[FutureAudio]

I just got my 1212m like a few days ago and had audiophile firewire since a long time...upon hooking it up to my mid-fi ( supposedly hifi

) system including nice tower speakers, an amplifier and preamp.

I noticed that 1212m does sound having more fidelity and more neutral ( maybe?) but using m-audio gives more in the theatre experience ..its like huge soundstage with m-audio compared to 1212m ...maybe 1212m needs more time breaking in?

I returned x-fi platinum the same day I bought it coz it sounded tiny compared to m-audio....1212m though not tiny but does sound smaller though with more apparent detail.

What do you guys think if you have heard both of them hooked to speakers?

 

[Tachikoma]

Which M-audio soundcard are you using?

Quote:

What do you guys think if you have heard both of them hooked to speakers?

I'm guessing more of the same

 

[FutureAudio]

M-audio firewire audiophile ( External box )

Another positive point for 1212m is you can easily enjoy to it @ low volume too....not as easy with M-audio.

But M-audio puts you into theatre....is there any way I can make 1212m not so tiny sounding compared to m-audio or is this the nature of card?

Any comments guys?
Quote:

Originally Posted by Tachikoma Which M-audio soundcard are you using? I'm guessing more of the same

 

[FutureAudio]

Just want to add, it is not as tiny as x-fi though...that card sucked imho.

 

[Asmo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FutureAudio M-audio firewire audiophile ( External box ) Another positive point for 1212m is you can easily enjoy to it @ low volume too....not as easy with M-audio. But M-audio puts you into theatre....is there any way I can make 1212m not so tiny sounding compared to m-audio or is this the nature of card? Any comments guys?

Can you explain a bit more?

What speakers/headphones/amps are you using?

I have heard the m-audio audiophile 2496 internal pci card, but not the firewire, not sure if they are the same, I used to own the 2496 before I got the 1212m, along with the m-audio 7.1, but I did not find the soundstage to be that drastically different.

But yes, I do find the 1212m soundstage overall to be a bit closer in, but placement in the soundstage, imaging etc, is excellent and detailed.

I would listen to the 1212m for a few weeks at least, and then switch back and forth to see what you think then after you've gotten used to the sound.

 

[boodi]

...and did you find the 1212m better then the audiophile ?

 

[Asmo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by boodi ...and did you find the 1212m better then the audiophile ?

Do you see the audiophile in my sig?

Yah, the 1212m is way better. Even though now I only use it for digital transport.

 

[Mr.Sneis]

Curious, are you gaming with the 1212m? I'm runing 0404 (headphones) + x-fi (spdif speakers) setup for music + games.

 

[FutureAudio]

I havent play games yet. I'll let you know once I'm there....listening to all kinds of music atm.
Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr.Sneis Curious, are you gaming with the 1212m? I'm runing 0404 (headphones) + x-fi (spdif speakers) setup for music + games.

 

[FutureAudio]

1212 has better details and positioning etc...no doubt...theres a marked difference..but this soundstage thing is driving me a little crazy.
Quote:

Originally Posted by boodi ...and did you find the 1212m better then the audiophile ?

 

[FutureAudio]

OK....what the heck.... I played some songs where I know for sure singer has what you calll thick voice...but they sound thin with 1212....I'm playing my FLAC collection...what can I do to make it sound with more authority?

 

[Asmo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FutureAudio OK....what the heck.... I played some songs where I know for sure singer has what you calll thick voice...but they sound thin with 1212....I'm playing my FLAC collection...what can I do to make it sound with more authority?

You sure you dont have something setup wrong, are you using +4 or -10 in patchmix? (try both).

What are you using for interconnects?

What headphones?

What speakers?

What amp?

 

[Asmo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr.Sneis Curious, are you gaming with the 1212m? I'm runing 0404 (headphones) + x-fi (spdif speakers) setup for music + games.

Most games work flawlessly, some games, have issues, where I've had to turn down directx accleration to get the game to run properly.

 

[FutureAudio]

I've no idea what those settings do...I'll try both the settings now...can you please tell me what those settings are supposed to do...new to emu/patchmix.

I use monster cables for everything.

Polk Audio tower speakers Rti100 with PSW404 subwoofer...and a very nice amplifier custom built..bought from a good local guy. ( heads on with Rotel etc or better imho).
I'm using Harman Kardon 325 as pre as of this writing.

I watch TV through digital box and use Sony DVD changer etc to listen to audio cds and dvds...everything sounds fine.

1212m sounds fantastic except this problem of souding thin....it actually sounds better than all of other stuff I have...but there is definately some problem.

Also, people like so much about x-fi I returned it on the same day I bought...it sounds so creativish

consumer grade.

I was a avid creative user since the early days of sound blaster...and was sold to their hype...I was the first few ones to buy those AWE64 cards...didnt know at that time how bad their cards usually are. /End of rant.

Ps. I never use any EQ or anything..usually I just do the bypass switch if there is one.

Thanks in advance.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Asmo You sure you dont have something setup wrong, are you using +4 or -10 in patchmix? (try both). What are you using for interconnects? What headphones? What speakers? What amp?

 

[Mr.Sneis]

Well my 0404 was truly terrible for games, even when I de-accellerated via dxdiag. Maybe it's an x64 thing, I'm more than happy with my current setup, I'm just wondering if the 1212m is an upgrade I want to persue in the future. My only niggles right now is my loss of front panel audio connections because my connectors don't fit very well (which no self-respecting head-fier would use right?) and conflicting ASIO drivers (I just use Kernel Streaming now)