[alexsj]

Quote:

I have been a little confused, and as is the case with the wacky world of audio, the more you read, often times, the more confused you get.
 
Anyway, I am looking to basically bypass the rubbsih internal soundcard on my Lenovo Thinkpad and get something with half decent sound quality to connect via USB 2.0. I use the KRK Rokit 6 G2's and do a fair amount of lossless playback and monitoring. I do not connect external instruments or do much recording of live music, etc so I don't need too many inputs. My primary objective is to get better quality output.
 
My questions are:
 
1) Do I need a "USB Interface" or a "USB DAC" or are they both the same?
2) How is the Focusrite Scarlett 8i6 as a choice for my objective of better quality playback ?
3) Any other suggestions under US$ 350 ?
 
Hoping for some suggestions/advice from the more experienced folk here... studio engineers, electronic musicians welcome!...

The HRT music streamer II is very good at $150; it is asynchronous and nicely isolates the computer from the audio. 
 

 

[juman231]

Just want to advise you, the rokits don't have any volume control (the gain control on the back is not a volume control i heard. It's supposed to be set up once in the beginning and be left.) you want a DAC with pre-amplifer function, meaning a volume control of a sort.

 

[TreeTribe]

Quote:

I make no claim that the Xonar U3 is good as any $300 device, I do not not believe the Xonar U3 is a good as any $150 device.
But if a few people figure out that a $40 device will do the job for them and do not really need to spend $300 to get the job done, I've saved someone $260.
No one forced to go with my opinion, I hope they read everyones opinion, then do what they feel will work for them.
 

Though your logic is sound , I'm looking for the best possible quality for under $350. So though the $40 could well do the job for me, I'm sure something a little more advanced (and expensive) could do it better (which is what I'm looking for really - quality).
 
juman231, you are right, the KRK's have the gain control on the back which is to be set once and left alone.
 
I am not really keen on considering E-MU products since I haven't been impressed with equipment from Creative Labs in the past. I have owned several sound cards from them for desktops and laptops (PCMCIA). Also not very keen on the Chinese brands for reasons that are biased.
 
I'm still looking for a good alternative or reason NOT to buy the Focusrite. 
 
Also, any advantages with USB 2.0 over USB 1.0 keeping in mind my usage?
 

 

[Roller]

Quote:

Though your logic is sound , I'm looking for the best possible quality for under $350. So though the $40 could well do the job for me, I'm sure something a little more advanced (and expensive) could do it better (which is what I'm looking for really - quality).
 
juman231, you are right, the KRK's have the gain control on the back which is to be set once and left alone.
 
I am not really keen on considering E-MU products since I haven't been impressed with equipment from Creative Labs in the past. I have owned several sound cards from them for desktops and laptops (PCMCIA). Also not very keen on the Chinese brands for reasons that are biased.
 
I'm still looking for a good alternative or reason NOT to buy the Focusrite. 
 
Also, any advantages with USB 2.0 over USB 1.0 keeping in mind my usage?
 

E-MU isn't the same as consumer Creative, and their audio readings are basically unmatched on their price point.
 
Like I said before, I'm not familiar with that specific Focusrite model, but you probably won't go wrong with.
 
About USB 2.0, it allows for high resolution audio, which USB 1.1 doesn't.

 

[TreeTribe]

What I'm wondering is if the quality of componenets used by E-MU would match those by say M-Audio or Focusrite ? I have my doubts on this...   On a local audio forum, someone just listed a brand new E-MU 0202 USB and a E-MU 0404 USB for very good prices, so they are on the radar. Maybe the 0202 would be a good place to start instead of jumping straight to something that I don't fully understand (a la Focusrite)... 

 

[Roller]

Quote:

What I'm wondering is if the quality of componenets used by E-MU would match those by say M-Audio or Focusrite ? I have my doubts on this...   On a local audio forum, someone just listed a brand new E-MU 0202 USB and a E-MU 0404 USB for very good prices, so they are on the radar. Maybe the 0202 would be a good place to start instead of jumping straight to something that I don't fully understand (a la Focusrite)... 

What kind of M-Audio interfaces are you talking about? There are next to no hardware with high measurements as E-MU cards have within their price range, which along with the fact that M-Audio interfaces are more prone to issues, makes for a choice between E-MU (0204 would be a good option, as 0202 doesn't have same quality components) and Focusrite.
 
But overall, any of those three brands will give you significantly superior sound compared to onboard audio chips, like what's found integrated on laptop motherboards.
 
BTW, what OS do you have installed on your laptop?

 

[TreeTribe]

I was talking about the m-audio mobile-pre usb or the fast track pro.  but yes, i have also read that lots of people have issues with m-audio. 
 
I'm using Windows XP. Some guy is offering a 0202 usb for about $80 and the 0404 usb for about $150 on a local forum.
 
The authorized retailer here for Focusrite is asking for $350 for the Scarlett.  That's $100 more than its available in the US for

 

[Roller]

Hum, I'm not very familiar with the MobilePre, but the Fast Track Pro used to be troublesome for users.
 
Considering you can get the E-MU 0404 for $150, for how much can you get the 0204, that has the same components as the 0404, but with less connectivity? I ask because you should be able to fetch a nice price for it.

 

[TreeTribe]

The geezer hasn't offered the 0204 on the forum, just the two models I mentioned. You can see them here: http://soft.com.sg/forum/forumdisplay.php/55-Sound-Gear-Buy-Sell
 
might have to click on to page 2.
 
The strangest thing with E-MU, I called up Creative, whose global HQ is here in Singapore, and they informed me that their retail stores they have stopped carrying E-MU products in Singapore and I'd have to order it online from the US website.  Not really helping to tilt my decision in favour of the E-MU....

 

[Roller]

Quote:

The geezer hasn't offered the 0204 on the forum, just the two models I mentioned. You can see them here: http://soft.com.sg/forum/forumdisplay.php/55-Sound-Gear-Buy-Sell
 
might have to click on to page 2.
 
The strangest thing with E-MU, I called up Creative, whose global HQ is here in Singapore, and they informed me that their retail stores they have stopped carrying E-MU products in Singapore and I'd have to order it online from the US website.  Not really helping to tilt my decision in favour of the E-MU....

 
Since some time that E-MU started selling mainly online, and their closest recommended store can be found here: http://www.folkslogue.com/en/E-MU/PCIe-or-USB/E-MU-0204-USB-20
 
And in all honesty, there were some rather high prices being asked for some gear on that forum you linked, so be careful about that

 

[TreeTribe]

they're all in Singapore dollars    1.2SGD = 1USD