[namlet]

Has anyone done any DIRECT comparisons of A Lynx2 card with the other favorites like the EMU 1212m and the RME stuff? I know everyone knows somebody that has this and they say this or that, but I want to hear from people who have used both in the same system to compare the differences. The Lynx2 is SO much more expensive than these others that I would have to think that for PLAYBACK only, one of these other cards must get awfully close.

Any opinions?

 

[mikechai]

Thanks for asking this question.
I always wanted to ask this for a long time.
But it seems LynxTWO or L22 is not very popular at all at head-fi....

 

[cadobhuk]

I think Lynx2 is probably nothing exceptional for playback quality,roughly on the same level as 1212m.Hammerfall DSP 96/32 probably sounds better than lynx2.The card is strictly for sound editing professionals.For the price it costs you can get an external DAC with much better sound.

 

[lan]

At that price level I agree to get an external DAC. An internal soundcard that expensive is not worth getting.

 

[namlet]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cadobhuk I think Lynx2 is probably nothing exceptional for playback quality,roughly on the same level as 1212m.Hammerfall DSP 96/32 probably sounds better than lynx2.The card is strictly for sound editing professionals.For the price it costs you can get an external DAC with much better sound.

Probably is not exactly what I am looking for. Do you have direct experience with a Lynx Two, and if so , have you compared it back to back with a 1212m? I am not poopooing the 1212m, but everything I have read regarding its superiority are from those with no experience with the Lynx.

An external DAC is not what I am looking for, and I am very familiar with the Benchmark DAC. SPDIF introduces a whole new set of problems. And no matter what Benchmark says about "jitter-immune", that is marketing speak. Reclocking the data is good, but SPDIF is not a asynchronous process, so errors can still arise that are uncorrectable. The process is not flawless. Better transports sound better with the Benchmark, which proves that although it is very good at jitter reduction, it does not correct for everything. And I have experience with VERY expensive DACs including the dcs Elgar, etc., and all suffer similar problems.

So, again, does anyone have direct experience with the Lynx Two card?

 

[ooheadsoo]

I think the best way is to actually get a soundcard with aes3 xlr output and a dac that will take it in 110ohm aes3 format.

Failing that, you will probably have to mod something to use 75ohm bnc adaptors because no RCA is really 75 ohm despite claims like WBT's and neutrik's etc (according to professionals in the industry posting on diyaudio.com.) With true 75ohm bnc on both ends of the transport and dac, in addition to a long 1.5m+ digital cable to reduce the possibility of a reflection confusing the reading of the signal by means of timing and attenuation due to the length of the cable.

For playback.

 

[namlet]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ooheadsoo I think the best way is to actually get a soundcard with aes3 xlr output and a dac that will take it in 110ohm aes3 format. Failing that, you will probably have to mod something to use 75ohm bnc adaptors because no RCA is really 75 ohm despite claims like WBT's and neutrik's etc (according to professionals in the industry posting on diyaudio.com.) With true 75ohm bnc on both ends of the transport and dac, in addition to a long 1.5m+ digital cable to reduce the possibility of a reflection confusing the reading of the signal by means of timing and attenuation due to the length of the cable. For playback.

Thanks for your response. I use the Stereovox HDXV cable developed by Chris Sommovigo for my digital connections. It is truly the best digital cable I have used, at any price.

However, I am really trying to get some information regarding the sound quality of the Lynx TWO in comparison to the other well regarded cards out there via the analog outputs. I am working within the framework of no external DAC, and that will not change. Price is not relevant to me in this discussion. Is the consensus that no one has heard the Lynx TWO card at all??

 

[lan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by namlet Is the consensus that no one has heard the Lynx TWO card at all??

There might be someone out there. It's rare for somebody to own one since it's expensive and they would preferably be using higher end everything else to tell any differences and provide comparision.

Why don't you just buy it and compare for yourself? That's what I would do if I am picky. Just get it from a place which lets you return easily.

 

[ooheadsoo]

I don't think any of the regular posters have the lynx 2 which explains why the rme and emu are so popular here.

 

[soulblaze]

back when the RME Digi 96/8 Pad was popular some people did comparisons with it vs lynx2 and found that the digi was better. And people say the emu series is better than the digi.

 

[Iron_Dreamer]

If you want to spend a lot of money on a soundcard, then by all means go get it, at least then we'd have more info on it.

 

[namlet]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iron_Dreamer If you want to spend a lot of money on a soundcard, then by all means go get it, at least then we'd have more info on it.

I've had it for months. It sounds great, but I have no other basis for reference with soundcards. In comparison to $5000+ CD players, it holds its own very well. It just seems like I should be able to get that level of playback quality without the extra expense of all that input circuitry, which is really what is supposed to be so good about them. For laptops, the Echo Indigo DJ comes to mind as a great idea.

But if it can do great analog output (which it does) without having the input capability it should be much cheaper. And I guess my question is, is that already out there?

Also in regards to external DACs, a good DAC in a soundcard has significant advantages to the same DAC externally. I know, I know, noisy environment, blah, blah. This card is silent, the noise floor is bottomless, and that is just slapped in a case with no special shielding or anything (which would be very easy to do with some ERS cloth). In this card's case, moving the DAC externally with an SPDIF connection would be a bigger sacrifice than the gain in less interference. Other cards may benefit more, I am sure the interference rejection of various cards are very different. An asynchronous USB interface would be a different story, but very few of those DACs are available.

So I guess I'll have to obtain a few of these other cards. The EMU 1212m is a given, is there anything else I should try in comparison to the Lynx TWO? Remember, analog out is all that I am concerned with. Thanks everyone for all the discussion so far.

 

[Asmo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by namlet So I guess I'll have to obtain a few of these other cards. The EMU 1212m is a given, is there anything else I should try in comparison to the Lynx TWO? Remember, analog out is all that I am concerned with. Thanks everyone for all the discussion so far.

Pick up the RME HDSP 9632 for sure.

 

[lan]

All pro audio cards have recording capability. You can't escape that.

I'd also wait for the new Onkyo soundcard. It looks interesting.

 

[cjr888]

If you want to try the LynxTwo, and are only using it for two-channel listening, you really only need the Lynx L22 which can be had for about $625 or so. I know Lynx L22/Two users, but all have made the jump directly to the Lynx, and comparisons are rare.

As for the previous comment made about the RME being preferred, and then the assumed since X sounded better than Y, then X must be better.....that was a single opinion, and there's plenty of opinions out on the web that are in utter disagreement with that opinion. Same goes for the Lynx alone vs. Card -> External DAC.

If you go through with the purchase(s), the outcome will certainly help quite a number of people who haven't taken the plunge to compare once they are all properly burned in. Even then, it will still be preference for the most part, but impressions help everybody. At least it would be an end the the assumptions thrown around..

Unfortunately my PC as source project is on hold as I try and rid excess gear, so its not even hooked up at this point...