EMU 0404 and 0202 Compared

[infinitesymphony]

Quote:

Originally Posted by terrymx /img/forum/go_quote.gif okay, i found out that if i turn off the emu0202, windows would boot up immediately. but i don't know how to leave it on and turn on the computer without having it stop the windows from booting. this happen with two different computers.

Which version of Windows are you using? There might be an option in the BIOS to prevent the computer from trying to boot from USB (ex. removing USB from the boot order).

 

[jilgiljongiljing]

Yes that seems quite strange, I am fairly certain that I have restarted my computer with the 0202 powered on.

x2 on what InifiniteSymphony suggested. BIOS might be trying to boot from USB device. Although I dont think many machines are configured that way.

 

[blue_misfit]

I picked up the 0202 a few days ago. I'm very pleased!

Setup:

E-Mu 0202 -> HD580 with 650 recable. I also have a Presonus HP4 that was my amp previously.

The HP4 still serves as a pass-through / volume control to my front speakers (klipsch promedia 5.1 multimedia speakers... nothing special).

The 0202 by itself drives the 580s very nicely. Not as loud as the Presonus HP4 (which shakes my head apart at 2/3 volume), but at full volume its a tad louder than I would ever like, so I feel it's a very good match (power wise) to the 580s.

The drivers are a bit weird. Sometimes it's hard to get the damned computer to recognize the 0202. I take the 0202 with me to work, and connect it to my laptop. Since I'm frequently disconnecting it, the lack of power cable is _really_ nice. I've got the software pretty well squared away at this point.

Anyway, I tried plugging my cans into the HP4 (which is in turn being fed by the 0202's line out). They are still loud as hell, and definitely sound better than they used to (Realtek onboard HD audio, which is surprisingly good). However, I much prefer the sound straight out of the 0202's amp. The HP4 adds a lot of bass and as I said plenty of power, but it's just not necessary.

I'm very pleased with the 0202's soundstage. It's extremely clear and on several occasions I've heard details I've never noticed before in a few songs I know very well. There is no noisefloor or hiss, even cranked up all the way. I've never heard the 580s sound better, and am overall delighted with my purchase. It was a great upgrade, and a fantastic addition to my laptop! I also plan on hooking up a half decent mic, since the 0202 has a solid mic input on one of those nifty hybrid XLR / 1/4" connectors.

stoked!

 

[jilgiljongiljing]

blue_misfit, I'm glad you like the 0202. I used it for recording as well, and its very convenient if you are using it with a laptop. Have fun!

 

[hackeron]

I'm currently suffering with onboard audio - I have a pair of (powered) Behringer B2031A active studio monitors connected directly to the stereo output on the PC.

Other than the buzzing, static, distortion and other very audiable noise, I set the volume to 1% (lowest possible) and then have to further reduce the volume in the players in the evenings which is very annoying.

Will I have the same problem if I go with the 0202 or does it have a more reasonable mixer with it's drivers? - Or should I opt for the 0404 for it's output volume knob?

 

[jilgiljongiljing]

I am not sure I understand what your problem is but its very likely that the noise you hear is because of hardware problem in your soundcard. If thats the case then a USB soundcard like the 0202 or 0404 will definitely help

I find no reason why the same noise issue should show up in the 0202 or 0404.

 

[hackeron]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jilgiljongiljing /img/forum/go_quote.gif I am not sure I understand what your problem is but its very likely that the noise you hear is because of hardware problem in your soundcard. If thats the case then a USB soundcard like the 0202 or 0404 will definitely help I find no reason why the same noise issue should show up in the 0202 or 0404.

It seems I have this hardware problem on 2 other motherboards with onboard sound cards and my macbook pro (especially when plugging in an external monitor) - either that or the Behringer B2031A are just very sensitive - my Shure e5c headphones sound even worse

I really hope the 0404 I've ordered solves this problem, but it seems now creative lied about Leopard support so I might have to send it back

 

[DefectiveAudioComponent]

The 0404 USB runs just fine on Leopard.

 

[hackeron]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DefectiveAudioComponent /img/forum/go_quote.gif The 0404 USB runs just fine on Leopard.

Excellent, yes, mine runs too

- Some noticeable improvement in sound quality over the onboard Gigabyte one (the onboard one on the board is known as one of the better ones) and the leopard support seems fine, I get both software volume control as well as the volume knob. -- Wonder what all those forum posts were about poor leopard support, oh well.

But now comes the crap bit, the background noise (hiss,crackle) has gotten WORSE! - it has a distinct high pitched whine from the speakers at minimum volume which doesn't change throughout the volume range and I can still hear myself opening applications, especially hear more background noise when there is a lot of IO activity on the PC.

I've now set the input trim on the speakers to -6db and the background noise is almost completely gone, but I didn't expect to have to do this

EDIT: I have an m-audio revolution 5.1 pci I bought years ago, and on the same machine under windows or linux, I get absolutely no background noise without trimming the input volume on the speakers - but of course this card is not supported by mac

- anyway quite disappointed.

