E-MU 0204 USB: Damn, They've Done it Again! And for $129!!!

[Impulsive]

thanks mate.
bottom outputs 2 x 1/4" mono arent amplified via internal amp am i right?
Because i plan to use it with tube amp and dunno how good is build-in amp, i think better output would give direct output right from the circuit, not travelling via integrated amp.

 

[Ishcabible]

Quote:

thanks mate.
bottom outputs 2 x 1/4" mono arent amplified via internal amp am i right?
Because i plan to use it with tube amp and dunno how good is build-in amp, i think better output would give direct output right from the circuit, not travelling via integrated amp.

Yup, they're aren't powered. Just get 1/4-->RCA adapters and you're set.

 

[Impulsive]

just as i thought.
thankie

 

[Impulsive]

so i just received my 0204
Device is working nice.
however i have questions.
what do i need to do to use higher sample rates?
i just installed everything from CD and in application i set sample rate to 192kHz. What does it actually mean? max. sample rate? or if i set 192 and i play 44 kHz files, will it convert to 192? Because thats useless.
Or how to configure it?
I just played at it inception soundtrack at 96kHz and foobar is showing 96 kHz...
 
do i need anything else set in Foobar?
you were talking about ASIO, it's some kind of driver?
I guess it is included at CD and i probably have it already installed.
 
check also this screnshot.
notice foobar sample rate and locked e-mu sample rate.
How to understand this?

 
EDIT. hm after reboot i cant restore creative control panel from taskbar. if i click it, icon appears but it wont shop up window.
 
when i try to install windows 7 driver beta, i get error
i am using windows 7 pro 64 bit
 

 
my impressions: it probably needs to be properly configured with foobar because i didnt found sound better than output from my onboard.
guess i am doing something wrong.
 
I also hear little pop everytime i pause / resume music.

 

[infinitesymphony]

Open foobar2000 preferences (Ctrl+P) and look at Playback -> Output. If it is set to DS (DirectSound), all audio will be resampled to the device's current sampling rate, usually 44.1 kHz, though it looks like you may have manually changed it to 48.0 kHz beforehand. You can set it to other sampling rates when the device sync is unlocked. As you correctly guessed, setting the sampling rate in the E-MU Control Panel simply resamples, so you will need the ASIO component for fb2k to tell your audio device when to properly change sampling rates. Here it is:
 
http://www.foobar2000.org/components/view/foo_out_asio
 
Unzip the DLL into your foobar2000\components directory, restart fb2k, and select the new ASIO output option. You may need to first configure the device in Playback -> Output -> ASIO Virtual Devices. Good luck!
 
Also note that when using ASIO with a USB interface like this one, only one source at a time can play. If fb2k is playing audio through ASIO, you will not get DS audio from other programs like your web browser, etc.

 

[Impulsive]

Hello.
Thanks for helping me!
so now i have installed ASIO from your link and set it.
here it is
 
this is config, it's default, but you said i may need to configure it..but i do not know how and what to change, and why.

 
and here is set audio output as ASIO is it OK?
Anything else i need to do?
 

 
by the way, doesnt matter, which sampling rate i choose in control panel, it auto resets and lock to 44.1 KHz
Why?
 

 
EDIT
 
It actually looks like it's working correctly.
i just played 96 kHz file and it auto set to 96kHz locked
 

 
does that mean that all is set? or do i need to set anything else?
because i dont feel like hearing better, higher quality sound.
and all music i play is either 44.1 kHz FLAC or 96 kHz FLAC
 

 

[Impulsive]

this is weird.
i tried same music using asio and not using it, and i do not hear any audible difference.
what is worse, is, that i hear no audible difference between my integrated laptop sound card and emu..
i am deaf or what the heck?
what i am doing wrong?
Current serup is E-mu 0204 > DT 880
There was no WOW effect when i firstly played music via it.
It was ....exactly as via laptop sound card.
What the....

 

[Ishcabible]

Quote:

this is weird.
i tried same music using asio and not using it, and i do not hear any audible difference.
what is worse, is, that i hear no audible difference between my integrated laptop sound card and emu..
i am deaf or what the heck?
what i am doing wrong?
Current serup is E-mu 0204 > DT 880
There was no WOW effect when i firstly played music via it.
It was ....exactly as via laptop sound card.
What the....

