[jonta_dj]

Received my Lynx card today. I will install it after work and start comparing it with my current Audigy2. I really hope there's gonna be some big difference to the better (in sound quality) cause it was quite expensive.... hope I haven't made a bad purchase

 

[sgrossklass]

We're all ears!

 

[Nandro]

What are these cards typicaly used for?

 

[sgrossklass]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nandro What are these cards typicaly used for?

My guess would be pro-level DAWs, mainly for mastering and such. (For recording, the LynxTWO should be more popular simply because of the much higher number of input channels.) The Lynx Studio page on the L22 summarizes the suggested uses quite well: "audio recording, post-production, broadcast, and measurement applications" including signal generation. With a matching AF/RF amp, such a sound card might even be used for direct VLF/LF reception up to 100 kHz, with the signal pulling abilities of far more expensive receivers when supported by the right software. (BTW, these days you can buy software defined receivers covering frequencies up to 30 or 60 MHz which basically employ only an RF front-end and a sufficiently fast ADC with 14 bits or so. These things are mainly used for spectrum monitoring, as their dynamic range isn't too great for actual receiving purposes, besides they're still stuck with slow interfaces like USB1 in many cases, but the concept certainly is interesting.) But I digress...

 

[jonta_dj]

First Impressions:

My brother made me some XLR --> RCA cables so I'm now able to listen to it.

The sound is really different from the Audigy2. I yet haven't learned anything about the mixer or settings so I'm just running it straight out of the box.

I yet don't know what to say about the sound. But when I put on 'Diana Krall - all or nothing at all' I actually started to smile a bit cause it was so detailed like it never had been before (atlest that's what I think. Hope I'm not on a placebo effect

). I've only listened to it a few minutes and will be switching between my audigy and lynx and comparing right now.

 

[jonta_dj]

Second impression (30 minutes later):

Now (with Lynx) it often sounds like the people are singing in a very small room, or like they are in a box or something, I can't really describe it. For example in 'Beatles - Yesterday' from the album '1' made in year 2000 I feel like it's that way, especially in the beginning (the first 30 seconds).

 

[Jon L]

First Impressions:

My brother made me some XLR --> RCA cables so I'm now able to listen to it.

QUOTE]

Are you using the long stock breakout cable with XLR ends and then using XLR-->RCA cable? If so, this is the worst way to listen to Lynx. The stock cable sounds horrible, and using additional DIY XLR-RCA cable will compound the problem. I can tell you that you have NOT heard the true Lynx yet.

You should buy a DB25 plug like the one at the end of Lynx cable and have your brother put on 2 female RCA connectors on it with a few inch long quality wire. The pin assignments are shown on Lynx owner's manual on their website. Then I suggest you buy the best sounding interconnect you can afford for the Lynx, or at least try a few IC's to find the one that you like.

 

[jonta_dj]

Yes I use the stock cable that comes with the card and then I've connected a XLR-RCA cable to that, into the card.

Wouldn't it be better just to connect two cables with RCA-plugs in one end to a DB25-plug?!

 

[Jon L]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonta_dj Yes I use the stock cable that comes with the card and then I've connected a XLR-RCA cable to that, into the card. Wouldn't it be better just to connect two cables with RCA-plugs in one end to a DB25-plug?!

Well, yes, ONLY if you know what you are doing and can construct a great DIY cable. I've made many very nice DIY cables, but I'm not confident enough that my DIY IC's will sound better than any other IC's out there, which is why I like to leave the choice open. Maybe I will find an abandoned Silversmith Palladium IC or Stealth Indra IC on the streets one day..

 

[jonta_dj]

Third impression:

I don't know the hifi-language but I'll tell you with my own words. All sounds are now much more compact, I mean they are more concentrated, earlier they were more smooth and spread out. It's like, one sounds is here, another one there and they keep their own places.

Jon, could you please tell me what to do with the bass. I think I used to have more bass before (with the audigy, well a nice bass, heavier, deeper?). I got that by putting the bass up quite high in the windows mixer (advanced settings) but now I don't have the windows mixer anymore. I just did a fresh install and had removed the audigy before that.

 

[Jon L]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonta_dj Third impression: I don't know the hifi-language but I'll tell you with my own words. All sounds are now much more compact, I mean they are more concentrated, earlier they were more smooth and spread out. It's like, one sounds is here, another one there and they keep their own places. Jon, could you please tell me what to do with the bass. I think I used to have more bass before (with the audigy, well a nice bass, heavier, deeper?). I got that by putting the bass up quite high in the windows mixer (advanced settings) but now I don't have the windows mixer anymore. I just did a fresh install and had removed the audigy before that.

Well, I recommend you download a good EQ plugin for Winamp and use that to bump up the bass if you want. Foobar's EQ works well, for example. But honestly, the bass quantity/quality IMO is just perfect out of Lynx (at +4dBu). I've compared it directly with some heavy-hitting outboard DAC's, and Lynx has GREAT, great bass. Just right amount of impact, quantity, drive, and tightness. Actually, it's quite awe-inspiring bass, really.

If your system is neutral enough, you really shouldn't need any EQ, except maybe +/- 1-2dB in one or two bands to compensate for poor recordings.

Once again, figure out how to bypass K-mixer from WinAmp, which I don't use. ASIO or Kernel Streaming is the way to go with Foobar.

In fact, with +4dBu Lynx output, which is huge, you might want to look into driving your HD650 straight from Lynx XLR balanced output in "balanced mode," like what some are doing with Benchmark DAC1 (there's a thread somewhere). Control the volume from WinAmp or Foobar.

 

[jonta_dj]

Jon, thanks a lot for taking time! I use out_asio.dll to bypass kmixer in XP.

Do you use a Lynx card? What amp do you have? What phones do you use?

 

[sgrossklass]

As a good EQ for Winamp, I'd suggest the Shibatch Super Equalizer plugin (it's what Foobar's EQ is based on). There's a very nice ASIO output plugin available. There'll be no volume control with that, so adjustments have to be made to the main output volume.

BTW, didn't the Lynx have that peculiarity that best distortion performance is reached a few dB below full scale?

 

[Jon L]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonta_dj Jon, thanks a lot for taking time! I use out_asio.dll to bypass kmixer in XP. Do you use a Lynx card? What amp do you have? What phones do you use?

I'm doing Lynx 2B->DIY DB25 adapter->Aural Thrills Air Palladium IC->Sonic Impact w/ Astron Linear PS->DIY K1000 cable->modded AKG K1000.

Or, using Lynx->SuperMacro v.3->Ety 4P/S

or, sometimes using PC->USB-> Empirical Audio modded transit with output mod->SI or SuperMacro v.3

But mostly, I use the Lynx analogue out to my VAC Renaissance/SS active biamp into custom ribbon speakers.

Depending on configuration, I really like (make that love) Foobar with "Secret Rabit Code" upsampler to 176.4kHz (32bit fixed) in ASIO feeding the Lynx. Gotta love these professional cards that accept 176.4kHz (my favorite over 88.2, 96, 192, etc).

As far as other 'phones, I used to own HP1000 and tried Senn's. I guess I'm more into AKG/Ety house sound.

 

[jonta_dj]

cool, that's a lot of gear

Maybe some of your headphones have more bass than the senns I use.

Well, now I tried the super eq from schibatch but I can't get that same bass I used to have when I could set the bass in the windows mixer