card Deluxe drivers completely suck, but I suffer because the cards sound gorgeous - but are expensive). |
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Subject:RE: Just how good are the Audigy cards?
Reply by: MyST
Date:9/27/2002 1:57:50 PM
"Are the audigy cards good pro quality cards?" No. Send your PC specs to Echo to see if the Mia would be stable with your set-up. www.echoaudio.com I have a Mia and it works well with my Athlon. HTH |
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Subject:RE: Just how good are the Audigy cards?
Reply by: buffalosnout
Date:9/27/2002 2:18:16 PM
Midas: I am using a Creative Audigy Platinum which seems to do a good job. It claims to go up to 24 bit. It has two separate MIDI ports as well as digital ins and outs and a headphone jack. Other than the EMI 2/6 USB device, which I'm not impressed with, I have nothing else to compare the Audigy to. To the more experienced: Am I missing important features and don't even realize it? Thanks, James |
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Subject:RE: Just how good are the Audigy cards?
Reply by: MyST
Date:9/27/2002 2:24:38 PM
Well, I'm not really more experienced, but from what I have seen on previous posts, is that the audigy has 24bit playback only(not record). So, if you're looking for a "true" pro card, people recommend Echo, M-Audio, etc. HTH |
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Subject:RE: Just how good are the Audigy cards?
Reply by: jcarney42
Date:9/27/2002 3:56:46 PM
to midas, I just purchased a Waveterminal 192M made by Ego Systems Inc (ESI). Unlike the Audigy, it's a true 24/96 card (record, mix, output) and just finished testing it with Acid Pro 4.a, Vegas Video and Soundforge 6. The have a unified driver set that is desinged for any program using WDM, ASIO, MME and gigastudio interfaces. Support multiple WDM or MME clients. Installation went without a hitch. Has 4 analog in, using either 4 unbalanced or 2 unbalanced w 2 balanced with phantom power. All the inputs have Texas Intstrument preamp chips for a nice natuaral sound. 8 analog outs 1 coax and 1 optical out. 10 tracks 24/96 a/d converters 24/192 d/a converters. Supports up to 24/192 out via analog or coax. two stereo output for headsets or studio quality monitors. has well written easy to understand manual. Can be used with DVD plyaback software lik PowerDVD, first card in this price range to offer DVD-A playback on a PC. Has 4 on board dsp chips along with an ESI custom chip. Thas more than the audiophile 24/96. very nice gui console for setting up input/output options. works with the MS multimedia configuration tool. This card just got released about 4 weeks ago, so there is little on line info about it. the E-WDM driver set seem very stable and fast. When I downloaded a couple of surround Acid projects, CPU usage didn't go above 10% Street prices are about 50 to 70 US more than a Soundblaster Audigy Platinum, and worth it. If you are considering an Audigy Platinum, know that you will not have the option to record, mix and output 24/96 audio. You can only play back pre-recorded 24/96 audio in DVDs or DTS audio CDs. The advertising on the audigy is very misleading. The audidy still stays in 16/48 land for recording music. price and feature wise, it sits between the audiophile 2496 and the high end Delta 1010 cards. I got mine from a local distributor for 259.00 US plus tax. Suggested retail in low 300s. The drivers even work with my Via kt266a chipset. I have an abit kg7 raid with latest drivers. Athlon xP 1700 1 gig ram lots and lots of harddisk space. link to info about the Waveterminal 192M and other cards by ESI http://www.esi-pro.com check out all the menu options to find about about the cards, and the drivers. They seem to be preaching a unified driver approach. If it works, this is a great thing. They have WDM, MME, ASIO2 and Gigasoft drivers with the card. worth a look hope this helps. Joe Carney |
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Subject:RE: Just how good are the Audigy cards?
Reply by: groovewerx
Date:9/28/2002 11:02:15 PM
the audigy is the ultimate sound card if you are comparing it to a shoestring tied between your mic and pc. go with egosys (esi) cards. they are the only ones with dedicated/non-beta drivers for 2000/xp. |
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Subject:RE: Just how good are the Audigy cards?