EDIT2: ok, listened to it a bit more, the sound quality improvement is very noticeable and with the input trim at -6db on the speakers (maximum possible) the background noise is not noticeable when playing music. I think I'll mod it to try to reduce the background noise a bit more but other than that, the 0404 usb does sound pretty darn good.

 

[hackeron]

Today I've put the Emu 0404 USB on it's own dedicated D-Link USB controller (pci card with 5 usb ports) and all buzzing and background noise is completely gone!

I have to actually put my ear right near the tweeter to be able to hear any buzzing or background noise.

I've very happy now

 

[eraser_svk]

My 0202 has just arrived. Sound seems to be good, but I have a big problem - cracking/popping, even through DS, or ASIO, still popping. Mostly when CPU is loaded. It drives me mad, cause I really dont have time to start solving this issue myself. So any help will be appreciated, thanks in advance !

 

[sejarzo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by eraser_svk /img/forum/go_quote.gif My 0202 has just arrived. Sound seems to be good, but I have a big problem - cracking/popping, even through DS, or ASIO, still popping. Mostly when CPU is loaded. It drives me mad, cause I really dont have time to start solving this issue myself. So any help will be appreciated, thanks in advance !

There are a multitude of potential issues, so you will have to solve the problem yourself, I'm afraid......

1. Are you using a notebook with a wireless card? If so, disable your wireless device and see if it goes away. If that's the cause, there isn't necessarily any easy way out, unfortunately, other than using a different computer.

2. To what sort of USB port is the 0202 USB connected? What other USB devices are connected, such as external HD's etc? Some users report much better results using the ports straight off the motherboard on the backplane of a desktop, while others find that using ports on an add-in USB card are superior. No one seems to report that the ports on the front panel of a desktop work better than the others!

3. Download DPC Latency Checker and see if there are some other drivers on your system that are causing the problem. If DPC Latency Checker shows that there are problems, well........you have to spend the time to work them out, disabling other drivers until you find the culprit, and then determining if an alternative driver is available and workable, etc.

Most of the time, it's that something else in the system (most likely a networking device) is the root cause, not a problem with the E-MU devices per se.

 

[Jigen]

Is that only an issue with laptops? I plan on using mine with a desktop, and I'm really hoping my WiFi doesn't mess it up.

Also, is there a way to plug a mini to mini cable into the back of the 0202 and 0404? That's what I need for my portable amp.

 

[eraser_svk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sejarzo /img/forum/go_quote.gif There are a multitude of potential issues, so you will have to solve the problem yourself, I'm afraid...... 1. Are you using a notebook with a wireless card? If so, disable your wireless device and see if it goes away. If that's the cause, there isn't necessarily any easy way out, unfortunately, other than using a different computer. 2. To what sort of USB port is the 0202 USB connected? What other USB devices are connected, such as external HD's etc? Some users report much better results using the ports straight off the motherboard on the backplane of a desktop, while others find that using ports on an add-in USB card are superior. No one seems to report that the ports on the front panel of a desktop work better than the others! 3. Download DPC Latency Checker and see if there are some other drivers on your system that are causing the problem. If DPC Latency Checker shows that there are problems, well........you have to spend the time to work them out, disabling other drivers until you find the culprit, and then determining if an alternative driver is available and workable, etc. Most of the time, it's that something else in the system (most likely a networking device) is the root cause, not a problem with the E-MU devices per se.

thanks for the reply

So, I have a notebook, but the Wi-Fi card is permanently turned off (even in Device Manager)

I have also tried to plug the 0202 to every USB port I have - without any sucess

I have connected mouse and steering wheel (Logitech DFP) in the neighbouring ports.

DPC latency checker says my notebook should be able to work realtime without any problems

I have also updated 0202 drivers and firmware to it's latest version.

To be more specific, I notice cracking/popping everytime when my CPU load goes up, or I keep moving my mouse.

Any other thoughts ?

 

[jilgiljongiljing]

Quote:

Is that only an issue with laptops? I plan on using mine with a desktop, and I'm really hoping my WiFi doesn't mess it up.

Seems to be the case. I have experienced this popping crackling issue only on laptops, and I usually switch off every background app, wireless, and whatever else I can to keep it from happening.

I havent had such issues on a desktop. Even though the desktop I use at work is quite an old machine, when the 0202 is connected straight to the rear USB of the desktop without using a hub, it works great without any issues.

eraser_svk, as for your issue, if you do not have access to a desktop , and you can only use the laptop, unfortunately I can suggest nothing short of switching off all the resource hogs.

Make sure foobars thread priority is set to the highest if you are using foobar. Disable all DSP's dont use resampling, EQ, or anything (this helped me a lot, adding EQ or resampling just made it pop and crackle like crazy on my old celeron based laptop)

Switch between DS and ASIO. Try using ASIO4all and customize it based on the ASIO4all thread you can find here using search. (On my old laptop however, I found that DS was the cleanest, with least pop)

Also increase the output buffer length and see if that helps.