[bpm2000]

What soundcards are out there with Toslink optical digital outs? Ive been thinking about getting a second soundcard and also want something that i can use with a minidisc player/recorder. What kind of options do I have? (the cheaper the better but list $200<)

thanks

 

[aeberbach]

Terratec 6-pack+ has optical I/O and six line outputs on the card - no extra panel/daughtercard.

Soyo Dragon Plus has onboard sound that is OK, and comes with a digital I/O panel.

Zoltech Nightingale Pro has optical out on a daughterboard.

Creative products have optical out on an external pod, or on a daughter module (older cards).

Hercules Game Theater has optical out on an external pod.

Xitel hifi-link digital connects via USB and has one optical output.

That's about all I've tried...

The Soyo mainboard is the neatest solution and I'm using it now. The Terratec card is the best solution overall IMO - sounds better than a Creative card too.

 

[Hirsch]

The Hoontech Digital XG has both Toslink and coax digital I/O via a daughtercard that comes with it (www.tracertek.com, $80 or so). The Yamaha XG chip set is good, and analog and digital I/O are clean.

The nice thing about this card is that it doesn't resample 44.1 KHz digital input (one of the very few cards at this level that doesn't). However, the manual claims that it does resample output to 48 KHz...but as long as my ART DI/O is connected to the input, the DI/O can accept the digital output without distortion while set at a 44.1 KHz sampling rate. This would produce unpleasant sounds if the Hoontech were actually outputting 48 KHz...a DI/O set at 44.1 needs a 44.1 signal. So, it appears that the Hoontech will sync to an external clock...a very nice feature indeed in a sound card at this price point.

Next step up is a pro card, such as the Audiophile 24/96 (approx twice the price of the Hoontech).

 

[DarkArtist]

This card has optical in and out and is not particularly expensive in the UK. It can be used with the optical in on a minidisc player, I have converted my colleages to Minidisc as MP3s are OK on LP2. And a few minidiscs are alot cheaper than solid state memory.

http://europe.hercules.com/products/...atures_gf2.php

 

[andrzejpw]

Fortissimo II my friend, fortissimo II from hercules.

Beast the crap out of my old sb live! Optical in and out!

 

[bpm2000]

hey hirsch, i considered the 2496 but it doesnt seem to have an optical out... and i dont want to buy a daughter card, i want it to be on the main board.. The Fortissimo II seems to be a good choice, anyone know the cheapest place to pick one up?
thanks for all the suggestions, keep em coming if you have any more!

 

[Trawlerman]

Hi all,

I have been using the Guillemot Fortissimo II in my second system for quite a while now. Somewhere in the region of two years or more.

It uses the Yamaha XG chipset and i'm sure it's the 744 processor. The midi sound is great. As for the Optical out, i've found it to be quite useful at times - perhaps my only grumble with it is that there is no solid click when you put the optical cable in so it sometimes falls out of the cable is moved slightly.

Anyway, I got my Fortissimo II from the local PC World store here in Hull but i'm sure that the Nottingham store would carry it along with any of of the other stores in the Midlands.



As an aside from this. I have the Guillemot ISIS with it's external breakoutbox fitted in my main system and it rocks! I've yet to come across another soundcard as adaptable as this one. Having said that it was the quivalent of $400 so it's needs to be good

Good listening