I've been using my computer's built-in sound system (Realtek 888 chip) for about 4 years, but have always wanted to have better sound. Based on comments I've read on this forum, I have narrowed the choices down to three cards. One has not been mentioned on this forum, but it has great specs, and generally good reviews. The three cards are listed below, with their pros and cons, as I see them. What would your guidance be.
My main uses for the card will be digitizing vinyl recordings, recording from vinyl, 1/4" tape, CDs, and tuner for now, recording voice (will require good mike pre-amp and mike, but will post about that in future), will expand to live music recording in the near/medium future. I'm only interested in stereo, not 5.1, 7.1 etc. While I'd like S/PDIF inputs, if the ASUS card is overwhelmingly the best choice for other reasons, I can live without S/PDIF inputs.
Please keep in mind that I have VERY good hearing, and it is very well trained. Really, I have the audiometery test results to prove it.
1. E-MU 0404 PCIe
PROS: good to great specs, have seen E-MU spoken of with regard on this forum, it is PCIe and not PCI bus (though I do have free PCI slots open), has S/PDIF out AND in, has unbalanced i/o connectons which I use, comes with ASIO2 drivers, has MIDI i/o (which I don't use), price is lowest of the three boards.
CONS: Only a one year warranty, no Windows 7 drivers yet (E-MU says to use Vista drivers, and I use Win 7 -64, but they are "tracking the issue closely" and will let us know when a release is available), uses a breakout cable that has 1/4" TRS jacks-necessating a TRS to RCA converter for my equipment, some reviews say that the breakout cable breaks on its own after a while.
2. M-Audio Audiophile 192
PROS: good to great specs, drivers do have 64 bit support for Windows, has ASIO drivers, have seen M-Audio spoken of with regard on this forum, has software routing of inputs and outputs, looks like it has a changeable op-amp chip (but not mentioned in M-Audio's literature),has S/PDIF in AND out, decent price.
CONS: All drivers are old-11/14/2009, breakout cable is said by some to have occasional problems, breakout cable has 1/4" TRS jacks-necessating a TRS to RCA converter for my equipment, TRS i/o jacks are spec'ed as balanced-but M-Audio has told me they will auto-sense unbalanced connections and operate accordingly.
3. Asus Xonar STX
PROS: best specs of the bunch, newest 64 bit Win 7 drivers of the bunch-2/14/2011, Nichicon Fine Gold capacitors (on one hand "Big Whoop," on the other hand they are what I used when I rebuilt the right channel of my McIntosh MC 2205 power amp), three year warranty, RCA output (only) jacks, supposedly has EMI shielding over critical parts to protect analog signal (but shield is open on one side?), Burr-Brown 1792A DACs, , upgradeable op amp(s).
CONS: uses a stereo TRS to dual RCA breakout cable for inputs, only has S/PDIF output, highest price of the bunch, some say that because it is made by ASUS it is not a professional grade card, I've never seen it mentioned on this forum.