Reply by: synthman1128
Date:9/28/2002 11:55:54 PM
hi midas, i have a pc with a via k133 chipset and i've never had a problem with my audiophile 2496 since i installed it. where did you get the news that it's not compatible? mine works fine. warm regards, g.no |
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Subject:RE: Just how good are the Audigy cards?
Reply by: Mozzer
Date:9/29/2002 7:32:23 AM
Audigy's only do 24bit on the spdif on the analog inputs they are 16bit. They also resample everything on the fly to 48khz from 44.1 thus degrading your audio a lot by the time it comes to mix down it will probably have lost a couple of bits once you've put it through plugins and stuff. I personally would stick with the M-Audio and get a new motherboard! The M-Audio is a great card! Moz |
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Subject:RE: Just how good are the Audigy cards?
Reply by: Spirit
Date:9/29/2002 9:06:07 AM
I strongly second Mozzer. Keep the card and ditch the VIA133 - they're well known lemons for audio. I'd go Intel 845 or similar. |
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Subject:RE: Just how good are the Audigy cards?
Reply by: groovewerx
Date:9/29/2002 12:39:38 PM
don't blame it on the via chipset. with every chipset you'll have to fine tune/tweek your o/s and hardware to properly handle audio production. my wamiracks run flawlessly with via apollo pro133a chipset. i've also had success with layla on this chipset. |
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Subject:RE: Just how good are the Audigy cards?
Reply by: wcreed
Date:9/29/2002 2:45:31 PM
The 133a fixed the problems with the 133. They are not the same. The 133 had flaws in its PCI implementation. |
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Subject:RE: Just how good are the Audigy cards?
Reply by: jcarney42
Date:9/29/2002 7:16:23 PM
groovewerx, the more I use my Waveterminal, the more I like it. My one and only complaint? No xlr inputs, but easily fixed with a low cost conversion (XLR to Phone jack). I'm thinking of getting a wamirack for a dedicated DAW. How do you like yours? |
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Subject:RE: Just how good are the Audigy cards?
Reply by: ibliss
Date:9/29/2002 8:16:48 PM
If you really feel that the Audigy is your best option, then hang on a week or so and either pick up the new Audigy 2, or wait for the prices on the original Audigy to drop. However, having owned an Audigy, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone considering audio work. The drivers aren't that great, it isn't a true 24bit card (see posts above), it resamples internally (see above). It also doesn't sound as good as my older M-Audio Dio2448 - not as clear or defined. You can do far better, and if you take audio half seriously, get something else. I believe the Terratec DMX Fire (if that's what it's called) is a more suitable card in the same price range. Mike K |
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Subject:RE: Just how good are the Audigy cards?
Reply by: salad
Date:9/30/2002 12:14:45 PM
I see some good sound card advice here...... Mucho Thanks! |
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Subject:RE: Just how good are the Audigy cards?
Reply by: groovewerx
Date:9/30/2002 11:00:14 PM
jc i have 3 wami24 cards bringing 24 in from my board. the features that sold me were the 4/4 midi and 8/8 audio i/o, and full release win2k drivers. directwire is pretty cool. i like how i can play stand-alone softsynths and record them directly into daw apps. if you want xlr input try the wami 192x. |
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Subject:RE: Just how good are the Audigy cards?
Reply by: jcarney42
Date:10/6/2002 1:53:52 PM
grooveworx, I'm still trying to figure out how to use the midi interface on this card. The driver installs, but I don't know how to load samples. If you want, email me at tuffcom@adelphia.net. thanks in advance. Like your stuff at acidplanet. |
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Subject:RE: Just how good are the Audigy cards?
