[sejarzo]

Check out my post comparing the 0404 USB to the Marantz SA8001 player, which has garnered some really impressive reviews.

The 0404 USB really is extraordinarily good for the money.

 

[skudmunky]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deathwish238 /img/forum/go_quote.gif $700 huh? Quite a jump in price! You really think it'ld be worth getting one for my $100 amp and $230 headphones? I'm gonna guess not

Source first! Just imagine how much you could enjoy getting new and better headphones and amps and revealing more and more of the amazing sources qualities!

 

[Deathwish238]

haha well...$700 is way out of my budget. Hell...$200 is more than I should be spending as it is.

I just setup Kernel Streaming and that improved SQ a great deal. A lot deeper bass and even clearer highs(which made it even brighter so I turned the highs down 1 more dB).

Perhaps if I just don't go to school next semester...I can put tuition towards audio...

 

[Deathwish238]

Another though...I'm reading that E-MU only has beta drivers for Vista! Perhaps I'm better of waiting on the 0404

 

[TVaudio]

I put sockets in my EB01 to roll the opamps and I put 627's in and it really opened it up I thought.

 

[sejarzo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deathwish238 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Another though...I'm reading that E-MU only has beta drivers for Vista! Perhaps I'm better of waiting on the 0404

I don't run Vista, but who knows.......maybe those beta drivers will be the actual release drivers come January. There have been reports of very successful installs of the 0404 USB on Vista.

 

[pearljam5000]

could you give me the link to your post?
Quote:

Originally Posted by sejarzo /img/forum/go_quote.gif Check out my post comparing the 0404 USB to the Marantz SA8001 player, which has garnered some really impressive reviews. The 0404 USB really is extraordinarily good for the money.

 

[Feebleminded]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deathwish238 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Perhaps if I just don't go to school next semester...I can put tuition towards audio...

Amen to that! If I just skipped out on winter term I could pick up a nice DAC, a new headphone amp, recable my cans, get some new bookshelf speakers, replace the tonearm on my turn table.....etc

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deathwish238 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Another though...I'm reading that E-MU only has beta drivers for Vista! Perhaps I'm better of waiting on the 0404

I am sure E-MU's beta drivers are better than anything Creative have released to date.

 

[Deathwish238]

I'm probably gonna wait till I can pick up an 0404 for cheap. Hopefully E-MU will release better drivers by then

Feeble...I'ld get a nice DAC, upgrade my fronts and my sub...and then probably put some towards my car...get some new springs and shocks...exhaust...

The more I talk about it the better it sounds haha

 

[ph0rk]

the 0404 should act as a generic usb audio device, and only need the drivers for upsampling.

Another option (mine) is to use toslink in to the 0404 and use it as an extension of my system's main sound. You'll need a soundcard with a toslink (or coax digital) out though - don't most integrated cards do coax out now with a miniplug?

oh, and as for cheap, the 0404 can be had from amazon for ~$160

 

[Deathwish238]

My laptop actually has an optical out, as does my Audigy 2

My concern is if I use optical out won't the sq be degraded along the way?

 

[ph0rk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deathwish238 /img/forum/go_quote.gif My laptop actually has an optical out, as does my Audigy 2 My concern is if I use optical out won't the sq be degraded along the way?

If your laptop has a bit-perfect optical out, no.

 

[sejarzo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ph0rk /img/forum/go_quote.gif the 0404 should act as a generic usb audio device, and only need the drivers for upsampling.

That couldn't be less true.

The 0404 USB absolutely must use its own drivers, as it is not a "generic USB audio device". It uses the USB block transfer mode to send an unclocked audio data stream to the external box, where it is buffered and reclocked to the D/A process. It doesn't use a standard USB Audio receiver chip that is used in devices limited to 16/48.

Most of the devices that are capable of greater than 16/48 transfer are designed to use their own drivers. If you think about it, it makes sense--they would have to operate in, as you state, "generic" mode at low sample rates and some other method at higher rates........so the hardware/software design would be rather complex. Benchmark has a way of getting around that, but the "prosumer" USB recording devices all require their own drivers AFAIK.

 

[sejarzo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pearljam5000 /img/forum/go_quote.gif could you give me the link to your post?

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showpo...03&postcount=1

 

[Deathwish238]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ph0rk /img/forum/go_quote.gif If your laptop has a bit-perfect optical out, no.

How would I find that out?