Just keep listening. I immediately heard the difference. It's brighter, more detailed, more powerful, (and other superlatives) than the sound card. Although the Beyer will still be underamped with the 0204...the 0204 hates my Sextetts.

 

[Impulsive]

thanks for reply!
but it makes me wonder...you say that just keep listening, but you also said you heard the difference immediately.
it makes me wonder if there is some kind of burn-in but probably isnt...
also, i see your point, i already thought that 600 ohm beyers are suffering on this soundcard output, but can that affect details and clarity?
i know too that amplification isnt only about volume, but i just want to say that i listen to them at cca 80-90% of volume so regarding volume it's ok..but i think they definitely need more voltage to sound good..
just to clarify, i have never had an amp, i dont know what can i expect from it and how does amp affect details, soundstage and clarity.
Some more explanation from you would be great
 
BTW i wont be selling it what-so-ever because i need 2 x RCA output to connect tube amp which is the last part missing in my config and it will come as soon as i will have enough of money.

 

[Ishcabible]

Quote:

thanks for reply!
but it makes me wonder...you say that just keep listening, but you also said you heard the difference immediately.
it makes me wonder if there is some kind of burn-in but probably isnt...
also, i see your point, i already thought that 600 ohm beyers are suffering on this soundcard output, but can that affect details and clarity?
i know too that amplification isnt only about volume, but i just want to say that i listen to them at cca 80-90% of volume so regarding volume it's ok..but i think they definitely need more voltage to sound good..
just to clarify, i have never had an amp, i dont know what can i expect from it and how does amp affect details, soundstage and clarity.
Some more explanation from you would be great
 
BTW i wont be selling it what-so-ever because i need 2 x RCA output to connect tube amp which is the last part missing in my config and it will come as soon as i will have enough of money.

Well, listen until you can hear the difference. It differs from person to person. I heard the difference immediately, but that's because I had a general idea on what the EMU would sound like. It may be placebo, but it was a 30% increase in sound quality compared to my soundcard in details and realism, so I doubt it's placebo.
 
Yes, overall clarity is affected by lack of power. Have you ever been to a live concert? Amping brings you closer to that. It won't exactly get you there (it's what we're all looking for) but added power gets you closer.
 
I need to put the volume to 90% for my Sextetts too. There simply isn't enough power in the EMU to power any headphones that are meant for home use other than the sensitive ones like the Denons and such. I can get volume, but when I connect my headphones to my vintage receiver, the 0204 shows where it lacks. I don't have a DT880, but I can tell they need more power.

 

[Impulsive]

thanks for clarifying.
You know how it is...it doesn't matter, how many threads, user experiences i read..i only have teoretical knowledge.
One listening can overcome that anytime.
Another thing is that when you know what you are looking for like you.
I am definitely looking forward to the amp to finally drive these cans properly and i believe sound will change.
 
I also must say interesting thing.
In my frustration, i was googling about ASIO and I came across to ASIO4ALL v2
i said to myself, I have nothing to loose, lets try it.
But the more was i surprised, when I heard what ASIO4ALL v2 driver made to this sound!
I finally started to hear details, which i never heard before, soundstage grew bigger and musical instruments became more separated, i can now hear them more cleaner, i can concentrate on one and keeps listening just to it.
Before this driver it wasnt bad, but now it is much cleaner.
I still cant believe what i am hearing!
Finally it wasn't all in vain!
 
I was just fast & furious, as i am, lol
 

 

[Ishcabible]

That's great to hear!

 

[Impulsive]

Absolutely.
I have no hope in another ASIO driver to make such a difference.
But it did!
 
So, another happy 0204 user :-D

 

[infinitesymphony]

If ASIO4All is working properly it should sound identical to the built-in ASIO driver because they both should be outputting bit-perfect audio; if you hear a difference between the two, something is wrong. Additionally, ASIO4All is a wrapper that was designed for sound cards that did not have built-in ASIO drivers. The built-in driver is preferred because it is designed for the device. In any case, the headphone amp sections built into E-MU's USB devices are in no way capable of handling high-impedance loads like your 600-ohm DT 880s. That's your current barrier to good sound quality.

 

[xnor]

^ High-impedance loads are easier to drive than low-impedance ones. Volume shouldn't be a problem either with the E-MU, so I don't think there's a barrier.