Reply by: astral_supreme
Date:10/6/2002 2:59:10 PM
With these new specs listed below is the audigy 2 a good choice? It mensions 96khz recording...but I never new it resampled everything it records...I am ready to buy this card but am still confused. I just want to mix 5.1 surround sound in acid 4.0 for a movie I am making. I also record instruments into acid and loop there sounds into songs....is this sound card good enough for pro...or is the audigy 2 still a flop? High Definition Audio Quality for Playback and Recording 24-bit Digital-to-Analog conversion during playback with sampling rates of 8, 11.025, 16, 22.05, 24, 32, 44.1, 48, and 96kHz in 5.1 mode and up to 192kHz in stereo mode 24-bit Analog to Digital conversion during recording in 8, 16 or 24-bit at sampling rates of 8, 11.025, 16, 22.05, 24, 32, 44.1, 48, and 96kHz SPDIF (Sony/Philips Digital Interface) input at up to 24-bit / 96kHz quality SPDIF output up to 24-bit at 48 or 96kHz ASIO drivers for low latency (=2ms) multi-track playback and recording at 16-bit/48kHz) Wave-Table Synthesis and Midi Features Creative Hardware synthesizer (2x16 Channels) with 64-voice polyphony featuring E-MU®'s patented 8-point interpolation technology for accurate sample reproduction Creative Software synthesizer - multi timbral wave-table (16 Channels) SB1394™ Connectivity IEEE® 1394 / FireWire® / i-Link® compatible interface with up to 400Mbps Thanks for the soundcard info guys. |
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Subject:RE: Just how good are the Audigy cards?
Reply by: jcarney42
Date:10/6/2002 4:03:14 PM
>>ASIO drivers for low latency (=2ms) multi-track playback and recording at 16-bit/48kHz)<< thats the kicker, right there. I've found a great price for the Waveterminal 192M at audiomidi.com for 199.00. Unless you need optical/coax in, and you plan on playing lots of games, the Waveterminal is a better card, has 4 dsp chips, and mike pre-amps also. 4 in, 8 out, and can be used for 5.1,6.1 and 7.1 mixing at up to 24/192 on all 8 outputs, not just stereo. Supports 24/96 on the optical out 24/192 on the coax out (total of 10 channels out). Excellent low latency drivers, WDM, MME, ASIO 2, Gigasoft, what ever is needed for windows. the 4 in can either be 4 unbalanced TRS (phone jack) or 2 unbalanced, 2 balanced with mic-preamp and 12v phantom power. This is a true PRO audio card compared to the Audigy. You can add optical/coax in as a daughter card, but I don't know the price. In addition to the 8 analog out, it has 2 stereo outs for headphones or studio moniters. I have a pair of EDIROL MA-10A hooked up for accurate sound playback (unlike consumer/pc speakers). I've just got through testing with... sonarxl v2. Acid Pro 4.a (haven't fully tested the VSTi, could use some help on how to do it properly, I have the free Computer Music DS404 sampler and it loads into Acid, just don't know how to use VST instruments and samples.) Any advice please email me at tuffcom@adelphia.net Vegas Video3 SoundForge 6.x MusicMatch 7.2 Cakewalk Plamsa ver 1. PowerDVD 4 (full version.) Can play back dolby 5.1 and dolby EX (7.1), dts 5.1 and dts es (6.1), DTS Audio only and DVD-A at up to 24/192. Of course you need a good amp or av receiver with analog in to take full advantage. Lots of cool stuff you can't do on the Audigy. The Audigy does have the EAX stuff for games, but thats about it. I don't know much about midi, but it can load huge midi samples directly off of the hardDrive instead of having to be in Ram first. I won't be going back to an audigy ever. The 4 on card DSPs keep CPU overhead to a minimum compared to the Audigy if you plan on doing surround mixes. Joe Carney MSRP directly from Ego Systems shop site (csound.com) is $249.00, but as I wrote at the beginning of the post, audiomidi.com has it for 199.00. In direct competition with the Audigy Platinum cards. sorry for the tone. Just happy to be free of Audigy problems and limitations. |
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Subject:RE: Just how good are the Audigy cards?
Reply by: buffalosnout
Date:10/8/2002 1:23:37 AM
Has anyone tried the Edirol cards? |
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Subject:RE: Just how good are the Audigy cards?
Reply by: Polaris20
Date:10/8/2002 12:27:59 PM
"I strongly second Mozzer. Keep the card and ditch the VIA133 - they're well known lemons for audio. I'd go Intel 845 or similar." That's funny. Works fine for me. I use mine with an Echo Mia and have no problems yet. |
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Subject:RE: Just how good are the Audigy cards?
