[gmaister22]

Hello there,

i have built a nice gaming rig and it's been a while that i've DJed, yesterday i tided up the room with my DJing gear i found out that i had a set of Alesis M1 MK2 Active Monitors and a M-Audio SBX10 subwoofer, i used to use those with my old S4 which i have sold...

I was wondering what Audio Interface i should buy so i can get the best out of these monitors (i also want to use my desktop mic with my HD25 II's and/or another gaming headset i have)

I was looking at the Sound Blaster ZxR which has a nice controller there, that i can swap between the monitors and the headphones, which is kinda awesome, but, i'm sure its not a "professional" board....


So, any ideas out there?! Any suggestions would be much appreciated

 

[PurpleAngel]

I would assume you could get "Professional DJ" software and use it with the ZxR
 
Asus Xonar Essence STX is cheaper then the ZxR, both come with the same TI 6120 headphone amplifier.
B&H has a used Essence STX for $130.

 

[gmaister22]

ZxR has that nice volume controller though, which i really like 

 
So an ZxR would do the job?
 
No need something like http://www.motu.com/products/motuaudio/microbook/ or http://audioengineusa.com/Store/Audioengine-D1 or http://us.focusrite.com/usb-audio-interfaces/scarlett-2i4 ?
 
All would work the same? 

 

[PurpleAngel]

As I know zero about "Professional DJ" stuff, not sure how to answer.

 

[gmaister22]

It's ok, you dont have to know anything about em!
 
Thing is, i got 2 studio monitor, 1 subwoofer and i want to connect those 3 to my computer, though, since they are studio stuff, i need a good soundcard...but im unsure if the zxr will be good enough for those

 

[cel4145]

Looks like the Alesi may have balanced inputs (check your manual), in which case you either need a source that has balanced outputs. There are also XLR to RCA cable converters, although I don't know much about them.

 

[PurpleAngel]

  It's ok, you don't have to know anything about em!
 
Thing is, I got 2 studio monitor, 1 sub-woofer and I want to connect those 3 to my computer, though, since they are studio stuff, i need a good sound card...but I'm unsure if the ZxR will be good enough for those

Depending on your budget?
It might be better to get the cheaper Sound Blaster Z (SB1500), $100, and spend the rest of your budget on a device with a S/PDIF optical input (connected from Z) and a "balanced" 2-channel output (connected to sub-woofer). So an external DAC with digital optical input and the balanced analog output.

 

[RonaldDumsfeld]

Nice find. That's a lot of sound for the money.
 
The SoundBlaster would almost certainly be fine but most people with gear like that use USB audio interfaces. The Focusrite Scarlet 2i4 you already mentioned would be ideal and costs the same or less while offering more useful options. There are many alternatives.
 
The one sticking point is that you want to be able to use a headset mic. These are usually electret condensers and require 5V delivered  via the sleeve on a "stereo" 1/8" minijack. The only interface I know that does this atm is the EMU 0204. http://www.creative.com/emu/products/product.aspx?category=610&pid=20347

 

[gmaister22]

  Nice find. That's a lot of sound for the money.
 
The SoundBlaster would almost certainly be fine but most people with gear like that use USB audio interfaces. The Focusrite Scarlet 2i4 you already mentioned would be ideal and costs the same or less while offering more useful options. There are many alternatives.
 
The one sticking point is that you want to be able to use a headset mic. These are usually electret condensers and require 5V delivered  via the sleeve on a "stereo" 1/8" minijack. The only interface I know that does this atm is the EMU 0204. http://www.creative.com/emu/products/product.aspx?category=610&pid=20347

I really liked the Scarlet 2i4 interface, i also liked the SoundBlaster, the SoundBlaster would suit nicer on my office, so quality wise, scarlet is superior to the ZxR? Soundn't i worry about any latency with the Scarlet 2i4 since it will be my default soundcard for everything, window sounds, games, youtube etc...? Cause it works via USB