Karasu777
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jan 5, 2004
- Posts
- 4
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- 0
Hi, perpetual lurker here, popping up to ask for some advice.
I currently own an E-MU 1212m. On a purely technical basis, it's certainly the best sound card I've ever heard. It's fast, it's detailed and it's accurate. The problem I have with it lies with its sound signature. Too cold, too harsh, too thin and too "digital."
I also own a slightly-modded M-Audio Sonica which generally gets assigned to "laptop duty." Compared to the 1212m, it's slow, has poor instrument separation and a notably muddier and less extended bass. Thing is, it's often a lot more pleasant to listen to than the 1212m since it has a much warmer, fuller sound.
What I'd really like to find is a source that has all the good points of the 1212m (speed, detail, clarity) but without the coldness and harsh "digititis" effect. Since the 1212m is pretty much as good as it gets with sound cards and since I'd like this source to work with my laptop as well (i.e. via the Sonica), it seems I'm looking for a DAC with an optical input.
If what I've read in various threads on Head-Fi is true, any decent DAC should be able to, at the very least, hold its own against the 1212m in a technical shoot-out. That means I'm just searching for a DAC with a warm-ish sound signature, right?
I've been looking at the Channel Islands VDA-1 (though I very much doubt I would get the power supply upgrade, at least to begin with) since it's been getting lots of positive reviews and is at a good price point. I was encouraged by the posts Asmo and Fr_eak made in this thread, saying that it was warmer and more musical than the 1212m. Is this what I'm looking for or would you recommend me something else?
I currently own an E-MU 1212m. On a purely technical basis, it's certainly the best sound card I've ever heard. It's fast, it's detailed and it's accurate. The problem I have with it lies with its sound signature. Too cold, too harsh, too thin and too "digital."
I also own a slightly-modded M-Audio Sonica which generally gets assigned to "laptop duty." Compared to the 1212m, it's slow, has poor instrument separation and a notably muddier and less extended bass. Thing is, it's often a lot more pleasant to listen to than the 1212m since it has a much warmer, fuller sound.
What I'd really like to find is a source that has all the good points of the 1212m (speed, detail, clarity) but without the coldness and harsh "digititis" effect. Since the 1212m is pretty much as good as it gets with sound cards and since I'd like this source to work with my laptop as well (i.e. via the Sonica), it seems I'm looking for a DAC with an optical input.
If what I've read in various threads on Head-Fi is true, any decent DAC should be able to, at the very least, hold its own against the 1212m in a technical shoot-out. That means I'm just searching for a DAC with a warm-ish sound signature, right?
I've been looking at the Channel Islands VDA-1 (though I very much doubt I would get the power supply upgrade, at least to begin with) since it's been getting lots of positive reviews and is at a good price point. I was encouraged by the posts Asmo and Fr_eak made in this thread, saying that it was warmer and more musical than the 1212m. Is this what I'm looking for or would you recommend me something else?