Reply by: Iacobus
Date:10/8/2002 12:45:48 PM
I haven't, but I've heard good things here and there. If anyone's missed my post on the Audigy 2, I'm posting the little blurb I've said in it: "BTW, I recommend anyone considering the Audigy 2 to hold off on that purchase, at least for now. If you look closely, both the regular Audigy 2 and the Audigy 2 Platinum can only record via ASIO at 16-bit/48 kHz. Allegedly, the "Platinum eX" version will have true 24-bit/96 kHz, but that's not set to appear until early 2003." To add, I can't believe both versions of the Audigy 2 are not going to be able to record via ASIO at 24-bit/96 kHz. WTF is Creative smoking? (That's a rhetorical question.) Iacobus |
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Subject:RE: Just how good are the Audigy cards?
Reply by: groovewerx
Date:10/8/2002 4:19:26 PM
carney... you control midi routing from within an app. in cubase its just a matter of selecing a channel>output(wami 1 2 3 or 4)>instrument (whatver is connected/patch script)>activate i'm sure its similar in sonar. i know it is in reason. |
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Subject:RE: Just how good are the Audigy cards?
Reply by: TeeCee
Date:10/9/2002 12:39:56 PM
"for those that have read my posts about sofo apps being for novice to intermediate users: the plain truth is in this thread. if acid was a professional app there would be no threads about inferior audio cards." Huh? I don't get it. Do you think no one uses junk cards with other products? Or do you think because novices by SoFo products, then the products are novice? If I buy a scalpel, am I now a surgeon and not a murderer? TeeCee |
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Subject:RE: Just how good are the Audigy cards?
Reply by: Polaris20
Date:10/9/2002 12:51:23 PM
" 'for those that have read my posts about sofo apps being for novice to intermediate users: the plain truth is in this thread. if acid was a professional app there would be no threads about inferior audio cards.' Huh? I don't get it. Do you think no one uses junk cards with other products? Or do you think because novices by SoFo products, then the products are novice? If I buy a scalpel, am I now a surgeon and not a murderer?" Nice analogy. can you be more graphic next time? |
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Subject:RE: Just how good are the Audigy cards?
Reply by: groovewerx
Date:10/10/2002 11:00:32 AM
i think professional software is designed and optimized to be used with professional hardware. so software optimized for the junk cards you mention is what? not professional. if you use those junk cards with professional software will you get professional quality? nope. it's like eating soup with a fork: you miss most of the flavor. |
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Subject:RE: Just how good are the Audigy cards?
Reply by: TeeCee
Date:10/10/2002 4:46:50 PM
Groovewerx: Acid has been optimized to work with the same driver structure as your prcious Stienberg programs - ASIO. By your statements, if Acid is novice, so is CuBase. And I hope my graphic analogy didn't actually offend anyone. TeeCee |
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Subject:RE: Just how good are the Audigy cards?
Reply by: noFony
Date:10/10/2002 11:27:03 PM
"for those that have read my posts about sofo apps being for novice to intermediate users: the plain truth is in this thread. if acid was a professional app there would be no threads about inferior audio cards" When someone makes a statement of this nature I am inclined to doubt anything else they have to say and assume anything they said before that made any sense was just a fluke. I don't care if someone thinks sofo apps are for novices. Relative to many people I am one. But I've dealt with so called advanced professionals who's abilities are so lacking that I really can't see the point of trying to classify people in this manner except to cover for your own inadiquacies and insecurities. It's not what apps you own - it's how you use them. It's like when I'm driving down the road and I see a BMW 7series and I think-wow, what a great driver!...NOT |
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Subject:RE: Just how good are the Audigy cards?
Reply by: groovewerx
Date:10/11/2002 8:53:50 AM
foolish mortals |
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Subject:RE: Just how good are the Audigy cards?
Reply by: Midas
Date:10/12/2002 8:38:56 AM
Synthman1128, What are your IRQ settings? What version or windows are you using? Do me a favor. In windows press "Start", click on "Run" and type "msinfo32", then click on "Hardware Resources" and list your IRQs and computer specs. It would be helpful too if you could leave your email address. Thanks in advance. Midas |
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Subject:RE: Just how good are the Audigy cards?
Reply by: astral_supreme
Date:10/13/2002 5:44:42 AM
jcarney........you sold me on the waveterminal 192m...I just placed my order with audiomidi who was sold out....and they are having it dropshipped from ego systems factory to my doorstep. Should arrive in about 3 days. Thanks for all the sound card advice. |